Americans everywhere were stunned when Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli rejected a generous plea deal from prosecutors to instead go to a trial that could result in them spending decades in prison. Now, the real reason behind their decision to go to trial has been revealed, and it has left many surprised.

Daily Mail reported that Loughlin and Giannulli decided that they wanted to go to trial because they feel that this is the only way that they can save their reputations in the eyes of the public. They are hoping that they can be redeemed publicly once people see and hear the reasons behind their actions in court.

“Lori feels like so much damage has been done publicly that the only way for her to counter it is to fight this case in court,” said a source close to the situation. “She feels like once all the evidence is presented, that people will understand how things happened.”

The insider went on to say that Loughlin never thought that she was doing anything illegal when she allegedly paid $500,000 in bribe money to have her two daughters admitted to the University of Southern California.

“Everyone has seen snippets of the evidence, but there’s a lot more out there,” the source explained. “When you look at it in context, you can argue that this is a woman who didn’t understand exactly what she was doing.”

The source also said that Loughlin is hoping to avoid going to jail altogether, which is why she turned down a plea deal that would have put her behind bars for a few months. She might be regretting that decision now, however, as she is facing a potential forty years in prison as she heads to trial.

Going into their trial, Loughlin and Giannulli are planning to place all the blame on Rick Singer, the man behind the college admissions scheme

“[Loughlin] was being counseled and guided by a man who this was his area of expertise,” the source said. “When the evidence comes out, she’ll have a case to make. At this point, if she pleads guilty, she feels like the mitigating evidence will never see the light of day.”

It will certainly be interesting to see what evidence comes to light at trial, and there is always the possibility that Loughlin has some kind of ace in the hole that will completely redeem her to her fans. The chances of her earning redemption in the court of public opinion at this point, however, are slim to none. Even if Loughlin did not know that she was breaking the law, she still thought it was alright to bribe her daughters into a college where they would be taking the spots of more deserving students. This will certainly make it difficult for the fans who loved Loughlin in her wholesome projects like “Fuller House” and Hallmark Channel movies to ever see her the same way again.

Loughlin should be worrying less about her public reputation and more about staying out of prison right now. If she ends up behind bars for decades, we can guarantee that her reputation will be the last thing on her mind.

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