Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli’s lawyers have demanded to see the “extremely voluminous” evidence the government allegedly has against their clients in “Operation Varsity Blues.”
According to documents obtained by Fox News Tuesday, lawyers for the 54-year-old actress, her husband and 15 other people named in the national college admission scam say they have yet to see any of the evidence in the government’s case against them. (RELATED: Lori Loughlin’s Daughter Bragged About Going To School To Party)
Olivia Jade Giannulli, Lori Loughlin and Isabella Rose Giannulli…at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 28, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
The “Full House” actress’ and Giannulli’s legal team want all motions in the case suspended until they can review the prosecution’s evidence. Their next court date is set for June 3. (RELATED: REPORT: 7 FBI Agents Arrested Felicity Huffman At Gunpoint)
It comes following reports that the former “When Calls the Heart” star and husband are reportedly feeling pressure to plead guilty to protect their daughters, Isabella Giannulli and Olivia Jade, from prosecution. Loughlin and her husband were arrested last month and have since pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
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“Lori [Loughlin] will not do anything to put her daughters in harm’s way,” an insider shared. “She is like a mama bear when it comes to the girls, and she will do whatever she has to do to protect them from prosecution, especially malicious prosecution. Her top priority in all of this is to protect her daughters.” (RELATED: Lori Loughlin Released After Paying $1 Million Bond)
“The prosecution could easily charge the daughters in an attempt to get them [Loughlin and Giannulli] to plead guilty,” the source added. “But investigators have not disclosed any information that they may or may not have that would implicate either one of the daughters.”
The source continued, “They [Loughlin and Giannulli] feel that they’re in the middle of a squeeze play right now. It’s very complex, legally. On one hand, they have pleaded not guilty to the offenses they are alleged to have committed. But on the other hand, they know that pleading guilty could put the matter behind the whole family.”
“They are under an enormous amount of pressure, and the idea that the girls could be prosecuted is distressing, as you can imagine,” the source shared. “That just makes the pressure worse.”
As previously reported, Loughlin and her husband are accused of allegedly paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California (USC) by pretending their girls were competitive rowing recruits.