Lori Loughlin’s spent her final two weeks in prison in isolation before she was released on Monday, December 28, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.
“She spent the last two weeks in isolation before she was released, so it has been especially tough, but she’s thankful to put it behind her. There was a COVID outbreak in the prison, so it was a precaution and not a punishment,” the source tells Us.
The insider adds that the 56-year-old actress’ daughters, Bella Giannulli, 22, and Olivia Jade Giannulli, 21, picked her up by private jet after she was released from the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, on Monday. Loughlin, who pleaded guilty to fraud charges in August, must now complete 100 hours of community service as part of her sentence in the nationwide college admissions case.
“Before she went in, Lori was volunteering with children with special needs and intends to continue doing that, even if it’s not a part of her ordered community service,” the source says. “It’s hard to be home without [her husband] Mossimo [Giannulli] of course. They are praying to be reunited on Easter.”
A second insider told Us on Monday that the Full House alum’s homecoming was “bittersweet” without Mossimo, who is currently serving his five-month prison sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution, Lompoc, for his role in the scandal. The 57-year-old fashion designer surrendered on November 19 and is expected to be released in April 2021.
“Lori had a very emotional reunion with her daughters this morning at the family home,” the source said. “She was relieved to be out of prison.”
The couple were arrested in March 2019 after they were accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to ensure their daughters would be admitted into the University of Southern California as crew recruits. Earlier this month, Olivia Jade opened up about the scandal for the first time on Facebook Watch’s Red Table Talk.
“I feel like a huge part of having privilege is not knowing you have privilege, and so when it was happening, it didn’t feel wrong,” the YouTuber said. “I also felt very misunderstood. The picture that has been painted of me, I feel like, is not who I am. I’m not this bratty girl that doesn’t want to change anything. I understood that people were upset and angry, and maybe it took me a little bit longer to understand what for, but man, am I glad I did realize. I took my privilege and all my blessings for granted, and I never thought anything of it.”
While Olivia Jade revealed during the December 8 interview that she hadn’t been in contact with her parents, Mossimo’s son from a previous relationship, Gianni Giannulli, later alleged that his dad had “been locked in solitary confinement for one full month.”
On December 18, Gianni claimed via Instagram that the “mental and physical damage being done from such isolation and treatment is wrong,” adding that Mossimo was “supposed to serve his time in a minimum security camp,” but is now in “quarantine in the MEDIUM security prison in a cell.”
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