By Lisa Richwine
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin began a two-month prison sentence for her role in a vast college admissions fraud scheme to help her daughters gain entry into a top U.S. university, a prison official said on Friday.
Loughlin, 56, reported to a low-security federal correctional institution in Dublin, California, a spokesperson for the prison said by phone.
After initially fighting the charges, Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud.
Prosecutors said Loughlin and Giannulli paid $500,000 in bribes to secure spots for their daughters at the University of Southern California (USC) as fake athletic recruits for the school’s crew team even though neither rowed competitively.
The celebrity parents were among 56 people charged in a scheme masterminded by consultant William “Rick” Singer, who has admitted to facilitating cheating on college entrance exams and using bribery to secure admission to elite schools.
“Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman served 11 days last year in the same prison that is now housing Loughlin, for her role in the scandal.
In August, Loughlin apologized and said she had acted out of love for her daughters.
“I am truly, profoundly and deeply sorry, and I need to face the consequences and make amends,” she said at a court hearing.
Loughlin starred as Aunt Becky in family comedy “Full House,” which ran on U.S. television from 1987 to 1995. It was revived by Netflix in 2016 as “Fuller House.”
Giannulli was sentenced to five months in prison for his role in the scandal.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
