Lori Loughlin Pleads Not Guilty To New Bribery Charges

Lori Loughlin was recently charged with an additional charge of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery in the ongoing college admissions scandal. Along with her husband Mossimo Giannulli, the Fuller House actress was already charged with money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and honest services mail and wire fraud. Despite feeling as though the stress of her legal battle is about to "break" her, Loughlin has decided to once again plead not guilty.

Though there's been some rumors that Loughlin would consider taking a plea deal after fellow actress Felicity Huffman received a 14-day jail sentence for her own involvement in the scandal, it appears those whispers really were just rumors. Both Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded not guilty to the additional charge of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. If found guilty of this charge, however, it could potentially add 10 years to Loughlin's possible sentencing.

A source close to Loughlin spoke to Us Weekly about her decision and the potential repercussions of turning down plea deals. “The only hope is that she is acquitted or if she is convicted, the judge will realize the government has been completely overzealous and gives her a very light prison sentence,” the source said. “The prosecution added the additional charge because the government realized their case was weak. The charge could have been filed with the others back in the spring.”

Another source, however, paints a more grim picture of Loughlin's private life. “The entire family is in chaos right now,” the insider confessed to People. “They knew this was a possibility, but they thought perhaps it was just a bargaining tool from the prosecution. Now that the charges are official, they are realizing that there is no way to avoid a moderately long prison sentence, unless they are found not guilty in a trial.”

While all of this trouble started because Loughlin and Gianulli allegedly paid $500k worth of bribes in order to secure their daughters acceptance to USC, neither Olivia Jade Gianulli or Isabella Giannulli are currently enrolled in the school.

Photo: Getty