Lori Loughlin Released From Prison After Serving Nearly 2 Mos. For Role In College Cheating Scandal

After missing Christmas with her family, Lori Loughlin is free. She was just released from prison after completing her sentence for her involvement in the 2019 college admissions scandal.

Reading Time: 3 minutes
View gallery

Lori Loughlin is out of prison. The former Full House star, 56, completed her sentence following her involvement in the 2019 college admissions scandal. Lori self-surrendered to the FCI Dublin in California on October 30 to begin her two-month sentence. She was released on Monday, Dec. 28, according to TMZ, which reports she was “just two days shy of serving two months” for her role in the nationwide college admissions scandal. Now that she’s out, she will be on two years of supervised release. She will also have to complete her required community service and pay the court-ordered fine.

The disgraced former Hallmark star completed her sentence in the same facility as actress Felicity Huffman, who was also involved in the college admissions scandal. Lori had initially requested to serve her time at a medium-security prison camp located about two hours from her Los Angeles home, according to court documents filed September 9 in Boston. Lori’s request was ultimately denied.

Lori Loughlin
Lori Loughlin, front, and husband, clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli, rear, departs federal court in Boston on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, after facing charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal [AP].
As her sentence began, HollywoodLife learned EXCLUSIVELY that Lori was incredibly “scared” to begin serving her time. “Of course, Lori is scared to be in prison, but she can’t wait to get this over with,” a source close to the actress told HL. “She hasn’t been thinking about anything but putting this behind her as quickly as possible and moving forward with her life. This has been a nightmare that she never thought would happen.”

Lori Loughlin and her daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli at the Crown Media Family Networks Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Original Movies, Series and Specials Summer Television Critics Association (TCA) tour party [AP].
The 2019 college admissions scandal began in March of that year. Lori and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were dealt with conspiracy charges for their role in the bribery scheme. The couple paid roughly $500,000 in bribes to have their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella, admitted to the University of Southern California. They also lied about the girls’ involvement in extracurricular activities, saying they were crew team recruits when they had never participated in the sport.

Lori Loughlin, front, and husband, clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli, rear, departs federal court in Boston on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, after facing charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal [AP].
Lori and Mossimo initially denied the charges before finally entering a guilty plea in May 2020. Mossimo was also given a prison sentence of five months for one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and one count of honest services wire and mail fraud. Not only did the couple serve time, but they were also dealt with fines to go along with their crimes. In late November, the couple paid a combined total of $400K in fines for their involvement in the scandal. The sum was still $100K less than what Lori and Mossimo allegedly paid to Rick Singer and his Key Worldwide Foundation to get their girls into USC.