Lori Loughlin Was Reportedly ‘in Denial’ About Going to Jail Before Getting Hit With Additional Charges

Before the reality set in that Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli — who are two of the 50 parents who were charged in an alleged nationwide college admissions cheating scandal — could possibly do jail time, the Fuller House star was supposedly “in denial” about the consequences of her supposed actions “based on her legal team’s confidence,” a source recently revealed to Us Weekly.

After Lori, 54, and Mossimo, 55, were indicted on charges for fraud in February after they allegedly paid a $500,000 bribe so that their two daughters, Bella, 20, and Olivia, 19, could attend the University of Southern California under false pretenses, the couple pleaded not guilty to the criminal case against them.

“Her attorney told her not to take the deal,” the source shared. The couple, along with a handful of others, were ultimately hit with additional charges after they chose to plead not guilty. The parents who agreed to plead guilty — including actress Felicity Huffman — avoided being charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering, unlike Lori and Mossimo.

Legal coach and crisis manager Wendy Feldman explained that the When Calls the Heart actress and her fashion designer husband “no choice but to plead not guilty” after denying the plea deal. “They missed the opportunity for a plea bargain during the first round, and now there might not be a deal available for them to take,” she added.

Even Los Angeles-based lawyer Neama Rahmani agreed that Lori and Mossimo dug themselves into a grave. “I don’t know what she was thinking,” Rahmani admitted to the outlet. “The feds have an overwhelming amount of evidence against her, including emails, phone calls and financial documents.” If Lori and her husband are found guilty on both charges, they could spend up to 40 years in jail.

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Following the news of the explosive and shocking scandal that shook the nation, a source close to the couple revealed the family is in ruins — especially their influencer daughter Olivia Jade who supposedly “feels she is the victim,” a source told Us Weekly.

“She is still very upset at her parents,” the insider dished of the teenage social media star. “A lot of Olivia’s friends” are even reportedly telling her “not to be mad at her parents since they were just trying to do the best they could for her.” However, her parents’ actions caused her to be dropped from brand deals with TRESemmé and Sephora, and her clothing line collaboration with online boutique Princess Polly is no longer available.

“Olivia blames her mom and dad for this scandal and for the downfall of her career,” the source said. Olivia “was initially trying to shrug off the scandal as something that would pass after a week and she could go back to her life.” Stay tuned for more!