The Current Status of Notable Figures Involved in the College Admissions Scandal
Indicted in the nationwide college admissions scandal, this article delves into the current whereabouts of prominent figures like Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman, college coaches, and others involved Explore the latest updates on the scandal's biggest names here
Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman, and numerous college coaches and officials were charged in the nationwide college admissions scandal on March 12, 2019. The aftermath and resulting prison sentences continue to be a major news story.
As per court documents, the Full House star and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, reportedly "agreed to pay bribes amounting to $500,000 in order to have their two daughters falsely designated as recruits for the USC crew team, despite the fact that they did not actually participate in crew. This arrangement facilitated their admission to USC."
Loughlin and Giannulli, parents to daughters Bella and Olivia Jade, were initially charged with fraud, and later faced additional charges of money laundering and bribery. Despite initially pleading not guilty to all charges, they eventually reached a plea deal in May 2020. In August 2020, they appeared before a judge via Zoom due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Huffman allegedly made a charitable donation of $15,000 as part of the college entrance exam cheating scheme for her oldest daughter, according to court documents. Huffman and her husband, William H. Macy, have two daughters, Sophia and Georgia.
The Desperate Housewives alum made arrangements to pursue the scheme a second time for her younger daughter before deciding not to do so, the paperwork explained.
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After Huffman pleaded guilty to fraud charges, she was sentenced to 14 days in prison. She also apologized for her role in the scandal, admitting she paid to improve Sophia’s SAT scores.
Scroll through for an update on the most famous names associated with the scandal:
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The Biggest Names Associated With the College Admissions Scandal: Where Are They Now?
The nationwide college admissions scandal of March 12, 2019, led to the indictment of Lori Loughlin, Felicity Huffman, and multiple college coaches and officials. The fallout and subsequent prison sentences continue to garner attention. Court documents reveal that Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying bribes totaling $500,000 to designate their two daughters as recruits for the USC crew team, despite their lack of participation in the sport, in order to secure their admission to the university.
Loughlin and Giannulli, parents to daughters Bella and Olivia Jade, were initially charged with fraud and later faced additional charges of money laundering and bribery. Although they pleaded not guilty at first, they ultimately agreed to a plea deal in May 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, they appeared in court via Zoom in August 2020.
Huffman allegedly made a $15,000 charitable contribution to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme for her eldest daughter, according to court documents. Huffman and her husband, William H. Macy, are parents to daughters Sophia and Georgia.
The former Desperate Housewives actress initially planned to go through with the scheme again for her younger daughter but ultimately decided against it, according to the documents.
Following her guilty plea to fraud charges, Huffman received a 14-day prison sentence. She also issued an apology for her involvement in the scandal, acknowledging that she had paid to boost her daughter Sophia's SAT scores.
Scroll through for an update on the most famous names associated with the scandal:
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William “Rick” Singer
The singer is accused of being the mastermind of a scandal involving the creation of fake charities to funnel money into donations for various colleges such as Yale University, Georgetown, Stanford, and the University of Southern California. Documents acquired by Us featured alleged emails from Loughlin to Singer in March 2019.
According to an affidavit, the actress allegedly emailed Singer seeking guidance in assisting her daughter, Olivia Jade, in the college application process. "[Olivia Jade] has not submitted all her colleges [sic] apps and is confused on how to do so," the affidavit reads. "I want to make sure she gets those in as I don’t want to call any attention to [her] with her little friend at [her high school]. Can you tell us how to proceed?"
The singer, who reportedly received $25 million from parents, admitted guilt in March 2019 for federal charges related to the case. In January 2023, he was sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison and ordered to forfeit over $10 million, with an additional three years of supervised release. A judge has mandated that Singer report to prison on February 27th. According to CNN.
