Who Is Lori Loughlin's Husband? New Details About Mossimo Giannulli — And The College Cheating Scam They Were Busted In Connection With
Aunt Becky was arrested.
getty Yesterday, the news broke that the FBI had busted about 50 people in a college admissions scandal called "Operation: Varsity Blues." Parents paid up to $6 million in bribes to get their children into Yale, Stanford, Georgetown, USC, UCLA, University of San Diego, University of Texas, and Wake Forest. The scheme was discovered by the FBI and federal prosecutors in Boston. Actress Lori Laughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were both named in the 200-page document the FBI released. We know Lori Loughlin as Aunt Becky on Full House. Who is Lori Loughlin's husband?
1. He is a fashion designer
Mossimo Giannulli founded the fashion line Mossimo in 1986 in Newport Beach, California. During his first year in business he grossed $1 million. The next year he made $4 million. By the time he had been in business for eight years, he had grown Mossimo into a multimillion-dollar lifestyle sportswear and accessories company. He took Mossimo public in 1986. In 2000, Mossimo inked a long-term product licensing deal with Target. In 2006, Mossimo was acquired by Iconix Brand Group.
2. He went to USC
Mossimo Giannulli is a 1987 graduate of the University of Southern California, one of the main schools targeted in the college admissions cheating scam. As an alumnus, he probably could have written a check to get his less-than-academically-inclined daughters into the competitive univeristy. It might have cost him more than $500,000, but it would not have been illegal.
3. He met Lori in 1995.
Mossimo met Lori Loughlin in 1995. They eloped on Thanksgiving in 1997. They have two daughters, Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade. Mossimo also has a son, Gianni, from a previous relationship.
4. What was his role in the scandal?
Lori Loughlin and Massimo Giannulli paid a bribe of $500,000 to have their daughters Isabella and Olivia designated as recruits to the crew team at USC. Student athletes are generally not held to the higher academic standards of other students. The girls got into USC and then did not take part in crew. Loughlin and her husband emailed the mastermind of the cheating scandal, William Rick Singer, in 2016 about their kids' college prospects and told him that they wanted to get them into USC. Emails reveal it was then decided that the girls would be recruited as crew coxswains. A month later, Donna Heinle, the senior associate athletic director at USC, photoshopped Isabella's head onto the body of an athlete and then presented Isabella as a potential athletic recruit. She was given conditional admission.
5. It cost $250,000 per kid
Shortly after that conditional admission, Giannulli sent a $50,000 check to Donna Heinle. Isabella was accepted to USC the following March. After that, her parents received a note asking for a donation of $200,000 to Key Worldwide Foundation, William Singer's company. The amount was wired to the organization and the Loughlin/Giannullis received a note that said no goods or services had been exchanged for the money — which is false. The exact same process was then used to get Olivia into USC the following year. Issues came up, however, when Olivia's high school guidance counselor wondered how she got into USC based on her involvement with crew when Olivia didn't row.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based freelance writer covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. She is deeply devoted to her chocolate Labrador and an avid long distance runner. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook.