Actress Felicity Huffman pleads guilty in largest-ever college admissions scandal
Prosecutors say Huffman paid $15,000 to boost her daughter's SAT scores; Molly Line reports from Boston.
Lori Loughlin thinks her television success may put a target on her back in the college admissions scandal.
Sources close to the erstwhile "When Calls the Heart" star said she's been monitoring Felicity Huffman's case, which has parallels to her own: They're both successful actresses who were accused of bribing their daughters' ways into higher education.
“Lori is watching Felicity’s case very closely,” a source told People. “She’s relieved that it doesn’t look like the prosecution is making an example of Felicity, and is adhering to the law.”
LORI LOUGHLIN DOESN'T THINK SHE DESERVES TO GO TO PRISON
The insider added, “Her big worry was that she would be treated unfairly as one of the more famous people involved in the case. She’s afraid of being penalized for her fame, but it looks like prosecutors may be making a good faith effort to treat each defendant fairly."
However, there are stark differences in the stars' approaches to their own cases.
Huffman, 56, tearfully pleaded guilty on Monday to paying an admissions consultant $15,000 to have a proctor correct her older daughter's answers on the SAT. She reportedly considered the same for her younger daughter but decided against it.
MOSSIMO GIANNULLI NEVER ENROLLED IN USC, USED PARENTS' TUITION MONEY
COLLEGE ADMISSIONS SCANDAL TV SERIES IN THE WORKS
The assistant U.S. attorney recommended four months of prison time, 12 months of supervised release and a $20,000 fine for the "Desperate Housewives" actress.
Loughlin, 54, and husband Mossimo Giannulli were accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to William "Rick" Singer to get their daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella into the University of Southern California (USC). Singer reportedly had Olivia Isabella enrolled as crew team recruits, despite neither girl being a coxswain.
USC CREW TEAM POSTERS MOCKED AFTER LORI LOUGHLIN, OLIVIA JADE COLLEGE SCANDAL
Giannulli and Loughlin were each arrested and released on $1 million bonds. They rejected the plea agreement that Huffman accepted and were subsequently hit with additional charges of conspiracy and money laundering. They now each face up to 40 years in prison if convicted of all counts.
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Though Loughlin is reportedly terrified of a potential prison sentence, sources previously claimed that she feels she was "manipulated" by Singer and believes a trial is the only way to clear her name. However, she now faces a new obstacle she may not have expected: Laura Janke, a former assistant soccer coach at USC pleaded guilty Tuesday to creating fake athletic profiles for the children of wealthy parents, including Giannulli and Loughlin's daughters — and she may be called to testify against the actress and her fashion designer husband.
Fox News' Mariah Haas and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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