Sitcom Stars Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman Indicted in Ivy League Bribery Scheme
Lori Loughlin attends The Women’s Cancer Research Fund’s An Unforgettable Evening Benefit Gala at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Fuller House star Lori Loughlin and Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman have been indicted in a massive, multi-million dollar bribery scheme where parents allegedly paid to get their kids into elite colleges, TVLine reports.
The actresses were named in the indictment filed by the US Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts. Loughlin’s husband, Mossimo Gianulli, was also named in the indictment, along with 47 other people.
Felicity Huffman (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
According to TVLine, the scheme “bribed college entrance-exam administrators to allow cheating on the tests and university athletic coaches to designate school applicants as athletic recruits, regardless of athletic ability or experience playing a sport.”
The participants, many of whom were CEOs and high-powered executives, are also accused of funneling the money through a charity to hide corruption from authorities.
“It appears to be a conspiracy nationwide in scope,” Andrew Lelling, the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, told reporters at a news conference. “There are several connections to the Boston area. So fake test scores, for example, were submitted to Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern.”
Other schools involved include top names like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, USC and Georgetown.
According to TMZ, Huffman was in police custody Tuesday morning. She is facing a felony charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. Loughlin is facing the same charge.
Huffman and husband William H. Macy reportedly paid $15K to participate in a college entrance exam scheme that allegedly gave their daughter twice the amount of time to take the test. When she was done, a paid proctor allegedly corrected her answers, ABC News reports.
Macy has not been named in the indictment.
Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Gianulli, the founder of Mossimo clothing, are said to have paid around $500K to have their two daughters designated as recruits for USC’s crew team, ABC reports. The girls, however, reportedly did not play for the team.
Authorities reportedly obtained emails from Loughlin implicating her in the scheme, as well as cooperating witnesses.
Allison McGevna is a New York-based journalist with a love for coffee, dogs and quality storytelling.