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Felicity Huffman
In October 2019, Huffman finished serving her 14-day sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California. As part of her sentence, the actress was also required to pay a $30,000 fine, undergo a year of supervised release, and complete 250 hours of community service. Shortly after her release from prison, Huffman started her community service at The Teen Project in Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting at-risk homeless teens who have been sex trafficked and/or struggle with addiction issues.
According to a source interviewed by Us in November 2019, she has shown a sincere interest in the young women and is aimed at making a positive impact on their lives. The source also mentioned that there was initial apprehension among the staff regarding how seriously Felicity would take her involvement, as most people simply go through the motions and leave, whereas Felicity is highly engaged and present.
On October 26, 2020, it was confirmed that Huffman had been released from supervised release and had completed her sentence. The judge also approved her request to have her passport returned from the U.S. Probation and Pre-Trial Services Department. In November 2020, news emerged that Huffman had landed her first TV role since the scandal in a half-hour ABC comedy pilot alongside Zack Gottsagen. She was cast to play the owner of a minor league baseball team, a character inspired by Susan Savage of the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. However, the pilot did not get picked up.
She officially made her return to TV in ABC's The Good Doctor in the backdoor pilot for the spinoff The Good Lawyer in March 2023.
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Sophia Grace Macy
Despite the initial college setback for Huffman and Macy's eldest daughter due to the scandal, she successfully landed a role in the upcoming CBS All Access series The Twilight Zone in January 2020. In April 2020, she revealed her plans to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in the fall. Reportedly, Sophia retook her SATs after the scandal and is looking forward to pursuing a degree in drama.
Sophia’s younger sister, Georgia, for her part, started studying at Vassar in fall 2020.
Huffman gave insight into how her family handled the scandal in a letter to the judge in September 2019.
"When my daughter looked at me, tears streaming down her face, and asked, 'Why didn't you believe in me? Why didn't you think I could do it on my own?'” Huffman explained. “I had no adequate answer for her. I could only say, 'I am sorry. I was frightened and I was stupid.'"
In contrast, Macy conveyed that his wife’s relationship with their daughter became strained after her arrest. He mentioned that after her arrest, Felicity sought therapy, and the family has been attending therapy sessions for the past few months. He acknowledged that there is still much healing and progress to be made, and that Sophia is slowly recovering from the trauma of the arrest, with ongoing struggles such as difficulty sleeping alone and nightmares stemming from the FBI raid.
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Lori Loughlin
Following the scandal, Loughlin was terminated from the Hallmark Channel and was not invited to return for the final season of Fuller House. Despite declining a plea deal in April 2019, Loughlin entered a not guilty plea to the new bribery charges brought against her in November.
"Lori has been spending long hours with her legal team, fully committed to her defense. When she's not at her lawyer's office, she's communicating with them through email and text. In February 2020, a source revealed that Loughlin felt a renewed sense of hope when prosecutors found notes written by Singer that could possibly help the couple's case."
The singer's notes show that FBI agents yelled at him and told him to lie by saying that he informed his clients involved in the alleged 'side door' scheme that their payments were bribes, rather than legitimate donations to the schools," lawyer Sean Berkowitz claimed in documents obtained by Us.
"Lori is feeling determined and prepared to battle," added a second insider.
In January 2020, it was confirmed that the Loughlin-Giannulli family had listed their multi-million dollar home for sale. Following a denial of their petition to drop charges in May 2020, Loughlin and Giannulli decided to change their plea from not guilty to guilty. In August 2020, a judge approved the actress' plea deal which included two months in prison, a $150,000 fine, and two years of supervised release along with 100 hours of community service.
Loughlin checked into the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, on October 30, 2020. She was granted an early release less than two months later on December 28, 2020. Us broke the news in February 2021 that Loughlin had fulfilled her 100 hours of community service but was continuing her involvement with Project Angel Food. In that same month, a judge returned her passport.
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Oliva Jade Giannulli
The YouTuber faced loss of advertisers and sponsors after the scandal broke, leading her to go dark on social media and her beauty channel for several months. Olivia Jade, no longer a student at USC, finally posted her first YouTube video since the scandal on December 1, 2019.
