Following Felicity Huffman‘s comparatively light prison sentence after she pled guilty in the Operation Varsity Blues scandal, more than a dozen of the other high-profile defendants are rushing to plead out as fast as possible.
But at least one high-profile parent wants her day in court! Lori Loughlin is reportedly still planning on fighting the charges against her in the aptly named college admissions scandal, according to new court documents obtained this week by DailyMail.com.
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Three defendants who had not initially entered a guilty plea have already cut deals with the government in the last couple weeks, all of them choosing to plead out and take a lesser sentence rather than risk significant prison time after a courtroom battle. At least nine others are “in talks” towards that goal, as well.
And then there’s Lori…
This is where things get interesting: Loughlin is one of 19 parents named in the indictment facing charges for mail fraud and money laundering that haven’t spoken to the government about a plea bargain. It’s a hell of a risky gamble, because the Fuller House star would be facing up to 40 years in prison if she were found guilty on both counts. And, yes, while she may never serve that much time, it’s very possible she’ll serve a LOT more jail time than the two week sentence Huffman was given after her plea.
Oh… and there’s more. Per the court docs, two of the three defendants who plead out this week after seeing Huffman’s outcome were Laura Janke and Ali Khosroshahin. You don’t know those names, but Loughlin does; those two were the University of Southern California women’s soccer coaches busted for working to create the embellished athletic profiles for the students at the center of this scandal.
As part of their plea deals, those two are now cooperating witnesses in the investigation, helping the federal government build their case against the parents — Loughlin included — who are still fighting the charges filed against them. In other words, the Summerland star’s alleged co-conspirators have turned state’s evidence, and the feds appear to be winding up to go HARD after these remaining 19 parents.
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What do U think, Perezcious readers?! Will this be justice served for 19 parents, the actress included, if they are found guilty in a court of law? Should feds grant plea deals to all of them, if they choose to accept?
Most importantly for our purposes: is Lori right for not going after a plea deal? Do you have faith she and her husband Mossimo Giannulli can win the battle in court?!
Sound OFF about everything in the comments (below)…
[Image via WENN]
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