Lori Loughlin
| Lori Loughlin | |
|---|---|
| Born: | July 28, 1964 Queens, New York |
| Charges: | |
| Sentence: | 2 months in federal prison, 2 years supervised release, $150,000 fine, 100 hours community service |
| Facility: | FCI Dublin |
| Status: | Released (December 2020) |
Lori Anne Loughlin is an American actress best known for her role as Rebecca Donaldson-Katsopolis ("Aunt Becky") on the ABC sitcom Full House (1988-1995) and its Netflix sequel Fuller House (2016-2018).[1] In 2019, she and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were charged in connection with the college admissions bribery scandal known as "Operation Varsity Blues"—one of the largest college admissions fraud cases in U.S. history.[2] The couple pleaded guilty to paying $500,000 in bribes to secure their daughters' admission to the University of Southern California as fake athletic recruits. Loughlin served two months in federal prison.[3]
Early Life and Career
Lori Loughlin was born on July 28, 1964, in Queens, New York. Her family later moved to Hauppauge on Long Island, where she grew up. She developed an interest in acting as a young child and began her career at age 11 as a print model.[1]
Loughlin's acting career began in the early 1980s with appearances in soap operas, including a role on The Edge of Night. She gained wider recognition playing Jody Travis on the ABC sitcom Full House beginning in 1988, but her character was written out after the first season.
Full House and Aunt Becky
Loughlin's career-defining role came in 1988 when she joined Full House as Rebecca Donaldson, a co-host of a local morning show who becomes the love interest of Jesse Katsopolis (John Stamos). After their marriage on the show, she became known as "Aunt Becky" to the Tanner children.[4]
Loughlin appeared in 143 episodes over the series' eight-season run. The character of Aunt Becky became one of the most beloved figures in 1990s family television, and Loughlin's wholesome image became central to her public persona.
Hallmark Career
Following Full House, Loughlin built a successful career appearing in Hallmark Channel productions. She starred in the popular series When Calls the Heart from 2014 to 2019, playing Abigail Stanton, a widow and cafe owner in a frontier town.[5]
Fuller House
In 2016, Loughlin reprised her role as Aunt Becky in Fuller House, the Netflix sequel to the original series. She appeared in 16 episodes through season four before her involvement in the college admissions scandal led to her departure from the show.[4]
Marriage and Family
Loughlin married fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli in 1997. Giannulli founded the Mossimo clothing brand, which became widely available through a licensing deal with Target stores, generating significant wealth for the family.[6]
The couple has two daughters:
- Isabella Rose Giannulli (born 1998)
- Olivia Jade Giannulli (born 1999), who became a social media influencer with millions of followers on YouTube and Instagram
The College Admissions Scandal
Operation Varsity Blues
On March 12, 2019, federal prosecutors announced charges against 50 people in connection with a massive college admissions bribery scheme. The investigation, code-named "Operation Varsity Blues," uncovered a criminal conspiracy orchestrated by William Rick Singer, who operated a purported college admissions counseling business.[2]
Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering, tax evasion, and obstruction of justice for facilitating bribes to college coaches and administrators to designate applicants as recruited athletes—regardless of their actual athletic ability.
The Charges Against Loughlin and Giannulli
Prosecutors alleged that Loughlin and Giannulli paid Singer $500,000 in bribes to have their two daughters designated as recruits to the University of Southern California (USC) crew team, despite neither daughter having any rowing experience.[7]
The scheme involved:
- Creating fabricated athletic profiles for both daughters
- Staging photographs of the girls on rowing machines (ergometers)
- Providing these fake profiles to USC's athletic department
- Bribing USC women's crew coach Donna Heinel to designate them as athletic recruits[2]
Isabella was admitted to USC in 2017 and Olivia Jade in 2018 under false pretenses. Prosecutors presented evidence that Loughlin and Giannulli were aware their daughters were not legitimate athletic recruits and actively participated in creating the false documentation.
