Lori Loughlin’s daughters could serve as prosecutors’ “star witnesses” against her and husband Mossimo Giannulli in their upcoming trial for their roles in the far-reaching college admissions scandal, a report said Tuesday.
The former “Fuller House” actress has been told that federal prosecutors in Massachusetts will use 21-year-old Isabella Rose and 20-year-old Olivia Jade Giannulli “as star witnesses in hopes of securing a conviction,” a source told Us Weekly.
Loughlin, 55, asked if there was anything that could be done to keep the girls from testifying — but was told the only solution would be to change her plea to guilty, the source told the gossip magazine.
Both she and her 56-year-old fashion designer husband have pleaded not guilty to allegations they forked over a $500,000 bribe to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as bogus rowing recruits.
The alleged scheme included having the girls pose for “action” pictures on rowing machines, which were submitted to the school alongside phony athletic profiles, prosecutors have alleged.
“Prosecutors plan on asking Bella about the photo she took on a rowing machine prior to being admitted,” the source told the magazine, adding: “Bella did so at the direction of her parents.”
The sisters could invoke the Fifth Amendment “if their lawyers advise it” and refuse to testify, the source said.
“They don’t want to be in the crosshairs of this mess more than they already are.”
Neither prosecutors nor Loughlin’s attorney immediately responded to a request for comment from The Post late Tuesday.
If convicted, Loughlin and Giannulli could each face up to 20 years in prison. Their trials are expected to begin this year.