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College Admissions Scandal

Lori Loughlin believes Rick Singer tricked her into college scandal, evidence will prove her innocence: report

By Melissa Roberto Fox News
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Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for Dec. 18 Video

Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines for Dec. 18

Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines for Dec. 18 are here. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment.

Lori Loughlin believes she was tricked by college admissions scandal ringleader, William "Rick" Singer, and that evidence will ultimately prove her innocence, according to a new report.

The former "Fuller House" star, 55, and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli, 56, previously pleaded not guilty to expanded bribery charges brought against them in October along with 11 other parents in the scandal.

The celebrity duo was accused of arranging a total collective payment of $500,000 to Singer to get their daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella recruited to USC as members of the crew team, despite never having participated in the sport.

LORI LOUGHLIN TOLD DAUGHTERS TO DO BETTER IN HIGH SCHOOL AMID COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL, COURT DOCS ALLEGE

BOSTON, MA - AUGUST 27: Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli, right, leave the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on Aug. 27, 2019. A judge says actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, can continue using a law firm that recently represented the University of Southern California. The couple appeared in Boston federal court on Tuesday to settle a dispute over their choice of lawyers in a sweeping college admissions bribery case. Prosecutors had said their lawyers pose a potential conflict of interest. Loughlin and Giannulli say the firms work for USC was unrelated to the admissions case and was handled by different lawyers. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli leave the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on Aug. 27, 2019. The couple filed court documents on Friday in Massachusetts court asking for FBI interview statements from Singer that they believe will help prove their innocence. (Getty)

According to People, Loughlin believed she was acting in good faith by supplying the money.

"Lori was hoodwinked by Rick Singer. There's no other way to put it," a source told the magazine. "She was convinced that she was making a donation, just like parents have been doing for years."

Loughlin and Giannulli filed court documents on Friday at the Massachusetts U.S. District Court asking for FBI interview statements from Singer that the couple believes will strengthen their case.

LORI LOUGHLIN, LAWYERS GAVE OLIVIA JADE THE 'CLEAR' TO RETURN TO YOUTUBE: REPORT

Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade returned to her YouTube channel this month after taking a nine-month hiatus following the charges brought against her famous mother.

Lori Loughlin's daughter Olivia Jade returned to her YouTube channel this month after taking a nine-month hiatus following the charges brought against her famous mother. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Deep down, Loughlin believes she will be exonerated because she "did not have any intent" to commit a crime, the source further claimed.

"That's why she hasn't pleaded guilty; frankly, she believes that she is innocent and that the evidence shown in court will prove that," the insider said to People. "Unfortunately, it seems as though the prosecution is hell-bent on making examples out of people and not playing fair."

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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.

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