The 19-year-old daughter of actress Lori Loughlin didn’t fill out her own college application, prosecutors wrote in the indictment against Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli.
Olivia Jade Giannulli, a YouTube star, was the second family member to gain entry into the University of Southern California as a crew recruit despite not rowing competitively, according to the indictment (pdf).
Mossimo Giannulli first arranged with William “Rick” Singer to get his daughter Isabella, 20, designated as a recruit so she could get into the school despite subpar grades.
When it worked, he and Loughlin contacted Singer again to get Olivia Jade into the school the same way.
Singer, who owned a nonprofit and orchestrated the nationwide scheme, created a fake profile presenting Olivia Jade as a crew coxswain for the L.A. Marina Club team, requesting from the family an “action picture” to place in the profile. Twelve days later, Giannulli emailed a picture of Olivia Jade on a rowing machine.
She was presented to the USC subcommittee for athletic admissions and was accepted as an athlete-student. “CONGRATULATIONS!!!” Singer wrote in an email to Giannulli and Loughlin. “Please continue to keep hush hush till March.”
The family paid Singer $250,000 for each child he helped get into USC.
Loughlin emailed Singer about a month later 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.
Loughlin and Giannulli were both charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud and released on bond, with court appearances scheduled later in March in a federal courtroom in Boston. They each face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
None of the children of parents who were involved in the scheme have been charged, including those authorities know had knowledge of what was happening.
It wasn’t clear to what extent Olivia Jade and Isabella Giannulli were aware of what happened.
Both reportedly declined to return to USC amid the fallout but the university said that the girls are still enrolled.
School officials said they’re reviewing anyone that may be connected to the scheme and will make decisions on a case-by-case basis.
