Coronavirus Will Not Save Lori Laughlin, Can Get Worse Sentence If Guilty, Lawyer Says
If Lori Laughlin thinks her trial will never happen or be postponed due to the coronavirus, she has to think again, legal experts say. Moreover, a lawyer explained that if she is found guilty by the trial, she is going to have an even worse punishment compared to had she entered a plea.
The once very popular and well-loved actress is involved in a massive college admissions scandal case. She is not the only one, as there are several high-profile personalities found to be part of it too -- businessmen and stars like her. Notable one is Felicity Huffman, who already served her sentence after entering a plea deal.
On March 13, another parent in the infamous scandal, David Sidoo also pleaded guilty. As a result, he needed to pay $250,000 in fines and spend 90 days in prison.
Loughlin, however, remains hard against the idea of entering a plea deal. The "Fuller House" actress and her husband are adamant to prove that they are not guilty of fraud and money laundering. They also refuse to say that took part in any bribery.
Edward Molari, a Massachusetts criminal defense attorney, believes that the actress is making a grave mistake by standing this firm even if there are already countless evidence showing what she and her husband did. Speaking exclusively with Hollywood Life, the attorney explained that if the actress does not act soon enough and plead guilty, she will fully lose her chances of making any demands in her favor.
"If she does go to trial she will forgo a reduction in her guidelines sentence for acceptance of responsibility," the attorney says. "Going to trial also means that if you are convicted you are not in a position to make any demands about the ultimate sentence," Molari adds.
The actress may be banking on the idea that this trial will never happen because of the coronavirus. The lawyer believes that this is a dangerous fantasy to have because it is farfetched.
At present, Massachusetts trial courts are all closed because of the pandemic. This is in bid of reducing the size of public gatherings, press statement reads. However, Molari claims that this is unlikely to affect Lori's case. Federal courts are taking steps to reduce contact, including continuing jury trials scheduled to begin before April 27th.
Since Loughlin's trial is not scheduled until October, it seems unlikely that the Coronavirus will affect her case," he explained.
On her part, Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty over the scandal. She made some tear-jerking speech about being a mom who just wanted the best for her child and served a total of only 11 days in federal prison. She also clarified that her own daughter did not know what she did, which is to pay the scandal ringleader Rick Singer $15,000 so that Sophia Grace Macy's admissions test scores can be increased by 400 points.
After the ordeal, the actress is said to be back on her feet. Her life's turning around. Her youngest daughter has also been accepted in Vassar College with absolutely no hocus pocus on her part.
William M. Macy, Huffman's husband, has once told Parade Magazine that their youngest is interested in "politics, political science, and pursuing that."
