Lori Loughlin Was Almost Convinced By Friends And Family To Plead Guilty To New Charge

Full House star Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were recently slapped with yet another charge in connection to the college admissions scandal. They now face charges of bribery, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and money laundering. They both pleaded not guilty to the new charge as they did for the earlier charges, but inside sources say Loughlin was almost convinced to do otherwise, according to Elle.

Loughlin’s friends and family wanted her to plead guilty to this new charge because she is already in such deep legal trouble and the stakes are already so high. She was reportedly nearly convinced to do it. But Giannulli felt differently, according to inside sources.

“Lori turned the corner and backed out of considering a guilty plea due to her husband’s insistence. She had been talking to her lawyers about it, but her friends and family were encouraging her to pursue a plea deal.”

Now that she won’t be able to nab a plea deal, Loughlin and her husband face a whopping 50 years maximum behind bars if they are convicted. Loughlin and her husband are among the many wealthy and influential parents who are caught up in this scandal, which law enforcement have dubbed operation Varsity Blues. They are accused of paying $500,000 to ensure their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella, a spot at the University of Southern California. They also allegedly tried to present their daughters as crew recruits despite the fact that neither girl is known to have participated in the sport.

The same inside source that revealed that Loughlin nearly pleaded guilty went on to say that Loughlin and Giannulli’s marriage is under strain right now as the stress regarding this scandal continues to escalate. It is continuing to appear less and less likely that the couple will be able to avoid jail time. The only option they have is to convince a judge that they truly believed the $500,000 was intended to be only a donation and nothing more.

“They knew this [the new charge] was a possibility, but they all thought that perhaps it was just a bargaining tool from the prosecution. Now that the charges are official, they are realizing that there is no way to avoid a moderately long prison sentence, unless they are found not guilty in a trial.”

As The Inquisitr previously reported, there is a chance that both Olivia and Isabella could face charges in connection to this scandal. At the very least, they will likely be called forward to testify in court against their parents.