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Feds Urge Judge to OK Prison Deals for Loughlin, Giannulli

FILE - Actress Lori Loughlin, front, and husband, clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli, left, depart federal court in Boston after facing charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal, April 3, 2019.
FILE - Actress Lori Loughlin, front, and husband, clothing designer Mossimo Giannulli, left, depart federal court in Boston after facing charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal, April 3, 2019.

Federal prosecutors urged a judge Monday to accept deals that call for "Full House" actor Lori Loughlin to spend two months in prison and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, to serve five months for paying half a million dollars to bribe their daughters' way into college.

Ahead of the famous couple's scheduled sentencing hearings Friday, prosecutors said in court filings that the proposed prison terms are comparable to the sentences other prominent parents charged in the case have received, while accounting for Loughlin and Giannulli's "repeated and deliberate conduct" and their "decision to allow their children to become complicit in crime."

Prosecutors called Giannulli "the more active participant in the scheme," while they said Loughlin "took a less active role, but was nonetheless fully complicit."

The famous couple pleaded guilty in May to paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as crew recruits even though neither girl was a rower.

The defense had insisted for more than a year that they believed their payments were legitimate donations and accused prosecutors of hiding crucial evidence that could prove the couple's innocence because it would undermine their case.

The judge said at their plea hearings that he would decide whether to accept or reject the deals after considering the presentencing report, a document that contains background on defendants and helps guide sentencing decisions.

Unlike most plea agreements, in which the judge remains free to decide the sentence, Loughlin and Giannulli's were built into their deals so if the judge accepts the agreements, he cannot change the prison term.

FILE - William "Rick" Singer founder of the Edge College & Career Network, departs federal court in Boston on March 12, 2019, after he pleaded guilty to charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal.
FILE - William "Rick" Singer founder of the Edge College & Career Network, departs federal court in Boston on March 12, 2019, after he pleaded guilty to charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal.

Loughlin and Giannulli have not publicly commented since their arrest last year in the case authorities call "Operation Varsity Blues." The scheme, led by admissions consultant Rick Singer, involved including top businessmen, lawyers and others prominent parents paying huge sums to have people take entrance exams on behalf of their kids or get them into school as fake recruits, authorities said.

Under the plea deal, Giannulli has also agreed to pay a $250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service. Loughlin would pay a $150,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service.

Prosecutors say they funneled money through a sham charity operated by Singer to get their two daughters admitted to USC. Singer, who has also pleaded guilty, began cooperating with investigators in September 2018 and secretly recorded his phone calls with parents to build the case against them.

Giannulli "engaged more frequently with Singer, directed the bribe payments to USC and Singer, and personally confronted his daughter's high school counselor to prevent the scheme from being discovered, brazenly lying about his daughter's athletic abilities," prosecutors told the judge.

In that instance, Giannulli angrily confronted the counselor after after the counselor began questioning the girls' involvement in crew, prosecutors said. Giannulli demanded that the counselor explain what he was telling USC about his daughters and asked the counselor why he was "trying to ruin or get in the way of their opportunities," the counselor wrote in notes detailed in court documents.

After the couple successfully bribed their younger daughter's way into USC, Singer forward them an email saying she was let in because of her "potential to make a significant contribution to the intercollegiate athletic program," prosecutors wrote.

Loughlin responded: "This is wonderful news! (high-five emoji)," according to court filings.

Others parents who've been sent to prison for participating in the scam include "Desperate Housewives" actress Felicity Huffman. She served nearly two weeks behind bars late last year after she admitted to paying $15,000 to have someone correct her daughter's entrance exam answers.

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Competition grows for international students eyeing Yale

FILE - The Yale University campus is in New Haven, Connecticut, on Dec. 4, 2023.
FILE - The Yale University campus is in New Haven, Connecticut, on Dec. 4, 2023.

It’s tough to gain admission to Yale University, and it’s getting even tougher for international students as standout students from around the world set their sights on Yale.

The Yale Dale News, the campus newspaper, takes a look at the situation here.

Read the full story here.

Student from Ethiopia says Whitman College culture made it easy to settle in

FILE - This May 18, 2021, photo shows a woman typing on a laptop in New Jersey.
FILE - This May 18, 2021, photo shows a woman typing on a laptop in New Jersey.

Ruth Chane, a computer science major from Ethiopia, writes about her experiences settling into student life at Whitman College in the U.S. state of Washington.

"The community at Whitman College made sure I felt welcomed even before I stepped foot on campus," she says.

Read her essay here.

Claremont Colleges student gets a shock when she heads home to Shanghai

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2012, photo, students walk through the campus of Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif.
FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2012, photo, students walk through the campus of Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif.

In The Student Life, the student newspaper for the Claremont Colleges, a consortium of five liberal art colleges and two graduate schools in Claremont, California, student Rochelle Lu writes about readjusting to her Shanghai home after spending a semester in the United States.

Read the full story here.

Cedarville University aims to ease transition for international students

FILE - A recent graduate wears a garment with their graduation year April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles.
FILE - A recent graduate wears a garment with their graduation year April 25, 2024, in Los Angeles.

Cedarville University in the U.S. state of Ohio says it’s got more than 140 international students representing 44 countries.

Here, the school interviews Jonathan Sutton, director of international student services. He talks about his job and the opportunities for international students on campus.

Read the full article here.

Morehouse College offers prospective students tips on applying and thriving

FILE - People enter the campus of Morehouse College, a historically black school, in Atlanta, Georgia, April 12, 2019.
FILE - People enter the campus of Morehouse College, a historically black school, in Atlanta, Georgia, April 12, 2019.

Morehouse College, a private, historically Black liberal arts college in the U.S. state of Georgia, offers a guide for international students interested in attending the school.

Among the tips to apply and thrive at Morehouse:

  • Take advantage of the school’s orientation program
  • Turn to the school’s Center for Academic Success for tutoring, support and more
  • Immerse yourself in campus life via clubs and societies

Read the full article here.

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