Lori Loughlin, other parents charged again in college scheme

"Full House" actress Lori Loughlin, her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and nine other parents faced new federal charges Tuesday as prosecutors pressured them to acknowledge their guilt in a scheme involving dozens of wealthy parents accused of bribing their children into elite universities or cheating on college entrance exams.

A grand jury in Boston indicted the parents on charges of trying to bribe officials at an organization that receives at least USD 10,000 in federal funding. In this case, they're accused of paying to get their children admitted to the University of Southern California.

The charge of conspiracy to commit federal programme bribery carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison and a fine of up to USD 250,000.

A total of 35 wealthy and celebrity parents have been charged in the scheme that showed how far some will go to get their children into top universities like Stanford and Yale.

Some parents are accused of paying admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer to falsely portray their children as star athletes and then bribe college sports officials to get them admitted as recruited athletes. Others are accused of paying Singer to help cheat on their children's SAT and ACT exams.

Singer has pleaded guilty and agreed to work with investigators in hopes of receiving a more lenient sentence.

Along with the new conspiracy charge, Massachusetts real estate developer John Wilson also was indicted on two new counts of substantive federal programs bribery. Prosecutors said Wilson paid Singer USD 1 million in hopes of paying bribes to get two of his children into Stanford and Harvard.

It's the second time prosecutors have added new charges for parents pleading not guilty in the case. In April, they added money laundering to the initial charges of fraud and conspiracy.

US District Attorney Andrew Lelling said the latest charges stem an ongoing investigation. In a statement, he said the new indictment will further his goal "to hold the defendants fully accountable for corrupting the college admissions process through cheating, bribery and fraud." Lawyers for Loughlin, who starred in the 1980s and '90s sitcom "Full House," and Giannulli did not immediately respond to the charges.

The couple is accused of paying USD 500,000 to get their two daughters into USC as recruits on the crew team, even though neither participated in the sport. Loughlin and Giannulli have pleaded not guilty.

The USC said Monday that the couple's daughters are "not currently enrolled." The university's statement said it is "unable to provide additional information because of student privacy laws."