"Obviously, I've been gone for a really long time. As much as I wish I could address everything, it's really hard for me to say this. I know it's something that needs to be talked about," the influencer, with nearly 2 million subscribers, expressed. "Unfortunately, I didn't know exactly when to come back to YouTube. The legal constraints prevent me from speaking about anything going on right now."
Olivia Jade uploaded a makeup video days later, but then stopped uploading again. However, she has been more socially active in recent months, seen partying with Kylie Jenner's former assistant Victoria Villarroel, influencer Stassie Karanikolaou, and boyfriend Jackson Guthy.
During her first interview, Olivia apologized and admitted to her family's wrongdoing. "We had the means to do something and we completely took it and ran with it. It was something that was wrong," she stated on Red Table Talk in December 2020. "It really can't be excused. On paper, it's bad — it's really bad. But I think what a lot of people don't know is that my parents came from a place of just, 'I love my kids. I just want to help my kids — whatever is best for them — I worked my whole life to provide for my family.' I think they thought it was normal."
Olivia made a comeback with her YouTube channel in January 2021. Later that year, she teamed up with Val Chmerkovskiy for season 30 of Dancing With the Stars but was eliminated in week 8.
In March 2023, she shared an update on her close-knit family, expressing gratitude for their support through the ups and downs of life. In an interview with E! News, she said, "I feel good. I feel like I have such a supportive family. We've all stayed really close through everything so that's all you can really ask for. Life is crazy."
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Bella Rose Giannulli
Similar to her sister, Bella is no longer enrolled at USC. According to a source from Us, both girls might have been required to testify in the college admissions scandal if their mother hadn't pleaded guilty.
"The legal team informed Lori that the United States Attorney’s Office is planning to use her daughters as key witnesses to secure a conviction," a source revealed to Us in January 2020. The indictment of their parents had a significant impact on the daughters, turning their world upside down. Lori was advised that the only way to avoid a trial was to accept a plea bargain and change her plea from not guilty to guilty."
Just one day before her mother started her prison sentence, Bella appeared in Cliff Clawson's music video for the song "Chasing Highs."
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Mossimo Giannulli
Target, the retailer that carried Giannulli's "Mossimo" clothing line for many years, publicly commented on the fashion designer after the scandal was exposed. In a statement released in April 2019, the company stated that they had not been in a working relationship with Mossimo Giannulli for over ten years and no longer sold any Mossimo branded products. Despite both Loughlin and Giannulli pleading not guilty to all charges, a source disclosed to Us in October 2019 that they are each responding to and managing the scandal in markedly different ways.
"Moss is putting on a brave face and maintaining a social front, but it's uncertain whether he's simply oblivious to the situation or expertly concealing his emotions to avoid judgment," the source explained.
According to another source, the couple's marriage was under significant strain during the legal proceedings. "Their daughter Bella is deeply worried about the possibility of their divorce," the source revealed in September 2019, detailing their disagreements over whether to take a private jet to their court appearance in Boston. "Their lawyers had advised against it, but Mossimo insisted, arguing that it would be chaotic if they flew commercial."
Giannulli and his wife agreed to a plea deal in May 2020. Three months later, the sentence was finalized: five months in prison, a $250,000 fine, two years of supervised release, and 250 hours of community service. He started serving his sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California on October 30, 2020. After spending some time in solitary confinement, Giannulli was moved to the minimum security area of the prison in January 2021. Despite attempting to serve the remainder of his sentence from home, his early release request was denied by a judge.
Giannulli was released from prison “three months earlier” than planned, Us confirmed in April 2021. “It's Lori’s Easter surprise."
