It’s been one week since Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were officially given prison time for their respective roles in the college admissions scandal. Now, a legal expert is weighing in to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic lead to them serving less time in prison than they are supposed to.
Legal expert James J. Leonard Jr., who has no direct ties to the case, told PEOPLE magazine that “the coronavirus could affect their sentences if there is an outbreak at the facility where they are detained and they have a pre-existing medical condition that would make them compromised.”
“In the absence of either of those, they will serve their sentences without any deviations,” he added.
This comes one week after a judge approved the couples’ plea deals, sentencing Loughlin to two months in jail, a $150,000 fine and 150 hours of community service. Meanwhile, Giannulli was sentenced to five months in jail, a $250,000 fine and 250 hours of service.
The couple has been ordered to report to jail on November 19, and a source close to Loughlin said that the “Fuller House” actress is already terrified about catching coronavirus behind bars.
“Lori has been trying to stay as healthy as possible and also takes supplements to boost her immune system,” the source said. “It’s definitely something that she has been losing sleep about.”
Leonard said that Loughlin and Giannulli will probably serve their sentences in low security facilities or a camp setting where they have much more freedom.
“The biggest challenge won’t be the prison setting or the other prisoners,” said Leonard. “It will be them being away from the comforts of home and their family.”
During her sentencing hearing, Loughlin became emotional when it came time for her to address the judge.
“I thought I was acting out of love for my children but in reality it only underlined and diminished my daughters’ abilities and accomplishments,” she said. “More broadly and more importantly, I now understand that my decision helped exacerbate existing inequalities in society generally and the higher education system more specifically.”
“I made an awful decision. I went along with a plan to give my daughters an unfair advantage in the college admissions process and in doing so I ignored my intuition and allowed myself to be swayed from my moral compass,” Loughlin added.. “I have great faith in God, and I believe in redemption and I will do everything in my power to redeem myself and use this experience as a catalyst to do good.”
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.
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