Lori Loughlin: 'Full House' star surrenders to FBI after being charged in 'college bribery' case

Loughlin, who played Aunt Becky in the sitcom Full House, is one of dozens of people charged in the case

Lori Loughlin attends the 2018 Hallmark Channel Summer TCA at a private residence on 26 July, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. ((Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images))

Lori Loughlin has surrendered to the FBI after being charged in what authorities have described as a large-scale college admissions bribery scheme.

Loughlin, who rose to fame on the sitcom Full House, turned herself in on Wednesday morning and was scheduled for a court appearance in the afternoon, a spokeswoman said.

Prosecutors allege that Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 to have their two daughters labelled as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team, even though neither is a rower. Giannulli was released on Tuesday after posting a $1m bond.

Loughlin’s fellow actor Felicity Huffman also appears on the list of some 50 people charged in the case.

According to authorities, parents allegedly bribed college coaches and other insiders to get their children into selective schools.

Some parents spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, as much as $6.5m, to guarantee their children’s admission, officials said.

“These parents are a catalogue of wealth and privilege,” US Attorney Andrew Lelling said at a news conference in Boston, where the indictments were handed up.

At least nine athletic coaches and 33 parents were charged. Dozens, including Huffman, the Emmy-winning star of ABC’s Desperate Housewives, were arrested by midday Tuesday.

Huffman posted a $250,000 bond after an appearance in federal court in Los Angeles. Her husband, actor William H Macy, has not been charged, though an FBI agent stated in an affidavit that he was in the room when Huffman first heard the pitch from a scam insider.

Additional reporting by agencies