Prosecutors in the Lori Loughlin–Mossimo Giannulli case filed court documents Tuesday claiming that the couple refused a “legitimate approach†to using their money to get their daughters into USC. According to “Page Six,†Giannulli rejected a University of Southern California development official’s offer to flag Isabella Rose’s application in exchange for donating a library or whatever. “I think we’re all squared away,†he wrote in an email to the USC rep, then forwarded the email to Loughlin with the note: “The nicest I’ve been at blowing somebody off.†Instead of buying the Target T-Shirt Memorial Library, the couple allegedly went with the whole fake rowing thing. Why resort to Photoshop and bribing coaches when a legal form of influence-peddling not only existed, but was explicitly offered?
According to TMZ, Loughlin’s defense is that the ginned up rowing pictures were never sent to USC, and that they gave money to bribery impresario Rick Singer because they thought he was a legitimate charity. Both Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded not guilty. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison each.