Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli among parents indicted on new charge in college admissions scandal

An indictment brought Tuesday adds a charge of money laundering conspiracy against the couple and 14 other parents

Lori Loughlin exits the courthouse after facing charges for allegedly conspiring to commit mail fraud and other charges in the college admissions scandal at the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on 3 April, 2019. ((JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP/Getty Images))

Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli have been hit with a new charge, in what authorities have described as a sweeping college admissions bribery scheme.

Loughlin and Giannulli were among 33 prominent parents accused of allegedly participating in a scheme that involved rigging college entrance exams and bribing coaches at elite universities, according to prosecutors.

They were arrested last month on a single charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. An indictment brought Tuesday adds a charge of money laundering conspiracy against the couple and 14 other parents.

The move comes a day after fellow actress Felicity Huffman, 12 other parents and a coach agreed to plead guilty in the case, according to the US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.

Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of allegedly paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as crew team recruits, even though neither of them played the sport.

They appeared in Boston federal court briefly last week and were not asked to enter a plea. They have not publicly addressed the allegations against them.

Huffman, the 56-year-old Emmy-winner who stared in ABC’s Desperate Housewives, was accused of allegedly paying $15,000 disguised as a charitable donation to have a proctor correct the answers on her daughter’s SAT. She and the 12 other parents agreed to plead guilty Monday to a single charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

Prosecutors say they will seek a prison sentence that’s on the low end of between four and 10 months for Huffman.

In her first public comments since her arrest, Huffman took responsibility for her actions and said she would accept the consequences.

“My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her. This transgression towards her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty,” she said after her plea deal was announced.

Additional reporting from agencies