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Bella Giannulli Breaks Silence on Instagram to Wish Mom Lori Loughlin a Happy Birthday Following Scandal
Coming out of hiding. Lori Loughlin’s daughter Isabella Giannulli made her return on Instagram to wish her mom a happy birthday — just four months after the Full House star was allegedly involved in the nationwide college admission scandal.
“Happy birthday, mama,” the 20-year-old captioned a photo of herself with the 55-year-old actress on Monday, July 29. “I love you.” Of course, many fans thought it was a sweet gesture. One person wrote, “The cutest,” while another echoed, “Love y’all.” A third person chimed in, writing, “Gorgeous.”
Candace Cameron Bure — Louglin’s Full House costar and friend — also wrote, “Happy birthday to your mama!!!!!!!” Bella’s younger sister, Olivia Jade, gave a sweet shout-out to her family, writing, “My people,” along with a heart emoji.
This is the first time that Bella has been active on the ‘Gram since January, and it makes sense since Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were arrested in March after they allegedly “agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters, Isabella and Olivia, designated as recruits to the USC crew team — despite the fact that they did not participate in crew — thereby facilitating their admission to USC.”
The duo was later released from jail on $1 million bond. After they made a court appearance on April 3, the couple learned that they could face up to 20 years in federal prison, 3 years probation and a $250,000 fine.
Afterward, they pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering and conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. “Ms. Loughlin and her counsel affirm that Ms. Loughlin has received a copy of the Second Superseding Indictment and that Ms. Loughlin pleads not guilty to each of the charges against her,” read the filings. Giannulli’s read much the same, also indicating that “Mr. Giannulli pleads not guilty to each of the charges against him.”
However, Loughlin and the fashion designer, 56, are hoping for the best in this situation. “They believe they’ll be exonerated,” a source told Us Weekly, adding that the couple are “actively engaged in their defense. The insider noted that Loughlin and Giannulli “won’t even talk about taking any type of” plea bargain in the Operation Varsity Blues case, which will likely go to trial in early 2020.
For now, it seems like the family is sticking together.
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