Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli resign from Bel Air Country Club after former president sent a scathing letter decrying the private club for becoming a refuge for ‘known felons’
- The embattled couple made the decision to voluntarily bow out of the Bel-Air Country Club as to not create more drama surrounding their time there
- They both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud in May after accepting a ‘slap on the wrist’ deal over the college admissions scandal
- Following the guilty plea, the Bel-Air Country Club Board of Directors voted unanimously to suspend the couple,
- The suspension came with the expectation that it would be lifted once they served their sentences
- Former president Michael Gallagher sent the board a scathing letter slamming the decision
- Gallagher, who has been a member for 25 years, resigned from the club
Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli have resigned from their super exclusive country club in Bel-Air following a massive fallout among members over their guilty pleas in the college admissions scandal.
The embattled couple were suspended from the Bel-Air Country Club after their guilty pleas – but members were angry that they weren’t permanently kicked out.
The pair have now made the decision to voluntarily bow out of the club so as to not create more drama surrounding their time there, TMZ reports.
Giannulli is an avid golfer and Loughlin has become a fan of the sport, as well.
They both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud in a Zoom court hearing in May after accepting a ‘slap on the wrist’ deal for bribing their daughters’ way into college.
Loughlin was handed just two months in prison, and while Giannulli got five months.
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The embattled couple made the decision to voluntarily bow out of the Bel-Air Country Club as to not create more drama surrounding their time there
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They both pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit fraud in a Zoom court hearing in May after accepting a ‘slap on the wrist’ deal
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Following the guilty plea, the Bel-Air Country Club Board of Directors voted unanimously to suspend the couple, but with the expectation that the suspension would be lifted once they served their sentences.
But the suspension angered past president Michael Gallagher, who sent the board a scathing letter slamming the decision as establishing ‘our Club as a place of refuge and comfort for known felons – reputational harm be damned.’
‘Let me point out the obvious. BACC is a Club of gentlemen and gentlewomen,’ he declared.
He added: ‘Gentlemen are not felons, and felons in turn are not gentlemen. You cannot be a member in good standing and guilty of a felony at the same time, it is a non sequitur.
‘Referring to felons as gentlemen in good standing is nothing more than an attempt to legitimize their continued membership. That “this situation” resulted from “their actions outside the Club” can only be considered a failed attempt at misdirection as it is completely irrelevant.
‘These felony guilty pleas are of their own making and reputational harm comes from their continued “membership” affiliation with the Club. Suspending membership, while the offender is imprisoned, is an illusory penalty and does nothing to address the reputational damage brought on by their continued membership.’
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Following the guilty plea, the Bel-Air Country Club Board of Directors voted unanimously to suspend the couple, but with the expectation that the suspension would be lifted once they served their sentences
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Gallagher griped over rumors circulating about the board’s decision, including them not deeming ‘white collar’ crime as counting as a serious felony.
‘The board could not be so unwise as to put itself in the position of judging felonies on a subjective scale, deeming some acceptable and others not,’ he said.
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Giannulli is an avid golfer and Loughlin has become a fan of the sport, as well
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‘It is, after all, well accepted that a felony is a serious crime, and in this case a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Have we now been put into a position where we would entertain evaluating the qualifications of the likes of Bernie Madoff, and Bruce McNall.’
Gallagher, who has been a member with the club for 25 years, resigned from the club in his letter. It is unclear if he will rescind the resignation following the couple’s departure.
Before entering their pleas, prosecutor Eric Rosen laid out the facts of the indictment which include an email from Giannulli to his financial adviser in which he admitted bribing his daughter’s way into college.
It was sent in 2016 after he’d paid $250,000 to get daughter Isabella into the school under the false pretense that she was a star rower.
The pair had even posed her on a rowing machine in workout gear to take a photograph to submit as part of her application.
‘Good news: my daughter is in at USC. Bad news is I had to work the system,’ he wrote in the email.
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