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Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli are claiming prosecutors in their college admissions scandal investigation have been hiding evidence that would help prove their innocence, according to a report.
The “Fuller House” actress and her fashion designer husband claimed in new documents that prosecutors have been sitting on “exculpatory” evidence that could help their case. The paperwork allegedly proves the Hollywood couple never agreed to “bribe payments,” according to People.
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Lori Loughlin poses with her daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli, left, at the 2019 “An Unforgettable Evening” in Beverly Hills, Calif.
(Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
The new court filings showed that mastermind William Rick Singer told FBI agents that he informed Loughlin and Giannulli that their first payments for each of their daughters went to the University of Southern California, according to the outlet.
The payments were allegedly $50,000 each for Bella Rose, 21, and Olivia Jade, 20. The court documents allegedly show that Singer stated that the couple “thought their payment of $50,000 went directly to USC’s program.”
“The government clearly acknowledges that Giannulli and Loughlin’s alleged ‘bribe payments’ did not go to any USC official personally, but rather were given as donations to USC itself,” the filing states, according to People. “There is no evidence the defendants somehow knew these payments to USC were personal bribes designed to compensate [Donna] Heinel for betraying her employer.”
Lori Loughlin exits the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse after appearing in Federal Court to answer charges stemming from college admissions scandal.
(Paul Marotta/Getty Images)
Heinel is the former associate athletic director of USC who allegedly helped parents get their children admitted as students.
Last month, the television star and her husband asked the court to release evidence they believed would help their case in the ongoing national scandal. The couple reportedly filed documents in Massachusetts U.S. District Court asking for FBI interview statements from Singer.
Weeks ago, the couple was believed to have received a boost thanks to a cache of newly released emails obtained by Fox News between the famous couple and a representative for the University of Southern California.
Actress Lori Loughlin, left, leaves as her husband Mossimo Giannulli, right, are accused of arranging a total collective payment of $500,000 to WIlliam Rick Singer to get their daughters recruited to USC as athletes on the crew team.
(Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The emails appeared to be solicitous in nature with the university offering Gianniiulli a special tour of the campus for him and his eldest daughter. They also showed the university discussing the possibility of flagging Bella Rose’s application in the hopes of securing her as a student.
Meanwhile, a source recently told Us Weekly that if the “Fuller House” star does not change her not guilty plea to guilty, then the couple’s daughters could potentially become “star witnesses” in the case.
“Accepting a plea bargain would be the only solution,” said the source.
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Loughlin, 55, and Giannulli, 56, have been accused of arranging a total collective payment of $500,000 to Singer to get their daughters recruited to USC as athletes on the crew team.
The charge of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The couple was previously hit with charges of money laundering and conspiracy that could land them behind bars for 40 years if convicted on all of them.
The couple recently listed their $28 million home amid the scandal trial.
Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.
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