Lori Loughlin, 15 others in college admissions scandal indicted on fraud, money laundering charges
The actress is part of a group of 16 people indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston; Molly Line reports on the charges.
Lori Loughlin didn't take a plea deal for the fraud charges she's currently facing in the college admissions cheating scandal and that's reportedly because the actress doesn't think of her actions as illegal.
The "Full House" star and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Gianulli, are now facing 40 years behind bars after being hit with new money laundering charges earlier this week. They allegedly paid $500,000 to get their daughters into USC.
“It’s just taking some time for it to sink in that what she was allegedly doing could be considered illegal,” a source close to Loughlin, 54, told People magazine. “To her, it wasn’t egregious behavior. Was it entitled and perhaps selfish? Perhaps. But she didn’t see it as being a legal violation.”
The source added, "From the beginning, she didn’t want to take a deal, because she felt that she hadn’t done anything that any mom wouldn’t have done, if they had the means to do so."
“So this wasn’t her being obstinate; this was her truly not understanding the seriousness of the allegation," continued the source.
According to prosecutors, Loughlin and Giannulli used the alleged bribes to falsely claim their daughters were crew recruits despite the fact they had never participated in the sport.
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The couple has yet to admit any guilt. Meanwhile, the other celebrity mom involved — Felicity Huffman — has already agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
"I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions," Huffman's statement, which was released on Monday, read.
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"I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community. I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly."
A rep for Loughlin did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
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