Lori Loughlin’s daughters, 21-year-old Bella and 20-year-old Olivia Jade Giannulli, are reportedly “mortified” by the recent public release of the allegedly staged rowing photos related to their college admissions scandal. Inside sources close to the family say that the girls recognize that the photos are not only embarrassing but also very damning evidence against their family, according to inTouch.
The two photos were released by federal prosecutors on April 8. They feature each daughter posed on a rowing machine wearing athletic clothing. The photos were allegedly staged upon encouragement by Rick Singer, the admitted mastermind of the scheme. The intended goal of the photos was to make the girls’ athletic profiles for the University of Southern California appear more believable. Both Olivia and Bella were presented as crew recruits despite never having participated in the sport.
The inside source discussed how the family is dealing with the release of these photos, explaining that the girls are worried it will now appear that they “may have unwittingly participated in their parents’ scam to get them into college.”
The girls are also worried about their parents’ fate if they are, in fact, convicted of the crimes they have pleaded not guilty to. As the evidence continues to build against them, the pressure to take a plea deal also rises, the source explained.
“And now, her daughters are once again begging her to plead guilty or make some kind of deal, if it’s not too late. It seems like the case against Lori can’t get any worse, but she still can’t fathom the idea of spending one day behind bars. She seemed to be in denial until the recent photos of her daughters Olivia and Bella rowing, and Mossimo’s personal emails detailing the scam, were presented as evidence.
The source went on to convey that Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have different opinions regarding how to handle the situation moving forward. As much as she does not want to face jail time, Loughlin is also committed to doing whatever is best for her daughters.
“She’s constantly fighting with Mossimo and her attorneys. Lori really is at the end of her rope,” the source said.
As The Inquisitr previously reported, Loughlin and Giannulli’s legal teams have been trying to get the charges against them dropped. They have accused the government of withholding evidence, including documents showing communication with Singer specifically. Nevertheless, this motion has been rejected and the couple is expected to face trial as planned in October of 2020 in the state of Massachusetts.