Thirteen of the 33 parents originally charged in the case have agreed to plead guilty, and it was expected that prosecutors would move soon to indict most of the other parents in the case. It was also expected that, in indicting them, they would add an additional charge, of money laundering conspiracy.
Loughlin and her husband are accused of conspiring with a college consultant, Wiliam Singer, to pay $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters admitted to the University of Southern California as recruits to the women’s crew team, even though neither of the girls actually participated in the sport. Loughlin, best known for her role as Aunt Becky on the television show “Full House,” has already suffered some professional consequences of the charges. The Hallmark Channel said that it would stop development of shows that feature her.
Her daughters, both current students at USC, have also faced repercussions, as USC has placed an academic hold on students tied to the scandal, preventing them from registering for classes.
Most of the parents in the case, including Loughlin and Giannulli, were originally charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Prosecutors had a limited period of time in which to formally indict them or the complaint would be dismissed.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.