Lori Loughlin had her eyes set on USC.
As we reported, the Fuller House star and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, pled not guilty to charges of conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering for allegedly paying bribes totaling $500,000 to have both of their children — 19-year-old Olivia Jade and 20-year-old Isabella Rose — recruited for the university’s crew team, despite not playing the sport.
Related: Student Who ‘Unknowingly’ Benefitted From College Scheme Apologizes
According to a family source via People on Wednesday, the actress enjoyed meeting other parents with kids who attended top-notch schools.
The insider revealed:
“Lori was always very impressed when she met a parent who got their child into a prestigious school.”
Reportedly, because of this, the now-54-year-old was adamant on getting her kids into the SoCal institution.
“USC became Lori’s obsession… This was the school she wanted her girls to attend.”
Per the insider, Lori’s “obsession” stemmed from her need to “keep up” with those in her social circle.
“For most people that they socialize with, schools are very important. It’s very much a status thing… Parents brag about their children’s schools all the time. So many of the schools are almost impossible to get into.”
Though, “from the outside, Lori’s family [looked] perfect,” the thespian felt the need to be on the same level (or higher) as other wealthy Los Angeles households.
“They are wealthy and successful, live in a gorgeous Bel Air mansion and their daughters are beautiful. But they are also surrounded by families who are even wealthier… Although it’s hard to understand, these are the families Lori was trying to keep up with.”
Per a People source earlier this month, Lori and Mossimo reportedly rejected an offer for a deal from prosecutors as “they weren’t ready to accept that.”
As we wrote this month, the couple “should have” taken the deal, but allegedly did not understand the magnitude of the situation.
The source revealed:
“She probably should have taken the deal, but at the time, she didn’t really realize how serious the charges were.”
However, ever since the two were slapped with the conspiracy to commit money laundering charge earlier this month, pleading not guilty was allegedly their “only choice.”
“More than that, I think she and her lawyers underestimated how motivated the prosecution was. So she didn’t plead, and then they hit her with another charge. Now she’s willing to negotiate, but the prosecution says that the deal is off the table. So the only choice they’ve got is to plead not guilty. That’s all they can do.”
If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison for each charge.
In March, over 40 people were arrested and charged for their alleged involvement in fraudulent schemes — including tampering with test scores and fabricating college application details — to get their children into prestigious schools such as Georgetown University, Stanford University, UCLA, the University of San Diego, University of Texas, Wake Forest, and Yale.
[Image via FayesVision/WENN.]
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