A federal magistrate judge in Los Angeles released actress Lori Loughlin, who gained fame as a major character in “Full House” in the 1980s and ’90s and is one of the highest-profile defendants in the college admission scandal, on a $1 million bond on Wednesday.
After hesitating to allow international travel, Magistrate Judge Steve Kim is permitting Loughlin to travel throughout the continental United States and British Columbia, where she is filming in Vancouver. The actress is on contract to film projects until November, said Loughlin’s defense attorney, Marc Harris. She must surrender her U.S. passport in December.
Also, Loughlin was banned from any communication with witnesses, victims and other defendants in this case with exceptions for her daughters, who could be witnesses, and her husband, also a defendant.
The $1 million bond was covered by using her home as collateral, said Alex Wyman, a prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s Office. It’s the same arrangement made for her husband. It’s unclear whether they are using the same house as collateral.
Loughlin was in federal court in downtown Los Angeles, a defendant in what prosecutors say was a massive scandal of well-heeled parents paying bribes to get their children enrolled in prestigious universities.
She and one other defendant, a local sales executive, were in court on Wednesday, a day after most of the case’s defendants appeared following their morning arrests, including Emmy Award-wining actress Felicity Huffman who was released on $250,000 bond Tuesday.
Loughlin and the second defendant, Stephen Semprevivo, were not at home when FBI agents arrived on Tuesday. He was to be released on $1 million bail. Semprevivo’s wife agreed to pay $500,000, while the second half will be covered through his house’s value, Wyman said.
Loughlin’s husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, was one of those arrested on Tuesday and was released on $1 million bond.
The pair are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to have their daughters enrolled at the University of Southern California as members of the row team, even though they had never been on a such a team before, prosecutors said in court documents. Athletes can be granted admission with lower academic credentials than the mainstream student body. As a part of the alleged ruse, the parents sent an “action picture” of their youngest daughter on a rowing workout machine, prosecutors said.
The youngest daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, who along with her sister is still enrolled at USC, is a popular video blogger, with 1.3 million Instagram followers, 1.9 million Youtube subscribers and 187,000 followers on Twitter. In August, she was heavily criticized on social media after saying she would rather party than attend classes.
In November 2017, after the couple had wired the money to Key Worldwide Foundation, a front designed to dole out the bribes, the foundation’s founder, William “Rick” Singer, sent an email to Loughlin with an acceptance letter from USC attached for Olivia Jade Giannulli, with the subject line, “CONGRATULATIONS!!!,” according to court documents.
Loughlin responded, “This is wonderful news!,” accompanied by a high-five emoji, court documents said.
Singer, who cooperated with federal agents and pleaded guilty Wednesday, had told Loughlin to “continue to keep hush hush till March.” Loughlin agreed, prosecutors said.
Loughlin was filming in Vancouver on Tuesday when FBI agents looked to arrest her, Harris said during the court hearing. After an arrangement between federal prosecutors in Boston, Loughlin flew into Los Angeles on Wednesday and surrendered to federal authorities, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.
During the hearing, Loughlin, who wore a white turtleneck and dark-framed glasses, sat erect in the corner of the courtroom’s holding chamber. She stared on behind the chamber’s glass wall as Judge Kim read off the defendant’s rights.
When Loughlin and her attorney were called to the stand, she mainly gave “yes,” or “no” responses when speaking with Kim, her arms crossed and face expressionless throughout. There was brief discussion about Loughlin’s filming schedule in which she is set to film several projects, including a series that begins production in June.
Kim ordered that before traveling, Loughlin must provide a travel itinerary with her assigned pre-trail officer.
If she violates any of the restrictions, Kim said she could face contempt of court charges and the court could forfeit her bond.
Loughlin was ordered to appear on March 29 in a federal courthouse in Boston, where the charges originated.
