Loughlin, Giannulli want $1M bail cut in college scam case

FILE – In this April 3, 2019, file photo, actress Lori Loughlin, front, and her husband, clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli, left, depart federal court in Boston after a hearing in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. In a court filing on Monday, July 13, 2020, lawyers for the couple, who admitted to paying $500,000 to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as fake crew recruits, asked a judge to lower their bail from $1 million to $100,000, saying they will not flee ahead of their August sentencing in the college admissions bribery case. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

BOSTON (News Nation/AP) — “Full House” actor Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, want their bail cut from $1 million to $100,000, telling a judge they will not flee ahead of their sentencing in the college admissions bribery case.

In a court filing on Monday, lawyers for the famous couple who admitted to paying half a million dollars to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as fake crew recruits also asked the judge to remove the requirement that their bonds be secured by a lien on their house. The defense said prosecutors have agreed to their request.

“There is no indication that Defendants will flee rather than face sentencing,” Loughlin and Giannulli’s attorneys wrote.

On Tuesday, another California couple also pleaded guilty to participating in the bribery scheme.

Diane Blake and Todd Blake from Ross, California, appeared before a Boston federal court judge via video conference because of the coronavirus pandemic and admitted to paying $250,000 to get their daughter into USC with fake volleyball credentials.

Under their plea deals, Diane Blake has agreed to serve six weeks in prison, while Todd Blake has agreed to serve four months. The Blakes are scheduled to be sentenced in November. Emails seeking comment were sent to their lawyers.

The Blakes are the 27th and 28th parents to plead guilty in the case dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues.” They were among dozens of wealthy parents, athletic coaches and others arrested last year in the case that shocked the education and entertainment worlds.

In a stunning reversal, Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded guilty in May after insisting for more than a year that they were innocent. The judge said at the time that he will decide whether to accept the deals after considering the presentencing report, a document that contains background on defendants and helps guide sentencing decisions.

Loughlin and Giannulli are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 21. If the judge accepts their plea deals, Loughlin will be sentenced to two months in prison and Giannulli will be sentenced to five months.

The first trial for several parents fighting the charges is scheduled for October.