Lori Loughlin

We’ve been following the college admissions scandal involving Lori Loughlin of “Fuller House” fame for months. We’ve seen new evidence crop up that looks like it might exonerate Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli. Or it could have at least shortened the amount of prison time they could get.

But, it seems the couple will not get off the hook for their alleged participation.

This week prosecutors denied claims that the FBI entrapped her and Giannulli. 

They denied that the couple were unwitting participants in the scam to bribe USC officials into admitting their daughters to the school. This was a slap in the face to Loughlin and her team since they thought this was their surefire defense strategy.

New Info: Prosecutors Deny Allegations Made By Loughlin

Fox News reported that the couple’s lawyers had previously argued that the case should be thrown out. The lawyers contended that mastermind Rick Singer’s notes implied that he had been instructed by agents to lie about what the parents knew.

Loughlin and Giannulli’s attorneys also accused prosecutors of withholding evidence. But prosecutors denied both these allegations on Wednesday in a new court filing.

“In a sprawling, fast-moving prosecution, the failure to produce the notes earlier was simply a mistake,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven E. Frank wrote in the new filing. “The defendants have suffered no prejudice, and their suggestion that the notes somehow ‘exonerate’ them, or reveal that the evidence against them was fabricated, is demonstrably false.”

RELATED: Judge Gives Lori Loughlin Good News – Cracks Down On USC In Admissions Scandal

Background: Loughlin Claimed She Didn’t Know About Bribe

Three months ago Loughlin and Giannulli’s lawyers argued that the prosecution had withheld evidence. The evidence that was supposedly withheld would have shown that the couple didn’t know the $500,000 they were paying Singer was being used to bribe school officials.

Instead, the attorneys claim that the couple thought the money was a legitimate donation to the school. 

“Singer’s notes indicate that FBI agents yelled at him and instructed him to lie by saying that he told his clients who participated in the alleged ‘side door’ scheme that their payments were bribes, rather than legitimate donations that went to the schools,” the lawyers stated. “They further note the Government’s desire to ‘nail’ one of the defendants ‘at all costs.’”

Prosecutors Shut Loughlin Down

In yet another twist, the prosecution now claims that when Singer wrote the notes, he was still not taking full responsibility for his actions.

Prosecutors also said that regardless of whether the money was referred to as a “donation” or a “bribe,” a crime still took place.

“Just because neither Singer nor the defendants actually used the word ‘bribe’ to describe the purported donations doesn’t mean that they were legitimate,” Frank wrote. “They were bribes, regardless of what Singer and the defendants called them, because, as the defendants knew, the corrupt insiders were soliciting the money in exchange for recruiting unqualified students, in violation of their duty of honest services to their employer.”

RELATED: Lori Loughlin May Escape Prison Sentence After Evidence Of FBI Coercion Surfaces

Loughlin and Giannulli each face numerous charges. They relate to fraud and money laundering that could put them each in jail for up to 45 years. 

And, here’s a kicker! Since the coronavirus pandemic has the world in its grasp, many universities are changing their admissions policies. Take a look:

Once again, it’s glaringly obvious that Loughlin and Giannulli should have pleaded guilty a long time ago and taken their punishment then.

Had they done that, they likely would have been given a prison sentence of just a few months. And, they would already be free to move on with their lives.

After all this rigmarole, prosecutors and even a judge, will be hard-pressed to let them off with just a slap on the wrist.

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