Lori Loughlin reportedly regrets not taking plea deal, 'feels very much alone'

Lori Loughlin arrives at federal court in Boston on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, to face charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Lori Loughlin arrives at federal court in Boston on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, to face charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) Photo: Steven Senne, Associated Press Photo: Steven Senne, Associated Press Image 1 of / 62 Caption Close Lori Loughlin reportedly regrets not taking plea deal, 'feels very much alone' 1 / 62 Back to Gallery

Lori Loughlin is reportedly "second-guessing" her decision to plead not guilty to bribery charges stemming from the massive college admissions scandal that rocked a number of high-profile California universities.

Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to get their children accepted into the University of Southern California by falsely claiming that they were recruited by school's crew team, and a source told ET she is regretting not taking a plea deal.

"She is watching the reduced sentences of those who have taken plea deals, and wondering each day if she's made the wrong decision," ET reported the source as saying of Loughlin. "While a few friends have stuck by her side, many others have cut her off. She still feels it's a huge misunderstanding, but seeing others be sentenced has scared her."

READ MORE: Another parent charged in college admission bribery scam

ET's source added that Loughlin "feels very much alone" and "has no choice but to hang in there and do the best she can."

This is a stark contrast from reports in April, when the Washington Post and People Magazine stated that Loughlin and Giannulli had no plans to take a plea deal and were actually looking forward to a trial.

"Lori feels like so much damage has been done publicly that the only way for her to counter it is to fight this case in court," People reported its source as saying two months ago. "She feels like once all the evidence is presented, that people will understand how things happened."

So far, 51 people have been charged in the bribery scheme with at least 14 of them — including actress Felicity Huffman — pleading guilty.

Prosecutors recommended Huffman spend four months in prison and pay a $20,000 fine.

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On Friday, 59-year-old Jeffrey Bizzack of Solana Beach, Calif. became the 51st person charged in the admissions scandal, and is accused of paying $250,000 to get his son into USC as a fake volleyball recruit.

He plans to plead guilty.

Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email: eric.ting@sfgate.com | Twitter:@_ericting

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