Photo: Steven Senne, AP
Loughlin & hubby sentenced to 2 and 5 mos.
A judge formalized Lori Loughlin and her husband’s lenient plea bargain Friday. As noted in another blog , they got “Justice Lite” as frequently happens with celeb offenders.
Actress Loughlin Sentence.
Loughlin was shown to have been less involved in the family’s college cheating scandal. Thus, she got less time and a smaller fine than her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli. The famous couple plead guilty to charges in May 2020, and were sentenced on August 21, 2020.
Loughlin will pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service.
Giannulli will also pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service.
Both Loughlin and Giannulli were ordered to surrender Nov. 19.
The legal aspect.
The actress Loughlin sentence was unusual in another way.Her plea deal with prosecutors was unusual because the proposed terms were binding once accepted, instead of granting the judge sentencing discretion.
The human aspect.
Since I’ve discussed legal aspects of the case before, here are highlights from an AP story –
—Fighting back tears, Loughlin told the judge her actions “helped exacerbate existing inequalities in society” and pledged to do everything in her power to use her experience as a “catalyst to do good.”
Her lawyer said she began volunteering with special needs students at an elementary school.
“I made an awful decision. I went along with a plan to give my daughters an unfair advantage in the college admissions process and in doing so I ignored my intuition and allowed myself to be swayed from my moral compass,” Loughlin said…
—Hours before in a separate hearing, Giannulli, whose Mossimo clothing had long been a Target brand until recently, told the judge he “deeply” regrets the harm to his daughters, wife and others.
“I take full responsibility for my conduct. I am ready to accept the consequences and move forward, with the lessons I’ve learned from this experience,” Giannulli, 57, said in a stoic statement.
—Lori lost the acting career she spent 40 years building,” attorney BJ Trach said. “She has become intertwined with the college admissions scandal.”
Trach alluded to bullying endured by their daughters, including Olivia Jade Giannulli — a social media star who has a popular YouTube channel — since the charges were made public. The bullying forced the family to hire security for their daughters, Trach said.
—U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton expressed outrage at the couple’s greed, calling Loughlin’s life “charmed” and a “fairytale,” with success and plentiful wealth.
“Yet you stand before me a convicted felon and for what? For the inexplicable desire to grasp even more,” Gorton said.
Your thoughts on the fairness of justice in this case?
My latest book, PRIVILEGED KILLERS, is a true story about a half-dozen Dark Triad people in my everyday life - narcissists, manipulators, and psychopaths. Three of 'em murdered people, and one came after my wife and me. Print and e-book versions of this (and CLEFT HEART) available at Amazon and elsewhere online. Also at your local bookstore.
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