Lori Loughlin knew daughters' rowing photos would come out, doesn't think they will impact her case: report

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Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli’s are not bothered by the recent release of photos showing their daughters allegedly pretending to be rowers, as they don’t expect the images to harm their legal defense in the college admissions scandal.

Last week, Fox News obtained court documents filed by the FBI that include images allegedly depicting the famous couple’s daughters, Isabella and Oliva-Jade Giannulli, dressed in workout gear on an ERG machine in order to make their admission to the university as rowers more believable. Neither of the two girls had previously participated in the sport.

Despite the photos clearly being a bad look for the famous family, who are accused of gaming the system with bribes to USC to get their daughters admitted, a source tells People that they were expecting the images to become public for a while. 

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One of two photos released by the FBI allegedly showing Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli's daughters pretending to be rowers.

"They have known that the photos would eventually be released, because they are part of the discovery," the source says. "They were prepared that they would be released, they just didn’t know when. It didn’t come as surprise."

The photos were released after the couple’s defense attorneys argued that they were under the impression the money they were giving scam mastermind William "Rick" Singer was going to legitimate donations to the university rather than outright bribery.

"As damning as it looks, keep in mind that they were following Rick Singer’s instructions, and he was having them do a lot of things that they didn’t understand," the source adds.

Although the photos look bad in the court of public opinion, the family is allegedly sanguine about the whole thing given that it doesn’t affect their legal position. 

"Legally speaking, the photos are not evidence of criminal wrongdoing," the insider noted. "They’re definitely eye-grabbing, but they are not charged with taking photos."

One of two photos released by the FBI allegedly showing Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli's daughters pretending to be rowers.

"They are charged with conspiracy to commit federal program bribery, as well as fraud and money laundering," the source continues. "The common denominator behind all those is money. And they didn’t realize that the money that they paid was considered a bribe. At Singer’s directive, they were giving money to the school as a donation that they thought was perfectly legal. People donate to colleges and universities all the time."

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The source admitted that the photos aren’t a positive thing for Loughlin and Giannulli, but maintained that it does not hinder their legal claims.

"You’ll get no argument from me that they’re not a good look," the source concludes. "But they’re not some smoking gun that proves the charges against them."

Loughlin and Giannulli previously pleaded not guilty to expanded charges of bribery brought against them in October along with 11 other parents swept up in the scandal. 

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli reportedly knew that photos of their daughters pretending to be rowers would eventually be made public. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The couple’s defense also alleged that the prosecution was withholding evidence that Singer was instructed to lie to Loughlin and Giannulli about where the money was going for fear it was exonerating to their clients. However, the prosecution is denying both that it acted in bad faith and that the evidence is at all exonerating. The images were released shortly after the defense made those claims.

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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.