Boston — Federal prosecutors added money laundering to the list of accusations against actress Lori Loughlin, her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and 14 other prominent parents on Tuesday in the college admissions bribery case, increasing the pressure on them to plead guilty as other parents have agreed to do., and Giannulli are among 33 wealthy parents accused of participating in a scheme that involved rigging college entrance exams and bribing coaches at top universities.
Attorneys for the parents charged in the indictment on Tuesday accused prosecutors of"judge shopping" to get their case in front of a tough jurist. In a letter to the chief judge of Boston's federal court, the lawyers said the parents shouldn't be added to an indictment that has already been assigned to Judge Nathaniel Gorton.
"What counsel fail to say — but of course mean — is that they want a different judge because they perceive Judge Gorton as imposing longer sentences in criminal cases than other judges in the district; if this matter had been drawn to a judge viewed as more favorable to the defense, counsel would not have sent the letter," Lelling wrote in response.