Back on the Gram. Lori Loughlin’s daughter Bella Giannulli reactivated her Instagram after deleting her account amid the fallout from the nationwide college admissions scandal.
Us Weekly confirmed on April 17 that the 20-year-old temporarily left the photo-sharing platform days after her mother and her father, Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded not guilty to fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges. Bella, who is an aspiring actress, has yet to post new content on her Instagram since the scandal broke on March 12. She last shared a photo of herself on March 1 with no caption.
The Full House alum, 54, and the 55-year-old designer, who also share daughter Olivia Jade, 19, have been accused of paying $500,000 to facilitate their daughters’ admission into the University of Southern California through the school’s crew team. (Neither Bella or Olivia have ever participated in crew.)
While Loughlin and Mossimo rejected a plea deal, Laura Janke, the USC coach who made Olivia’s fake crew profile, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts also confirmed on Tuesday, April 23, that Janke will cooperate with the government’s investigation.
If she is found guilty, the athletic coach is facing a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine and restitution. Loughlin and Mossimo, meanwhile, could “spend years, if not decades, behind bars,” according to Los Angeles-based lawyer Neama Rahmani.
“The feds have an overwhelming amount of evidence against [Loughlin], including emails, phone calls and financial documents,” Rahmani explained to Us.
While Bella decided to return to social media as the case plays out, Loughlin deleted her Instagram and Twitter account shortly after news of her alleged involvement in the scandal broke. Olivia, for her part, has yet to upload a video on her YouTube account, which has nearly 2 million subscribers. An insider previously told Us that she is using Instagram to communicate with her pals through the “close friends” feature.
“Olivia is posting private Stories on her Instagram, using the only-close-friends option, to share her days on social media with her close circle,” the insider told Us in March, noting that the influencer was staying with her boyfriend, Jackson Guthy, in Malibu.
While the teenager was initially not on speaking terms with her parents, a second insider confirmed in the new issue of Us Weekly that the mother-daughter duo are now “in communication.”
“Olivia was angry with her parents at first, but now realizes that they were just trying to do what’s best for her,” the insider explained. “Olivia loves her mom and dad very much, but is especially close with Lori.”
