The fallout from the college admissions scandal continues for actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli.
According to a new report from People, the couple has voluntarily resigned their membership to the Bel-Air Country Club after it had been temporarily suspended by the club’s board of directors.
“People have been very critical about their actions,” a source told People of Loughlin and Giannulli. “The backlash has been intense,” they added, noting that the couple has “lost friends” since news of their involvement in the scandal first broke in March 2019.
“They have been members of the country club for many years. Their current house even overlooks the golf course,” the source said of the Los Angeles-based private membership club.
Loughlin, 55, and Giannulli, 57, were accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as crew team recruits (though neither daughter had ever been involved in the sport).
On May 22, Loughlin pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud, while Giannulli pleaded guilty to commit wire and mail fraud and honest services wire and mail fraud.
Sentencing is set for August 21, but Loughlin has agreed to serve two months in prison in addition to paying a $150,000 fine and completing 100 hours of community service.
Giannulli agreed to a slightly higher sentence of five months in prison, a $250,000 fine and 250 hours of community service.
In the wake of the scandal, TMZ reported that the Bel-Air Country Club’s board of directors voted to suspend the couple’s membership with the suspension to be “lifted after they serve their time.”
Following the vote, the club’s former president, Michael Gallagher, wrote a letter condemning the decision: “This unprecedented board decision to allow felons to continue as members causes irreparable reputational harm to the Club and its members,” he wrote, adding, “This matter is already well known in the golfing world, domestically and internationally, and our Club has become a laughingstock.”
Despite the club’s decision to allow Loughlin and Giannulli to return, the couple reportedly decided to step back.
“The club has been an important part of their social life for a long time,” a source told People. “They didn’t want to resign, but also felt they didn’t want to be a part of drama and hostility. They were upset about it, but felt like they had no choice.”
