Since the day thatFelicity HuffmanandLori Loughlinwere caught up in the high-profilecollege admissions cheating scandal, the question has remained: Will the actresses spend any time in jail?
On March 12, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts announced that it had charged 50 people, including Huffman and Loughlin, in the cheating scandal. The two actresses, along with coaches, admissions counselors, parents, and Loughlin’s husband, fashion designerJ. Mossimo Giannulli, were indicted on charges of falsifying SAT scores and lying about their athletic skills, among other alleged crimes.
Huffmanhas agreed to plead guilty, saying, “I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions.”
Loughlin has not yet admitted to any guilt — and things got worse for her on Tuesday, when she and Giannulli were among 16 parentsindicted on an additional felony chargeof money laundering conspiracy.
Despite the fact that the two women were charged at the same time, their cases are markedly different. From the start, Loughlin has faced more jail time than Huffman.
How The Prison Terms Are Calculated
The Federal Government has asentencing tablewhich classifies each offender on a scale of 1 to 43. The higher the number, the more serious the crime. There are numerous factors that the government uses to assess the “offender level” of the defendant — including prior convictions.
In the cases against Huffman and Loughlin, the prosecutors consider the amount of money involved as part of their assessment. While Huffman allegedly paid $15,000, Loughlin and Giannulli allegedly paid $500,000.
Former prosecutorAdam Citron, who now works as a defense attorney, tells PEOPLE that prosecutors weigh different factors to determine the offender level. “There are guidelines,” Citron says, “but the government also has some discretion to decide how to move forward.”
Huffman Could Face Prison Time
Additionally, Huffman would serve 12 months of probation, and pay a $20,000 fine.
The prosecution agrees to argue that Huffman serve on the “low end” of the sentencing guidelines, meaning that there’s a possibility that she could serve just a few months.
Felicity Huffman on her way into federal court in Boston on April 3, 2019.Charles Krupa/AP/Shutterstock
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Loughlin’s Potential Sentence is Much Higher
Loughlin, meanwhile,allegedly wanted her daughtersto get into the University of Southern California so badly that she and Giannulli paid approximately $500,000 in bribes to falsely designate their daughters as recruits to the USC crew team — despite the fact that they did not participate in crew.
The amount of money involved in the case means that her “offense level” would be much higher than Huffman’s. Additionally, Huffman’s decision to plead guilty lowered her offense level; in the absence of a plea deal, Loughlin’s penalty will be significantly higher.
Steven Senne/AP/REX/Shutterstock
Officially, she faces up to 40 years in prison for the charges against her — but if she is found guilty and her sentencing is consistent with the other defendants, she will likely face closer to 3-5 years.
But legal experts tell PEOPLE that the actress may be doing herself a disservice with her public demeanor.
Attorneys for Loughlin, Giannulli and Huffman have not returned PEOPLE’s calls for comment.
source: people.com
