Lori Loughlin and Husband Didn't Know About Olivia Jade's Fake Resume, Says Source
Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli knew nothing about the falsified athletic resume that was released by federal prosecutors last week, a source close to the couple tells PEOPLE.
The resume appears to lie about the athletic achievements of Olivia Jade Giannulli, claiming the girl was an accomplished crew athlete, even though prosecutors say Olivia Jade never participated in a crew program.
Prosecutors allege Loughlin and Giannulli were part of a shocking nationwide college admissions scam, the investigation of which became known as Operation Varsity Blues. The couple allegedly paid $500,000 to admissions consultant William “Rick” Singer to falsely designate daughters Olivia and older sister Isabella Rose Giannulli, 21, as recruits to the USC crew team, though neither actually participated in the sport.
Loughlin and Giannulli face charges of federal programs bribery, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and honest services mail and wire fraud. They face up to 45 years in prison. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and say they believe that the money was part of a legitimate donation to the school.
But the source insists that the first time Loughlin and Giannulli saw the resume was when it was released by prosecutors — and that they had no part in creating the document.
“They didn’t have anything to do with it,” says the insider. “The handwritten part isn’t in any of their writing. They don’t even know enough about crew to know what awards are prestigious or not. They are not capable of falsifying a resume like that, because that’s not their world”
The resume, obtained by PEOPLE, lists several awards that she allegedly won. The resume says that her skillset includes, “awareness, organization, direction and steering.”
A second source close to Loughlin and Giannulli, tells PEOPLE that “this application was not filled out by anyone in the Giannulli family. It was filled out unbeknownst to them by someone at USC.”
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The recently-released resume includes a summary paragraph that calls Olivia Jade a “highly talented” athlete who “has been successful in both men’s and women’s boats.” It also claims that her sister is “currently on our roster and fills the position in our #4 boat.”
But Loughlin and Giannulli maintain that they were misled by Singer, who they say led them to believe that their actions were completely legal. “Again, they believed that they were making legitimate donations to USC,” says the first source, “and they did not know all the behind-the-scenes machinations that were going on.”
Loughlin and Giannulli face trial later this year.
