College Bribery Scheme: Lori Loughlin Released on $1 Million Bail, Granted Permission to Travel
UPDATED (3/14/2019):
After appearing in a Los Angeles court on Wednesday, March 13, Lori Loughlin‘s been released from custody on a $1 million dollar bond like her husband Mossimo Giannulli the day before.
According to Variety, Loughlin was also given permission to travel to Vancouver, BC despite initial reluctance from Judge Steve Kim who said, “I’m not comfortable giving her a passport for that kind of travel.” Ultimately she was granted access to travel under the condition that she make the courts aware of her movements and duration of stay outside of the States.
Loughlin works in Vancouver on several projects for the Hallmark Channel including their series When Calls the Heart.
ORIGINAL STORY (3/13/2019):
After news about the college admissions bribery scheme spread, actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin became the two faces of the case which involves dozens of parents.
On Tuesday, Huffman was arrested after the indictment and was ultimately released on a $250,000 bail bond. In the process, the American Crime star was ordered to hand over her passport at the Los Angeles federal court, according to Deadline.
As of now, Huffman is expected to appear before a Boston court on March 29 for her preliminary hearing. U. S. Magistrate Judge Alexander F. MacKinnon resided over her appearance on Tuesday as the Desperate Housewives alum answered to the charges. Huffman’s husband — Shameless star William H. Macy, who was not named in the case — handed over his driver’s license and other ID verification in the bail bond co-signing process.
Alongside the Emmy-winning actress in court Tuesday was Lori Loughlin’s husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli, who was also indicted for the scheme and was released on a $1 million bail. Loughlin, who was traveling, was not brought in on Tuesday, but surrendered herself to cops on Wednesday.
The scheme involved wealthy parents using bribes to get their kids into elite schools such as Harvard, Yale, UCLA, and Georgetown among others. During their court appearance, both Huffman and Giannulli were given bail under the restriction that they would travel only within the continental US. Meanwhile, Loughlin requested for an allowance to travel to Canada as she works for Hallmark out of Vancouver, BC.
Massachusetts’ District Attorney Andrew Lelling says the case is “the largest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice.”
As for the public response, it’s been anything but pretty for those involved, and celebrities haven’t held back their opinions on the matter. See some of their responses to the case in the roundup below.
Proud to say I got into Northwestern without the help of my mother, Laura Linney.
— billy eichner (@billyeichner) March 12, 2019
Jussie Smollett is having his best day in MONTHS. #VarsityBlues
— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) March 13, 2019
HOW THE FUCK DOES LORI LAUGHLIN HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO BRIBE USC???
— Michael Ian Black (@michaelianblack) March 13, 2019
Ok, so it’s illegal to bribe your way into college. Is it illegal to bribe your way into a character arc on The Good Place or an episode of Jordan Peele’s Twilight Zone. Someone respond quickly as I may need to stop a check.
— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) March 13, 2019
It’s funny that some of the same people who bribe schools to give their kids better lives, turn a blind eye when they see black and brown parents struggling to give better lives to theirs! #TeamDl
— DL Hughley (@RealDLHughley) March 13, 2019
Can’t help but feeling bad this morning knowing that my parents didn’t love me enough to bribe my way into a good college!#Jr.College
— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) March 12, 2019
Does this bribe scheme work for nursery schools, too? Asking for a friend
— Katie Lowes (@KatieQLowes) March 12, 2019
If only there was a succinct turn of phrase these kids could have used to inform their parents they were not desirous of their life path… https://t.co/cxOTDI5J1B
— James Van Der Beek (@vanderjames) March 12, 2019
BREAKING NEWS: ENTRANCE INTO COLLEGE UNJUST, TILTED IN FAVOR OF WHITE KIDS WITH RICH PARENTS.
— Full Frontal (@FullFrontalSamB) March 12, 2019
all the people involved in this college scam should have gathered their money and started a small elite college where Lori Loughlin teaches a class on smiling
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) March 12, 2019
This is a cleansing for the college app process which is BS. While many of the “brand name” schools provide an excellent education, schools are businesses. Go where you can afford, get an education & get on with it. It’s become a status symbol. Plenty of Ivy grads are jobless.
— Bethenny Frankel (@Bethenny) March 13, 2019
When I think of all the kids who studied hard, stayed up late, had part time jobs to pay for their college application fees, and then were denied rightly deserved places in elite colleges because some rich fuckwads cheated for their already privileged kids— I’m disgusted.
— dean norris (@deanjnorris) March 12, 2019
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