Hollywood star Lori Loughlin, her husband, and 14 other people were indicted on new charges Tuesday in the nationwide college admissions cheating scandal that exploded into the headlines last month.
A grand jury sitting in US District Court in Boston handed up indictments against Loughlin and her spouse, the fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, and 14 other wealthy parents on money laundering charges stemming from the alleged scam, according to US Attorney Andrew E. Lelling’s office.
Lelling’s office said the 16 parents were charged in “a second superseding indictment with conspiring to commit fraud and money laundering.”
Loughlin, best known for roles on “Full House,” “Fuller House,” and “90210,” her husband, and the other 14 defendants were previously charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
The parents allegedly paid bribes to have their children falsely designated as athletic recruits at elite colleges and universities, or to facilitate cheating on their children’s SAT and ACT exams.
“The second superseding indictment also charges the defendants with conspiring to launder the bribes and other payments in furtherance of the fraud by funneling them through Singer’s purported charity and his for-profit corporation, as well as by transferring money into the United States, from outside the United States, for the purpose of promoting the fraud scheme,” Lelling’s office said in a statement.
Loughlin and Giannulli allegedly paid bribes to have their daughters falsely presented as a crew recruits when they applied to USC.
The Hollywood power couple made their initial court appearance in Boston last week on the earlier charges. Arraignment dates for the new counts haven’t been set.
The other parents indicted Tuesday included Gamal Abdelaziz, 62, also known as “Gamal Aziz,” of Las Vegas; Diane Blake, 55, and her husband Todd Blake, 53, both of Ross, Calif.; I-Hsin “Joey” Chen, 64, of Newport Beach; Elizabeth Henriquez and her husband Manuel Henriquez, both 56 of Atherton, Calif.; Douglas Hodge, 61, of Laguna Beach, Calif.; Michelle Janavs, 48, of Newport Coast, Calif.; Elisabeth Kimmel, 54, of Las Vegas; William McGlashan, Jr., 55, of Mill Valley, Calif.; Marci Palatella, 63, of Hillsborough, Calif.; John Wilson, 59, of Lynnfield, Mass.; Homayoun Zadeh, 57, of Calabasas, Calif.; and Robert Zangrillo, 52, of Miami.
The indictment came one day after another actress, Felicity Huffman, signaled in court papers that she intended to plead guilty to a sole count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.
A plea agreement filed in court Monday indicates federal prosecutors will argue Huffman should serve between four and 10 months under sentencing guidelines. They will recommend she serve a term at “the low end” of that range. The guidelines are based on the amount of the bribe.
Prosecutors will also seek a $20,000 fine and restitution in the Huffman matter.
She allegedly paid $15,000 — significantly less than most of the other parents charged in the case — in 2017 to have someone proctor her daughter’s SAT exam and correct her answers afterward.
All told, 50 defendants have been charged in connection with the brazen scheme.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/04/09/actress-lori-loughlin-others-indicted-college-admissions-cheating-chase/J8ZGXQDIMyeP0vuNeKqxNP/story.html
2019-04-09 17:43:00Z
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