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Guilty pleas in college admissions case

On Behalf of | May 27, 2020 | White Collar Crimes

Some people in Oklahoma might be aware of the college admissions scandal, which involved several prominent personalities, including actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin. Huffman served two weeks in jail for her role in the scandal in which parents tried to get their children into elite universities by paying bribes for having their records falsified.

Loughlin and her husband, the fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were said to have paid $500,000 to make it appear that their two daughters were recruits on the University of Southern California’s crewing team. Federal prosecutors and the FBI charged them in 2019. Loughlin agreed to plead guilty on May 22, 2020, to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Her sentence will be two months in prison, two years of supervised release, 100 hours of community service and a fine of $150,000. Giannulli agreed to plead guilty to the same charge along with honest services wire and mail fraud. His sentence is five months, two years of supervised release, 250 hours of community service and a fine of $250,000.

Despite these agreements, there could still be alterations. There are special provisions in the plea deal that say they can argue that their counsel was ineffective or that prosecutorial misconduct occurred. A judge might change the sentences.

White-collar crimes may include such activities as fraud, embezzling and money laundering. One error people often make is assuming that the charges they are facing are not serious or that penalties will be minimal because they are related to white-collar crimes. In some cases, people may be unaware that they have done anything wrong or that they are the focus of an investigation. It may be a good idea for an individual who agrees to questioning by law enforcement about an investigation to contact an attorney.

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