Lori Loughlin reportedly thought she was doing the best for her children when she decided to allegedly take part in the college admissions scheme that went public last Monday.
A source told Us Weekly that Loughlin “truly believed her heart was in the right place” when she made the alleged decision.
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“Lori is a really great mom who is completely into her kids and family life,” the source continued with Us Weekly. “She lives and breathes for her husband and children…Her intentions were pure.”
The Full House star was indicted alongside husband Mossimo Giannulli for allegedly paying “bribes totaling $500,000” in order to have daughters Olivia Jade, 19, and Isabella Rose, 20, listed as recruits to the USC crew team. The girls never participated in the crew team at USC. Loughlin and Giannulli were arrested following the indictment going public, subsequently getting released after paying a pair of $1 million bonds.
“In [Lori’s] mind, the end result made everything she had to do worth it,” Us Weekly adds. “And she really didn’t even see it as being a huge deal.”
This echoes reports about fellow actress Felicity Huffman and her indictment as part of the same alleged admissions scam. The Desperate Housewives actress reportedly didn’t feel that the scandal “would become so serious.”
Huffman was charged after her alleged decision to pay $15,000 to augment her daughter Sofia’s SAT score.
“They haven’t fully grasped the extent of their alleged crimes or the possibility of the prison time,” a source told Us Weekly.
Both actresses and the 50 parents included in the indictment could face prison time for their alleged role in the scandal. They are already facing a $500 billion class-action lawsuit filed by a mother who feels the scheme adversely affected her own son’s admission chances.
“I’m now aware of the massive cheating scandal wherein wealthy people conspired with people in positions of power and authority at colleges in order to allow their children to gain access to the very colleges that Joshua was rejected from,” Jennifer Kay Toy said in her lawsuit filed late last week.
Loughlin’s daughters have since reportedly decided not to return to USC. The pair were facing possible expulsion as the result of an investigation by the university into the scandal and the students involved.
Olivia Jade also lost her partnership with Sephora and other lucrative brands following the scandal going public. Loughlin herself was fired from her projects with Hallmark and later removed from the final season of Fuller House on Netflix.
“They haven’t fully grasped the extent of their alleged crimes or the possibility of prison time,” an insider told Us Weekly.
