Federal prosecutors in the college admissions scandal have filed a response to Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli‘s request to dismiss the case. In new court documents obtained by E! News, emails, phone transcripts and photos further reveal the famous couple’s alleged involvement with the scam’s accused ring leader, William “Rick” Singer.
Among the exhibits submitted by prosecutors are photos of their daughters, 20-year-old Olivia Jade and 21-year-old Bella Giannulli, posing on an indoor rowing machine, which prosecutors allege were taken by Lori and Mossimo and sent to Singer to help them gain admission to the University of Southern California.
According to the documents, Singer sent an email to the couple in Aug. 2016, which read, “Lori and Moss, I met with USC today about [redacted]. I need a PDF of her transcript and test scores very soon while I create a coxswain portfolio for her. It would probably help to get a picture with her on an ERG in workout clothes like a real athlete too.”
Mossimo responded, “Fantastic. Will get all.” Then in an email dated Sep. 7, 2016, Mossimo sent Singer the image below.
One month later, prosecutors allege Lori and Mossimo’s older daughter was granted admission as a purported recruit on USC’s crew team. Singer emailed Mossimo, “Please send 50K payment to the person below,” referencing Donna Heinel, the former Senior Women’s Associate Athletic Director at USC.
Giannulli then asked via email, “For accounting purposes would I categorize this as a donation?” Singer replied, “Yes.”
In March 2017, after Giannulli’s daughter was formally admitted to USC, the documents state that an invoice from Singer’s bookkeeper was emailed to Lori and Mossimo for a purported $200,000 contribution to the Key Worldwide Foundation, Singer’s non-profit organization. Giannulli forwarded the invoice to his financial advisor, writing, “Good news my [older] daughter is in [U]SC.. bad [news] is I had to work the system.”
Four months later, prosecutors claim Singer requested that Lori and Mossimo “send an ‘Action Picture’ of their younger daughter for use in an athletic profile that he noted would falsely present her as a coxswain for the L.A. Marina Club crew team.”
Mossimo responded in an email, copying Lori, with the below photo.
For the second time, Mossimo was allegedly instructed by Singer to send $50,000 to Heinel, and in Feb. 2018 when their younger daughter was accepted to USC, he received another $200,000 invoice from the Key Worldwide Foundation. Mossimo forwarded the invoice to his financial advisor, noting in an email included in the documents that it was “the last college ‘donation’ for [his daughter.]”
“Can’t I write this off?” Mossimo added in the email.
Olivia and Bella’s father ran into an issue, according to the documents, when a counselor at his daughter’s school told USC during a “routine” call about applicants that they had “no knowledge” of her involvement in crew and “highly doubted” the possibility “based on what I knew of her video blogging schedule…”
A few weeks later, the documents state that Mossimo came to the school and asked to speak with the counselor. The individual claims in the filing, “I went down to receive him and bring him upstairs to my office. While we were headed to my office I asked if he had walked over or drove, they live very close to campus. Mr. Giannulli replied, ‘What does it matter?’ in a curt tone. I said I was just making conversation, he replied, ‘Let’s not.’ When we sat down in my office he aggressively asked what I was telling USC about his daughters and why I was trying to ruin or get in the way of their opportunities. I asked him to clarify what he meant.”
Prosecutors describe Mossimo as having “reprimanded” the counselor, who wrote that Mossimo accused her of endangering his daughter’s admissions chances.
“He then asked me if I had any idea who [redacted] was and what she had going for her,” the counselor continues in the documents. “I told him I was well aware of her YouTube channel and video blogs regarding style, make-up and fashion. I then went on to affirm that I had been a champion for and if he were to read my letter of recommendation he would see that I portrayed [redacted] as a guru in her field with a bright future and any school would be happy to have her.”
The counselor states they then contacted USC to inform them that Mossimo personally informed them of his daughter’s experience as a coxswain.
As E! News previously reported, the former Fuller House star and her husband’s trial is set for October 5, 2020.
Both Lori and Mossimo are facing multiple charges including conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.
Lori and Mossimo have pled not guilty to all charges and deny any wrongdoing. The couple is facing a maximum of 50 years each and millions of dollars in fines if found guilty.
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