Rejected Legitimate Path
Prosecutors noted that Loughlin and Giannulli had been informed that Olivia Jade could likely gain admission to USC through the regular application process, given her grades and test scores. They allegedly rejected this legitimate approach in favor of the guaranteed admission provided by the bribery scheme.[7]
Legal Proceedings
Unlike actress Felicity Huffman, who pleaded guilty quickly and received a 14-day sentence, Loughlin and Giannulli initially fought the charges. They pleaded not guilty and contested the prosecution for over a year.[8]
In April 2020, prosecutors added additional bribery charges against the couple, increasing their potential legal exposure. In May 2020, both agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges as part of a plea agreement.[8]
Sentencing
On August 21, 2020, U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton sentenced Loughlin to:
- 2 months in federal prison
- 2 years of supervised release
- $150,000 fine
- 100 hours of community service[7]
Giannulli received a harsher sentence of 5 months in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service, reflecting his more active role in the scheme.
Incarceration
Loughlin reported to Federal Correctional Institution Dublin, a low-security federal prison in Dublin, California, on October 30, 2020. She served her sentence during the COVID-19 pandemic, which had prompted concerns about prison conditions.[3]
She was released on December 28, 2020, after serving approximately two months—slightly less than her full sentence due to standard release policies.[3]
Professional Consequences
The scandal had immediate and severe consequences for Loughlin's career:
- The Hallmark Channel terminated their relationship with her on March 14, 2019[5]
- Her previously recorded scenes were edited out of When Calls the Heart Season 6
- Netflix dropped her from Fuller House
- Hewlett-Packard removed her from advertising campaigns
Her daughter Olivia Jade also lost sponsorship deals with TRESemmé and Sephora.[6]
Post-Release
Following her release and completion of community service, Loughlin gradually returned to acting:
- In late 2021, she appeared in the second season premiere of When Hope Calls on Great American Family (formerly GAC Family), reprising her character from When Calls the Heart[9]
- She appeared in additional Great American Family movies
- She had a cameo in HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 12), playing a heightened version of herself that parodied the scandal
- She appeared on CBS's Blue Bloods and Amazon's On Call
Personal Life Post-Scandal
In 2025, it was reported that Loughlin and Giannulli had separated after 28 years of marriage. A representative confirmed they were "living apart and taking a break from their marriage."[10]
Legacy and Impact
The Varsity Blues scandal exposed the lengths to which wealthy parents would go to secure admission for their children at elite universities. Loughlin and Giannulli's case was particularly notable because they paid significantly more than most other defendants ($500,000 compared to the $15,000-$75,000 paid by many others) and initially chose to fight the charges rather than accept responsibility.[8]
Following the scandal, USC expelled or denied admission to students connected to the bribery scheme, implemented reforms to its athletic recruitment process, and fired several coaches and administrators involved in the fraud.[2]
The contrast between Loughlin's wholesome "Aunt Becky" image and her involvement in a bribery scheme resonated widely in media coverage, becoming a symbol of privilege and hypocrisy in the college admissions process.
See Also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Lori Loughlin". IMDb. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "College Admissions Case". United States Department of Justice. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Lori Loughlin released from prison after college admissions scandal". Associated Press. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "How 'Full House' made Lori Loughlin's 'Aunt Becky' an icon". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Hallmark Channel Drops Lori Loughlin After College Admissions Scandal Arrest". Variety. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Mossimo Giannulli Made Millions From The Clothing Line That Bears His Name". Forbes. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "Lori Loughlin sentenced to 2 months in prison for role in college admissions scam". CNN. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Lori Loughlin Pleads Guilty in College Admissions Case". The New York Times. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ "Lori Loughlin Returns to Acting in 'When Hope Calls' on Great American Family". Variety. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.
- ↑ "Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli 'Living Apart' After Nearly 28 Years of Marriage". People. Retrieved {{{access-date}}}.