Celebrity Couple Arrested for College Cheating Scam

US authorities recently arrested a celebrity couple for participating in a college cheating scam involving their daughters. Actress Lori Loughlin /ˈlɒklɪn/ and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli, were indicted and arrested for an alleged college admission fraud. Using illicit payments amounting to $500,000, the couple got their daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella admitted to the University of Southern California (USC). The couple’s daughters were enrolled as members of the USC's rowing team. However, investigators found that neither of the siblings participated in the university’s rowing team. In fact, the sisters were never in any rowing teams in the past. To enroll the siblings as rowing team members, the couple sent fake photos of the girls riding a rowing machine. The charges came with a hefty amount of bail. According to reports, the couple paid $2 million to temporarily stay out of prison. Giannulli took a loan using the family’s house as collateral to make bail. Aside from the bail, Loughlin also received travel restrictions. A judge restricted Loughlin's travels to the United States and Canada. Additionally, the actress was ordered to give up her passport in December. Following the charges, the couple received criticisms. People were especially outraged by the couple’s use of illegal means to enroll their children to university despite having the money to do it legally. Apart from criticisms, some of Loughlin’s work engagements were canceled. TV network Hallmark Channel released a statement announcing that it will no longer work with Loughlin. Reports also said that Netflix is not planning to include Loughlin in a show she previously guested on.