Two months after pleading not guilty in thecollege admissions cheatingscandal,Lori Loughlinis coping with her new reality.
“Lori is in a stressful situation,” a source tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.
On March 12, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts announced that it had charged 50 people, including Loughlin and her husbandJ. Mossimo Giannulli, in the scandal. Along with coaches, admissions counselors and fellow parents, they were accused of alleged crimes such as falsifying SAT scores and lying about the athletic skills of their children.
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Prosecutors alleged that Loughlin and Giannulli paid $500,000 to admissions consultantWilliam “Rick” Singerand his nonprofit organization, Key Worldwide Foundation (“KWF”), which prosecutors said was actually a front for accepting bribes, to have their daughtersOlivia Jade, 19, andIsabella Rose, 20,designated as recruits to the USC crew team— despite the fact that they did not participate in crew. NeitherOlivia Jadeand Isabella Rose are listed on the USC women’s rowing roster.
Loughlin, 54, and Giannulli, 55, face charges of mail fraud and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, they face up to 20 years in prison on each charge.
Mossimo Giannulli and Lori Loughlin.Donato Sardella/Getty Images for LACMA
The couple pleaded not guilty in April. They had previouslyturned down a plea dealbecause it included jail time.
And while the developments are “not great” for the couple’s marriage, according to the source, Loughlin and Giannulli are “trying to get through the legal hurdle as a team.”
Earlier in May, an insider previouslytold PEOPLEthat “they are both mounting a vigorous defense against the charges.”
“Lori in particular has become extremely well-versed in the case,” the insider said. “She’s an active participant in her own defense, feels like she’s got a valid defense, and that when all the evidence comes out, she won’t be found guilty.”
Reps for Loughlin and Giannulli have not returned PEOPLE’s requests for comment. A trial date has not yet been set.
source: people.com
