Lori Loughlin ‘Scared’ After Agreeing to Plead Guilty, Serve Jail Time

She may have agreed to plead guilty for her involvement in the college admissions scandal, but that doesn’t mean that Full House alum Lori Loughlin is prepared for what’s to come. Just after the U.S. Department of Justice of Massachusetts announced Thursday that Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, had taken a plea deal, a source told Entertainment Tonight that the actress is “scared” regarding her future, including the two months behind bars she will serve if the judge accepts the terms of the agreement.

While Loughlin is said to be “doing ok” and “hanging in there,” deciding to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud was reportedly one of the hardest decision of her life. Now, “just thinking of the reality of the situation is frightening for her,” the source claimed, alluding to the sentence she now faces. If accepted by a judge, Loughlin will serve two months in prison, be required to pay a $15,000 fine, and serve two years of supervised release with 100 hours of community service.

Loughlin isn’t only worried for herself, as she “is also terrified for her husband who will serve longer than she will.” According to the terms of the agreement, Giannulli will plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud. Whereas Loughlin only faces two months behind bars, her husband faces five months in prison. He will also be required to pay a $250,000 fine and serve two years of supervised release with 250 hours of community service.

According to the source, Loughlin “sees herself as a good person,” and “coming to terms with the huge mistakes she’s made and the fact that she will do time is crushing for her.” Pleading guilty, they said, “was never part of the plan.”

That being said, there is still a bright side to the months-long ordeal. According to the source, while Loughlin’s relationship with daughters Olivia Jade Giannulli and Isabella Giannulli was strained after Operation Varsity Blues went public in March of 2019, they “are more bonded than ever before.” The source added that the ordeal has caused both Olivia Jade and Isabella mature “a great deal” and realize “how much their mother loves them and what she will sacrifice for a better life for them.” Loughlin, for her own part, “”now accepts them both individually for who they are and who they want to be.”

Loughlin and Giannulli are scheduled to plead guilty on Friday at 11:30 a.m. The plea hearing will take place via video conference due to the coronavirus pandemic. The couple mark the 23rd and 24th parents to plead guilty in the college admissions case, which involves more than 50 people.