“Fuller House” actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli, have pleaded not guilty to bribery charges brought against them two weeks ago in the ongoing college admissions scandal, according to documents filed in federal court Friday.
The charges are part of a three-count indictment against the parents, who previously pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud and money laundering. Loughlin and Giannulli were among 11 parents hit with new charges by a federal grand jury in an indictment returned on Oct. 22 that said the parents “conspired to commit federal program bribery by bribing employees of the University of Southern California (USC) to facilitate their children’s admission,” according to the Department of Justice.
“In exchange for the bribes, employees of the university allegedly designated the defendants’ children as athletic recruits – with little or no regard for their athletic abilities – or as members of other favored admissions categories.”
The charge of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, in addition to a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater.
Loughlin and Giannulli have consistently denied any wrongdoing and maintain their innocence.
One of the other parents involved, “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman, entered a guilty plea to one count of mail fraud and served a less-than-two-week prison sentence in October.