Lori Loughlin, Mossimo Giannulli plead not guilty to bribery charge in college admissions scandal

Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded not guilty Friday to the latest charges leveled against them as part of an investigation into a large-scale college bribery admissions scandal, court records show.

Attorneys for Loughlin and Giannulli included the not guilty pleas in court documents filed Friday. They also waived arraignment on the latest charges of conspiracy to commit federal program bribery.

The couple previously pleaded not guilty to charges of fraud and money laundering connected with the case.

Prosecutors said Giannulli and Loughlin, who is best known for her portrayal of Aunt Becky on the sitcom “Full House” and its sequel “Fuller House,” agreed to pay $500,000 in bribes to have their daughters labeled as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team, though neither participated in the sport. Their daughters no longer attend the university.

Loughlin and Giannulli were among more than 50 people, including 34 parents, to be charged earlier this year with participating in the large-scale admissions scheme. Prosecutors said the parents involved paid admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer to bribe college coaches and rig test scores to get their children into elite universities.

The scandal also led to the arrest of “Desperate Housewives” actress Felicity Huffman, 56, who pleaded in May to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Prosecutors said she paid Singer $15,000 to rig her daughter's SAT score. Huffman was released from prison late last month after serving 11 days of her 14-day sentence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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