Lori Loughlin's daughter is being savaged on Instagram following alleged cheating scandal
Yesterday, news broke that around 40 wealthy people - including the actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin - had been indicted in a $25 million college admissions cheating scheme. Per CNN, who have dubbed the scandal a "national conspiracy", well-off parents had enlisted the help of an illegal college-preparatory programme to get their children into elite private universities.
The publication detailed that 50 people have been arrested following the FBI investigation called "Operation Varsity Blues", including two entrance exam administrators, one exam proctor, nine coaches, one college administrator, and 33 parents have been taken into police custody.
Desperate Housewives actress, Huffman, and Loughlin's husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli, were among those who were taken into police custody. Loughlin, who is best known for her stint on Full House, has not yet been arrested as she's reportedly out of the country filming
Her daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, however, has been subjected to harassment online following news of her mother's alleged involvement in the fraudulent scheme.
Olivia Jade is a freshman student at USC, where she is majoring in communications. The 19-year-old also boasts a 2 million following on YouTube - where she is a beauty vlogger - and has over 1.3 million followers on Instagram.
Since news of the indictment broke, Giannulli has been receiving abuse on Instagram, with people accusing her of being a "cheater". "U cheated to get into college?! [sic]" one social media wrote, while another added "How’s it feel to be a cheater?"
As of now, it's unclear whether Giannulli was unaware that her acceptance to USC was a result of bribery.
Good Morning America has reported that documents show that Loughlin and her husband reportedly "agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team — despite the fact that they did not participate in crew — thereby facilitating their admission to USC."
Following the allegations, USC released the following statement:
"We are aware of the ongoing wide-ranging criminal investigation involving universities nationwide, including USC. USC has not been accused of any wrongdoing and will continue to cooperate fully with the government’s investigation. We understand that the government believes that illegal activity was carried out by individuals who went to great lengths to conceal their actions from the university. USC is conducting an internal investigation and will take employment actions as appropriate. USC is in the process of identifying any funds received by the university in connection with this alleged scheme. Additionally, the university is reviewing its admissions processes broadly to ensure that such actions do not occur going forward."