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Michelle Janavs
The wealthy Hot Pockets heiress, facing allegations of offering $300,000 in bribes to secure admission for her two daughters into top-tier universities, admitted to conspiracy charges of fraud and money laundering in October 2019. In February of the following year, Janavs was handed a five-month prison sentence, along with two years of supervised release, 200 hours of community service, and a $250,000 fine.
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Gordon Ernst
The head coach of the men's and women's tennis teams at Georgetown University resigned and entered a plea of not guilty to racketeering conspiracy in March 2019. In October of that same year, he faced additional charges related to mail and wire fraud conspiracy, as well as honest services mail and wire fraud.
In July 2022, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison and two years of supervised release, with the option to serve the first six months in home confinement.
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Donna Heinel
Initially, the former senior associate athletic director at USC entered a plea of not guilty to racketeering charges. However, in November 2021, she reversed her stance and entered a guilty plea to one count of honest services wire fraud as part of a plea agreement.
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Ali Khosroshahin
The head coach of the USC women's soccer team admitted guilt to a charge of conspiracy to commit racketeering in June of 2019. In June 2022, Khosroshahin was given a six-month home confinement sentence.
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Laura Janke
The assistant women's soccer coach at USC, who was accused of orchestrating fake athletic profiles for students, initially entered a plea of not guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit racketeering in March. However, she later changed her plea and reached a plea agreement. As part of the deal, Janke may be called upon to testify against others implicated in the case. The recommended sentence from the government includes one year of supervised release, a fine, forfeiture, and restitution. In June 2022, a judge granted her credit for time served.
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Jovan Vavic
The former waterpolo coach at USC has entered a plea of not guilty to the racketeering charges. Vavic’s attorney argued that the coach was not only encouraged but effectively required to raise funds for the team, and that his system was fully endorsed and facilitated by university officials. The attorney also asserted that the case overlooks the reality that at USC, a parent’s ability and willingness to contribute to the university, including to athletics, influenced admissions decisions.
Vavic was granted a retrial in September 2022 following his prior conviction for soliciting and accepting bribes totaling over $220,000, as well as conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, among other charges. As of January 2023, the date for the new trial has not been disclosed.
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Jorge Salcedo
The ex-head men's soccer coach at UCLA pled not guilty to racketeering charges in May 2019. In October, he faced fraud and bribery charges. Salcedo accused the university of being accountable for accepting students from wealthy donors in a motion filed in January 2020. UCLA refuted the allegations, calling it a deceptive attempt to defend the former coach. In March 2021, Salcedo was sentenced to eight months in prison, one year of supervised release, and a $200,000 forfeiture, as reported by Justice.gov.
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William Ferguson
The Wake Forest women's volleyball coach stepped down in August 2019 following a plea of not guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering charges. Shortly after, Ferguson faced further allegations, including involvement in conspiracies to commit mail and wire fraud, as well as honest services mail and wire fraud.
In October 2021, federal prosecutors agreed to drop their case again Ferguson if he paid a $50,000 fine, according to court documents obtained by AP News.
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Michael Center
The ex-head coach of men's tennis at the University of Texas at Austin was given a six-month prison sentence for taking $100,000 in bribes. He admitted guilt to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services wire fraud in April 2019.
He started his six-month term in April 2020. By September of the same year, he was transferred to a halfway house in Texas, where he stayed until his release in October 2020. Additionally, he was instructed to reimburse $60,000 and undergo one year of probation.
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Rudy Meredith
The former head women's soccer coach at Yale pleaded guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges in March 2019. He was initially scheduled to be sentenced in June 2019, but his hearing was postponed. In November 2022, Meredith was given a five-month prison sentence and one year of supervised release. He was also instructed to pay a $19,000 fine and forfeit $557,774, as per Justice.gov.
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John Vandemoer
In June 2019, the previous head sailing coach was given a one-day prison sentence, which was considered already served. Additionally, he was directed to pay a $10,000 fine, undergo two years of supervised release, and serve six months of home confinement while wearing an electronic monitor.
