This actress had a "fairy tale" life. Now she will go to jail for a scam "to achieve even more"

By Doha Madani and David K. Li - NBC News

Actress Lori Loughlin was sentenced Friday to two months in prison, and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, to five, for his role in the college cheating scandal.

The actress of the series Full House ( Tres por tres , in Spanish) told Federal District Judge Nathaniel Gorton that she will "redeem herself" and " use this experience as a catalyst to do good and give back" for the rest of her life .

Loughlin appeared to be reading a prepared statement, then wiped his eyes and spoke his last words to the seemingly off-script judge.

"Your honor, I am truly, totally and deeply sorry," she assured, "I am ready to face the consequences and repair the damage."

[University could expel students involved in bribery to be admitted]

Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud in May, more than a year after she and Giannulli battled prosecutors over her role in the largest national scandal of its kind , dubbed Operation Varsity Blues .

The 56-year-old actress was sentenced in federal court hours after her husband. They were both involved in a plot that helped their daughters get into the University of Southern California.

In this April 3, 2019 photo, actress Lori Loughlin and her designer husband Mossimo Giannullia walk out of court in Boston after facing charges of bribery for college admissions. AP

Giannulli also pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with the scam.

Prosecutors said Giannulli took a much more active role in the scheme, falsely portraying the couple's daughters as elite athletes, and thus deserved more jail time. Although the judge appeared to show sympathy for Loughlin, he questioned why the actress made such poor decisions.

[Felicity Huffman and 12 Parents Plead Guilty in Biggest College Scam Ever]

"Here we have an admired and successful professional actress with a lasting marriage, two seemingly healthy and resilient daughters, more money than they could ever need, a beautiful home in sunny Southern California - a fairytale life," said Gorton.

"However, I am in front of a convicted criminal. And why? Because of the inexplicable desire to achieve even more," he added.

At colleges that play major sports, such as the University of Southern California, athletic coaches and departments are given wide latitude to capture top-tier athletes and give them special consideration for admission.

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By getting their daughters admitted pretending they were elite athletes (when they had no substantial connection to the sport), Loughlin and her husband denied two other teens the opportunity to attend college, Assistant United States Attorney Justin O 'said Connell.

The family already had immense wealth and connections to help their daughters enter a wide range of schools, O'Connell said.

"For most, those advantages are a pipe dream, but for this defendant they just weren't enough ," O'Connell told the judge.

"So when it came time for his daughters to apply to college, Loughlin chose to cheat, to use fraud so they could steal two admissions positions from more capable and deserving students," he added.

While Loughlin's defense attorney, William Trach, admitted his client's guilt, he said the actress and her daughters are being unduly punished in the court of public opinion.

[Former college tennis coach sentenced to six months in prison for accepting a $ 100,000 bribe]

Trach cited internet search results that he claims show how Loughlin's name is now synonymous with the scandal, despite having exchanged only 15 emails in three years with the mastermind behind the scam, William Singer.

"I think it is fair to say that of all the parents charged in this extensive investigation, none were less actively involved in this fraud than Lori," Trach said.

"Because of her celebrity, Lori has been the undisputed face of the national scandal , " he added.

The hearing after which the sentence was pronounced this Friday was virtual, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Judge Gorton donned his gown and spoke from his courtroom in Boston. Prosecutors, defendants and their lawyers intervened by computer.

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Gorton spoke harsh words to Giannulli, berating the accused for cruelly taking advantage of a privilege.

"I see a lot of drug dealers, gun dealers and people who have committed violent crimes who have grown up without role models, sometimes abusing themselves," Gorton said.

“You are not stealing bread to feed your family. You have no excuse for your crime. That makes you even more guilty, "he added.

Giannulli led "a good life in Southern California," but still committed a crime "motivated by arrogance," according to the judge.

"You helped sponsor an impressive fraud in our education system and involved your wife and two daughters in cheating and pretending to get into a prestigious university ," Gorton told him.

None of the daughters have been charged. Nor are they already enrolled at the University of Southern California.

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Loughlin and Giannulli were ordered to report to prison on November 19.

The defense hopes that Giannulli will be sent to a federal jail in Lompoc, California, about 150 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Loughlin is expected to serve his time at a facility in Victorville, about 90 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

The judge said he would pass these requests on to prison officials, who will have the final say on where they will serve their sentences.

In addition to five months in jail, Giannulli was ordered to pay a $ 250,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service . Loughlin received a $ 150,000 fine and 100 hours of community service .

This Friday's sentencing comes after federal investigators last year discovered a network of wealthy parents who paid thousands of dollars to a California man for increasing their children's chances of entering elite universities.

The plan was led by Singer, who ran a for-profit college prep and counseling business. Singer uncovered the entire operation when he agreed to cooperate with investigators and don a microphone that led to more evidence.

Several other privileged parents were involved in the scandal, including actress Desperate Housewives  ( Housewives Desperate s, in Spanish) Felicity Huffman.

Huffman served 11 days of a 14-day sentence in October after he admitted to paying for someone to supervise and correct his daughter's college board exam. As a result, her daughter's score rose 400 points above her performance on the PSAT to 1420 out of a possible 1600.