Lori Loughlin rejected a plea deal in the college admissions cheating scandal because she never viewed her actions as illegal and felt that she was doing what any parent would do to promote their child's success, a source close to the actress has claimed.
The Full House star and her husband Mossimo Giannulli are facing up to 40 years in prison for allegedly paying $500,000 to get her daughters into USC.
Some sources have claimed that they turned down a plea deal which would have drastically reduced their sentences because they thought prosecutors were 'bluffing' when they said they could end up behind bars.
One insider, however, says Loughlin is still coming to terms with the reality of her situation.
'It’s just taking some time for it to sink in that what she was allegedly doing could be considered illegal,' the source told People.
'To her, it wasn’t egregious behavior. Was it entitled and perhaps selfish? Perhaps. But she didn’t see it as being a legal violation.
The source added: 'From the beginning, she didn’t want to take a deal, because she felt that she hadn’t done anything that any mom wouldn’t have done, if they had the means to do so.
'So this wasn’t her being obstinate; this was her truly not understanding the seriousness of the allegations.'
Lori Loughlin rejected a plea deal in the college admissions cheating scandal because she never viewed her actions as illegal and felt that she was doing what any parent would do to promote their child's success, a source close to the actress (above on Wednesday) has claimed
Another source claimed that Loughlin rejected the plea deal because 'she has been in complete denial and thought maybe she could skate by'.
'She refused to accept any jail time and thought the DA was bluffing. She was adamant she wouldn't do any jail time,' the insider told E! News.
'Lori is finally realizing just how serious this is. She is seeing the light that she will do jail time and is freaking out.'
The actress was said to be 'fixated' on getting daughters Isabella and Olivia Jade into USC no matter the cost.
'For her, there was no other way. They needed to be at USC. It was very important for her to be able to say that her girls were at USC,' a source told Page Six.
They added it was 'absolutely a status thing,' saying: 'Lori is used to getting what she wants.
'This is why she got in trouble in the first place. She got fixated on getting her girls into USC.'
Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their daughters - Olivia (left) and Isabella (right) - into USC as crew recruits, even though neither of them row
On Thursday news broke that The Hallmark Channel had edited Loughlin out of When Calls The Heart, the show she appeared in.
It went on hiatus when the scandal broke but it has now officially cut ties with her after 'creatively retooling' the final episodes.
'Life throws all of us painful curveballs, and the only way to survive is to walk right through them with courage, grace, a forgiving spirit, and most of all, hope.
'Many of you have wondered what the future holds for our cast and crew, and for the citizens of Hope Valley.
'Your care and concern means the world to us, and the best way we can thank you is to encourage you the way you encourage us because… Hope always lives here,' show creator Brian Bird said in an Instagram post.
Loughlin is also in discussions with Lindsay Lohan's former crisis manager, according to Page Six.
The star was approached by Hunter Frederick after her indictment but it is not clear if she has decided to work with him or not.
Separately, it has been claimed that prosecutors want to make an example of the pair and that the parents charged are desperate for
