Early Release From Prison Request Denied for Lori Loughlin's Husband

 

By Zoe Papadakis

Mossimo Giannulli's request for an early release has been denied. Lori Loughlin's husband, who reported to prison on Nov. 19 for his role in the college admissions scam, asked that he serve out the remainder of his five-month sentence at home after being quarantined for two months, but a judge ruled against the request on Tuesday.

"Giannulli is not entitled to a modification of his sentence because he has not demonstrated an 'extraordinary and compelling' reason warranting his release," Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton wrote in a court order obtained by People. "Although the Court recognizes the danger associated with COVID-19 and the particular risk of transmission in penitentiary facilities, the fear of COVID-19 alone, without more, is insufficient to warrant release."

Earlier this month Giannulli's attorneys filed the request, explaining that the fashion designer was initially meant to "be quarantined with other minimum security prisoners for a short period of time before being confirmed COVID-negative, and then released from quarantine to serve his sentence at the minimum security camp," according to Fox News. However, he was instead placed into solitary confinement.

A filing from U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Andrew Lelling, which was obtained by Yahoo! Entertainment, explained why Giannulli spent an extended period in quarantine. It is standard for the prison to test inmates for COVID-19 upon entering, then again 14 days later. Giannulli's tests came back negative but he was put into quarantine for an additional 14 days after several other inmates in his initial quarantine unit tested positive.

Giannulli then complained of suffering from COVID-19 symptoms, including headaches and loss of his sense of smell, and was moved into an isolation ward. On Jan. 11 he was tested again and when the results came back negative, was released from isolation to an adjacent minimum security camp on Jan. 13.

In his ruling, Gorton said that, despite his extended quarantine, there was no reason why Giannulli should be released early.

"Although defendant's quarantine was longer than anticipated, he has since been released to the general population," Gorton wrote. "He has given no extraordinary or compelling reason why his current circumstances in the camp warrant immediate release."