Lori Loughlin may serve jail time over her involvement in the massive college admissions bribery case that broke last month. The former Fuller House star and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli reportedly paid half a million dollars to get their two kids into USC either by faking athletic records or cheating their SAT scores. Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman is also embroiled in the cast with William H. Macy's wife supposedly doling out $250,000 to get in on the same scheme.
A staple of the Hallmark Channel's annual Christmas TV movies, Loughlin was also starring in its ongoing series, When Calls the Heart. But the actress first shot to fame playing the love interest of John Stamos' Uncle Jesse in the '80s/'90s classic family sitcom Full House, Aunt Becky. When the spinoff was officially ordered by Netflix followed by its debut on 2016, she reprised the role in its past four seasons. But since this scandal broke out, both Hallmark and Netflix dropped her in their respective shows. This means that Fuller House's upcoming fifth and final season will not see the return of Aunt Becky.
Related: What To Expect From Fuller House Season 5
Now, things seems to only get worse for Loughlin as she may need to serve time in prison. According to a new report from Deadline, "the actors are more than likely looking at a penalty of somewhere around six months to just under two years behind bars." The actress and others who are in on the scam are being charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud with a potential maximum sentence of five years. Their time behind bars, as well as probation and fines however, will be based on their cooperation in the ongoing litigation.
Despite no longer a part of the cast of Fuller House, Loughlin's castmates, particularly Candace Cameron-Bure (DJ) and Jodie Sweeting (Stephanie) stand by the actress as they revealed in a recent interview. While they refused to comment further on the matter, they made it clear that they're "family, and we stand by each other.” Considering that they've known Loughlin since they're kids, it's understandable that it would be difficult for them to simply write her off. Whether or not they were aware about Loughlin's wrongdoings is a different conversation, however. At this point, the best they can do is be mum about the specifics of the case.
Assuming that Loughlin and her co-conspirators are proven guilty, the most important thing here is to not let them get away scot-free, and that doesn't include paying fines, regardless of the amount. These people are obviously very wealthy that they can buy their kids' way into prestigious schools, any monetary penalty wouldn't matter that much. Regardless of the time she potentially serves in prison, what matters most is that they're accounted for their wrongdoings so as to also serve an example for those who may be thinking of doing the same thing.
More: John Stamos Gets Angry At Netflix For Fuller House “Cancellation” On April Fools
Fuller House fifth and final season will premiere on Netflix this fall.
Source: Deadline