Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli reportedly want to fight the charges against them and avoid prison time.
Prosecutors added a money laundering charge Tuesday after Loughlin and Giannulli didn’t take the original plea deal offered, according to Page Six. The added charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years, bringing the total maximum years the couple could face to 40 years.
Time is running out for Loughlin and her husband to agree to a plea deal that would give them less prison time former Westchester prosecutor Adam Citron said. (RELATED: Lori Loughlin And Husband Indicted On Fraud And Money Laundering Charges In National College Scam)
“The prosecution is not waiting,” Citron said. “The prosecution is moving forward and the window is closing.” The new added charge means the couple has a higher chance of facing “significant jail time.”
A source familiar with the couple says Loughlin and Giannulli thought they’d be able to fight the charges instead of taking a short amount of prison time, according to People.
“They weren’t ready to accept that. They’re really not seeing how serious this is,” a source said. “They decided to roll the dice, and it may have been a bad gamble. Now they’re in a worse shape than before.”
Loughlin and her husband have been accused of paying roughly $500,000 in bribes to secure their daughter’s admission to the University of Southern California as fake rowing recruits.