“Full House” actress Lori Loughlin is afraid that her daughters, Olivia Jade, 19, and Isabella, 20, will have to testify if the college scandal case goes to trial, according to a new report.
While fellow actress Felicity Huffman and 12 other parents charged in the nationwide admissions scheme pleaded guilty earlier this month, Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli opted to plead not guilty.
They now face the possibility of going to trial to face the charges of mail fraud and honest services fraud as well as money laundering conspiracy. Each faces up to 40 years in prison.
Loughlin is reportedly fearful that her daughters will have to testify if the case goes to trial.
“Lori is very concerned about what a trial will do to her daughters,” a legal source told People magazine. “It will undermine every accomplishment they have in the future and it will be part of their story forever.”
Despite pleading not guilty, Loughlin is aware that her best option is not going to trial, according to the report.
“It’s not in their best interest for this to go to trial, and Lori knows it. Because if it goes to trial, the girls will have to take the stand, and be cross-examined by a prosecution that wants nothing more than to put a notch on their belt,” the legal source said. “Lori is very afraid that her daughters will have to testify. That will traumatize them even more.”
The report comes after a source said to be close to the actress told Entertainment Tonight that Loughlin and Giannulli feel misled about the scheme.
“[They] claim they were under the impression they might be breaking rules, but not laws,” the source said. “They feel they were manipulated by those involved and are planning that as part of their defense.”
“They realize how serious the charges are, but feel that once the judge hears their story he will see they had no bad intentions,” the source added.
Federal prosecutors said on March 12 when announcing the indictments that some of the children of the parents charged in the scheme weren’t aware of the alleged nefarious activities while other children were aware to varying extents.
Prosecutors said that both Isabella and Olivia Jade posed for pictures on a rowing machine. The photographs were sent to William “Rick” Singer, head of a nonprofit known as The Key Worldwide, and used to get both girls designated as recruits for the University of Southern California crew team, despite neither girl having experience in the sport.
For the designation, Loughlin and Giannulli paid Singer $500,000, according to the indictments.
Olivia Jade was also included as a recipient of several emails between Loughlin and Singer, according to correspondence obtained by prosecutors. About a month after she was accepted as a student-athlete, Loughlin emailed Singer to request guidance on how to complete the formal USC application in the wake of Olivia Jade’s acceptance as a recruited athlete.
“[Our younger daughter] has not submitted all her colleges [sic] apps and is confused on how to do so. I want to make sure she gets those in as I don’t want to call any attention to [her] with our little friend [at her high school]. Can you tell us how to proceed?”
Singer then directed an employee to submit the applications on behalf of Olivia Jade.
