• Full House actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, agreed to serve prison time as part of a deal to plead guilty to cheating the college admissions process, according to court papers filed Thursday. Loughlin, 55, has agreed to serve two months behind bars, and Giannulli, 56, has agreed to serve five months under the deal that must be approved by the judge. Under Loughlin's plea deal, she will also pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service. Giannulli has agreed to pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service. They are scheduled to plead guilty today via video conference. The deal is a reversal for the famous couple who insisted for the past year they were innocent and that investigators had fabricated evidence against them. Their decision comes about two weeks after the judge rejected their bid to dismiss the case over allegations of misconduct by federal authorities. They were scheduled to go to trial in October on charges that they paid $500,000 in bribes to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as crew team recruits, even though neither of them played the sport. They helped create fake athletic profiles for their daughters by sending the admitted ringleader of the scheme, admissions consultant Rick Singer, photos of the teens posing on rowing machines, authorities said. Lawyers for Loughlin and Giannulli had argued that the couple believed the payments were "legitimate donations" that would go directly to USC as a fundraising gift or support Singer's charity. Loughlin and Giannulli were among 50 people arrested last year in the case dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues" that rocked the world of higher education. They are the 23rd and 24th parents to plead guilty in the case.
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• Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, was released from federal prison Thursday to serve the remainder of his sentence at home because of the coronavirus pandemic. Wearing a surgical mask and a baseball cap, Cohen, 53, arrived at his Manhattan apartment building after his release from FCI Otisville in New York. Cohen, who pleaded guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance fraud and lying to Congress, didn't stop to speak with reporters gathered on the sidewalk. "I am so glad to be home and back with my family," Cohen wrote on Twitter a little more than an hour after arriving home. "There is so much I want to say and intend to say. But now is not the right time. Soon. Thank you to all my friends and supporters." Asked about Cohen's release, Trump said he didn't know about it and declined further comment. Cohen was once one of Trump's closest advisers but became a vocal critic after pleading guilty.
A Section on 05/22/2020