The bricks just keep piling up for Lori Loughlin.
This week she officially pleaded not guilty to another felony in relation to the infamous college admissions scandal.
Right from the start she and hubby Mossimo Giannulli took a stand and declared their innocence in the face of an indictment full of evidence they bribed USC officials half a million bucks to fraudulently get their daughters onto the crew team — and therefore into the university.
Federal prosecutors have responded by filing charge after charge, first conspiracy to commit mail fraud, then conspiracy to commit money laundering, then conspiracy to commit federal program bribery. The maximum prison sentence just keeps going up, like a twisted reverse auction — with many parents having chosen to give in and plead guilty.
Related: Meanwhile, Felicity Huffman Is Enjoying Her Community Service
But not Lori. Not her fashion designer hubby, Mossimo Giannulli.
So now she’s facing half a century behind bars — have mercy, indeed — and according to a source spilling to ET, that prospect has the actress “terrified.”
Yeah, we bet! The insider continues:
“She is breaking down. She truly feels at her very worst. People are coming out in support of her lately but she is afraid to open up. She’s concerned if she talks to the wrong people that her opinions will get out and somehow affect the case.”
That’s not an unreasonable worry on her part. After all, the whole reason she was arrested is because William “Rick” Singer, who ran the fake charity through which the bribery scheme operated, called her on the phone and got her to acknowledge the money and discuss lying to the IRS about it. He had already been caught and cooperated with the FBI by recording phone calls with all his alleged co-conspirators.
After a betrayal like that, it’s only natural she’d be a little gunshy.
But she is getting support anyway. The insider says:
“Lori has always been an upstanding citizen, a loving mother and a gracious, wonderful friend. Those closest to her are devastated because she has been a good person to them and know she could be facing jail time because of very poor judgement. Her friends are supporting her and keep reminding her if she does time behind bars she will get through this.”
The insider is definitely supporting her, that’s for sure.
But we’ve also heard very supportive statements from costars John Stamos and Bob Saget. But we guess the Fuller House crew isn’t unanimous in their support?
Because Aunt Becky was nowhere in sight at the wrap party for the Netflix revival show. Another source told ET:
“The cancellation of the show felt like another blow but she just couldn’t take part in anything to do with her TV family right now.”
However, there is a lot of love for Lori still there:
“The cast is so compassionate towards Lori and feel terrible for her. They felt their final wrap party was not the same without her.”
There definitely would have been a different mood to the festivities, that’s for sure.
What do YOU think will happen with Lori??
[Image via Netflix.]
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