Lori Loughlin is best known for her role as Aunt Becky on Full House and her various roles in Hallmark movies. She is certainly more famous than a micro-influencer who has between 1,000 and 10,000 followers — which is why fans were shocked to find her in the middle of a very serious lawsuit. Loughlin has allegedly used bribes to get her daughters into college.
Loughlin, along with 50 other people, including her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were claimed to be a part of a bribery scam that resulted in students getting into prestigious schools that they may not have been accepted to. The actress and her husband have been accused of paying $500,000 to get their daughters accepted into USC and recruited for the university’s rowing team, despite the fact that neither daughter rowed.
After Loughlin was accused of the scam, she turned herself in to authorities and appeared before a judge. And not unlike other celebrity court appearances, the hearing lasted just a few minutes and ended after she agreed to post a $1 million bond.
While someone charged with a subsequent offense can eventually be charged with a felony, the actress is already facing felony conspiracy to commit mail fraud as well as honest services mail fraud.
Jennifer Kay Toy, a former teacher at the Oakland Unified School District, claims in the lawsuit that the actions of those who allegedly bribed their child’s admission led to her son being rejected from several colleges.
In her filing, Toy wrote, “Joshua and I believed [sic] that he’d had a fair chance just like all other applicants but did not make the cut for some undisclosed reason. I’m now outraged and hurt because I feel that my son, my only child, was denied access to a college not because he failed to work and study hard enough but because wealthy individuals felt that it was ok to lie, cheat, steal and bribe their children’s way into a good college.”
And Loughlin is already feeling the impact of the lawsuit — besides the serious charges and large bail amount. The Hallmark Channel has severed ties with the actress, who has appeared in many of their movies over the years. And there has been talk that Fuller House may continue on without Aunt Becky.
But according to Susan Tellem, who is a senior partner at Tellem Grody PR, the celebrities involved in this scandal are sure to still be loved by their fans. According to Tellem, “the public has a short memory when it comes to their favorite celebrities.”
And Loughlin has certainly played loveable and wholesome characters throughout her career and is continuing to receive support from friends and fans alike, despite the criminal charges.
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