VARSITY BLUES

Lori Loughlin Pleads Not Guilty to New Charges in College Admissions Scandal

Loughlin and her husband were accused of paying ringleader Rick Singer about $500,000 to get their two daughters admitted to USC as purported crew recruits.

Actress Lori Loughlin pleaded not guilty on Friday to the new charges that came down last month in the wide-ranging college admissions scandal, which broke last spring when dozens of parents were accused of committing federal crimes in their attempts to bribe their kids’ way into elite universities. Prosecutors have said Loughlin and other parents paid University of Southern California officials to get their children into the school by falsely designating them as “athletic recruits...or other favored admissions categories.” Loughlin and her husband were accused of paying ringleader William “Rick” Singer about $500,000 to get their two daughters admitted to USC as purported crew recruits. Neither teen had ever rowed crew. The couple were among more than 50 suspects charged in March in the scandal. Singer allegedly accepted more than $25 million in bribes from desperate parents. Several defendants have pleaded guilty and been sentenced to prison time, fines, and probation in the federal case.