“Their marriage is solid,” an insider close to the family tells PEOPLE. “They love each other.”
Another source says theFull Housestar, 55, and fashion designer, 56, and are definitely “not divorcing” despite tabloid reports.
“Their focus right now is to get through their court case together and to show a united front,” the source tells PEOPLE.
Not that the pressures of a high-profile court case haven’t affected them. “There have been times since the scandal unfolded that they were very unhappy with each other. It’s been a lot of stress for them both,” the source says.
Still, the actress is remaining positive as she and her husband await the ruling.
“Lori has faith that when they are through it all, things will get better,” the source says.
A third source tells PEOPLE: “Every time I have seen or talked to ether of them, it’s all about how they’re going to fight this together. There’s no question that they are a solid unit. They are on the same page. I’ve seen absolutely no indication of any problems with them, and I’ve seen them during some of the most stressful parts of the last few months.”
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Over the weekend, Loughlin was seen alone in Beverly Hills at Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, where she and Giannulli are both congregants — and where they werespotted togetherone day before theypleaded not guiltyin their case in April.
On March 12, the U.S. attorney’s office in Massachusetts indicted Loughlin and Giannulli in the shocking nationwide scam dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. The pair and nearly50 other parents, coaches, exam proctors and admissions counselors are accused of such actions as paying for boosted SAT scores and lying about students’ athletic skills in order to gain them acceptance to elite colleges including Yale, Georgetown and Stanford.
Loughlin and Giannulli allegedly paid $500,000 to Singer to falsely designate daughters Olivia Jade Giannulli, 19, and Isabella Rose Giannulli, 20, as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team, though neither actuallyparticipated in the sport.
While 14 defendants, including actress Felicity Huffman, agreed to plead guilty in April, Loughlin and Giannullideclined a plea deal.
“They weren’t ready to accept that,” one legal source said at the time.
At the end of August, the duo made their first court appearance in months in Boston for their alleged involvement in thecollege admissions scandal.
From left: Olivia Jade Giannulli, Lori Loughlin and Isabella Rose Giannulli.Gabriel Olsen/Getty
According to legal expert James J. Leonard Jr., Esq., their decision comes with one potential downside.
“The risk with any joint defense is that one defendant may be more culpable than another and the less culpable defendant could suffer as a result of a strategy designed to protect that individual,” he explained.
If Loughlin or Giannulli — neither of whom have a criminal record — are convicted of the same offenses, the judge will likely hand down identical sentences, Leonard said.
Last month, alegal source told PEOPLEthat “Lori is remorseful, and she has definite regrets” in relation to the case.
“She’s embarrassed and hurt, and she knows that her reputation has been ruined for life. But she also believes the allegations against her aren’t true,” the source shared.
“She honestly didn’t think what she was doing was any different than donating money for a library or athletic field,” added the source. “That’s the crux of why she pleaded not guilty.”
Steve Helling
source: people.com
