Lori Loughlin pleads not guilty to college cheating scam

Embattled actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli have pleaded not guilty to all charges related to the U.S. college admissions cheating scandal.

The Fuller House star and fashion mogul Giannulli were arrested in March (19) and charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for reportedly paying $500,000 (£381,750) into a charity scheme to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as part of the school's crew team - even though neither is a rower.

They appeared before a judge in a Boston, Massachusetts court to face the accusations earlier this month (Apr19), but did not enter pleas at the time, and have since also been slapped with a new charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

They are now fighting the counts, and have filed waiver of appearance forms to avoid heading to court for arraignment on the latest indictment.

According to The Blast, they have signed paperwork indicating their intention to plead not guilty to "each of the charges" against them.

If convicted, Loughlin and Giannulli could face up to 40 years behind bars.

The news emerges a week after fellow actress Felicity Huffman agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors, and admitted to cheating the admissions system and fixing her teenage daughter's test scores in an effort to secure her a place at an elite university.

Huffman expressed "shame" and "deep regret" for her actions in a statement released last week (08Apr19). She will face U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston on 21 May (19) in the hope of avoiding the maximum sentence of 20 years behind bars.