Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, the husband of actress Lori Loughlin, has reportedly been placed into protective custody in prison due to concerns over coronavirus infections within the facility.
Giannulli began his five-month sentence at a prison in Lompoc, Calif., for his role in the college admissions scandal after he pleaded guilty to charges stemming from $500,000 payments to scam mastermind William “Rick” Singer to get their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Giannulli, recruited onto University of Southern California’s crew team. The two had never participated in the sport.
A source told People that Giannulli has been kept separate from the rest of the prison population. While it may sound like he is getting special treatment, the legal source said being placed in the solitary confinement area is a punitive status and is not the result of any kind of punishment. Instead, it’s a reaction to the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department tallying 1,038 coronavirus cases and four coronavirus-related deaths within the prison as of Sunday.
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Neither representatives for Giannulli nor the prison immediately responded to Fox News’ request for comment.
According to People’s source, Giannulli is allowed out of his cell for one hour a day, per prison protocol. The news comes roughly one month after Giannulli began his prison sentence and almost two months after Loughlin began serving her two-month sentence.
The facility Giannulli reported to is a federal prison for male inmates only. It is located roughly two and a half hours outside of Los Angeles, where he lives with his family.
Mossimo Giannulli is reportedly being held in protective custody due to fear of the coronavirus.
(Getty Images)
The sentences put an end to more than a year of legal battles. Loughlin and Giannulli initially pleaded not guilty to expanded charges of bribery brought against them in October along with 11 other parents swept up in the scandal. In May, the duo shocked many when they changed course and agreed to plead guilty as actress Felicity Huffman did in 2019.
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In their plea agreement, Giannulli agreed to serve five months and pay a $250,000 fine along with two years of supervised release and 250 hours of community service. Meanwhile, Loughlin got a lighter sentence, with a judge ruling for her to spend two months in prison, pay a $150,000 fine and commit to 100 hours of community service.
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Both were given until Nov. 19 at the latest to report to prison and begin serving their respective sentences.
