Lori Loughlin and 16 other parents officially plead not guilty in a scam at college admission

Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, had previously pleaded not guilty in the Federal Court earlier this month.

David Sidoo, Gamal Abdelaziz, Diane Blake, Todd Blake, Joey Chen, Elizabeth Henriquez, Manuel Henriquez, Douglas Hodge, Michelle Janavs, Elisabeth Kimmel, William Mcglashan, Marci Palatella, John Wilson, Homayoun Zadeh and Robert Zangrillo all also pleaded not guilty .

Statements of allegations of conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to launder money represented Loughlin's first substantive response to the case. Prosecutors said she and Giannulli had paid $ 500,000 to a fake charity to get their two daughters accepted at the University of Southern California, falsely designating them as crew recruits.

"Full House" is the most prominent actress in a scandal that has resulted in dozens of wealthy parents, college coaches and standardized test administrators. Prosecutors said some parents had facilitated cheating on THSs and ACTs on behalf of their children, and some parents had bought college coaches to help their kids get into college.

Loughlin's decision not to plead guilty in this case has already had significant legal repercussions.

Actress Felicity Huffman was one of 13 parents who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud earlier this month. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors said that they would recommend incarceration in the lower end of the sentence range and that they would not bring any other charges against him. .

However, those who did not plead guilty, including Loughlin and 15 other relatives, were charged one day later with conspiracy to launder money. Legal experts said it was part of the "carrot and stick" pursuit approach to pressure defendants to plead guilty or face new charges.

The criminal complaint against Giannulli and Loughlin includes evidence from a witness, emails, bank statements and a recorded appeal with each parent. Giannulli sent Rick Singer, the brain of the project, an "action image" of each of his girls on ergometers, rowing machines, according to the complaint filed.

Loughlin and Giannulli appeared in federal court in Boston last month. Each of the two charges is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The charges hindered the career of Loughlin and his daughter Olivia Jade, a social media influence. Loughlin was abandoned by Hallmark Channel and other brands following accusations last month, and Sephora also ended a makeup partnership with Olivia Jade.

Mark Morales from CNN contributed to this report.