Lori Loughlin And Mossimo Giannulli Get A Trial Date For College Admissions Scandal
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli will stand trial for their roles in the college admissions scandal this October. On Thursday, federal judge in Boston ruled that the couple’s trial will begin alongside that of six other parents involved in the scandal on October 5th.
The 55-year-old actress and her husband are accused of paying $500,000 to William “Rick” Singer to falsely designate their daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella as recruits on the University of Southern California crew team, even though neither of them participated in the sport.
WATCH: Lori Loughlin’s Daughter Olivia Jade’s Fake Athletic Profile Claims She Was A Star Rower
Both Loughlin and Giannulli have maintained their innocence against all the charges leveled against them in the college admissions scandal.
If convicted, the couple could each face up to 50 years in prison, and will be slapped with millions of dollars in fines if found guilty.
The announcement came less than a day after the actress and fashion designer’s legal team requested that the determination of their clients’ trial date be postponed due to the introduction of new evidence.
The documents, which were produced less than 24 hours before the couple were set to appear before the judge, included notes allegedly from Rick Singer that claimed the FBI attempted to pressure him into lying about what he told his clients.
“Loud and abrasive call with agents,” Rick’s alleged notes about a meeting with the FBI read. “They continue to ask me to tell a fib and not restate what I told my clients as to where there [sic] money was going –to the program not the coach and that it was a donation and they want it to be a payment.”
“This is precisely the kind of exculpatory – and indeed, exonerating – information defendants have been seeking,” defense attorney Sean Berkowitz wrote in court documents obtained by Access Hollywood.
However, the judge denied the defense’s motion, saying the claims weren’t enough to delay setting a trial start date, according to Deadline. The defense team now has until March 14 to file a motion on how they would like to proceed.