Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin were both indicted as part of the college admission scandal in March, but a month later they're looking at very different futures.
Huffman is facing less than a year in prison, while Loughlin is facing up to a 40-year sentence for her alleged crimes.
The difference in their possible sentences comes down to their plea decisions: Huffman pleaded guilty, while Loughlin pleaded not guilty.
The actresses are also accused of investing vastly different money into the scheme, with Huffman accused paying $15,000, and Loughlin $500,000.
Loughlin and Huffman are among 50 people indicted in the college admissions scandal, in which parents are accused of paying up to $6 million to guarantee their children spots at elite universities.
Huffman is accused of paying the scheme's ringleader, Rick Singer, $15,000 to have her eldest daughter's SAT score falisified so she could get into top colleges.
The scheme featured Huffman arranging for her daughter to take the SAT at the West Hollywood Test Center, where her answers were later corrected, prosecutors said in a criminal complaint.
Prosecutors said Huffman disguised the $15,000 bribe as a charitble donation for disadvantaged youth.
According to court documents, Huffman had also made arrangements for their youngest daughter to be part of the scheme, but later decided not to do so.
The actress was among 13 parents who pleaded guilty in the scheme two weeks ago. She agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest-services mail fraud.
A plea agreement indicated that Huffman's sentence recommendation would include a $20,000 fine and a year of supervised release. Prosecutors plan to seek a four- to 10-month sentence, a law enforcement source told CNN.
Huffman will appear in court on May 21 for a sentencing hearing.
Meanwhile, Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying Singer $500,000 to guarantee their daughters admission to the University of Southern California.
Prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that Giannulli and Loughlin used bribes to first facilitate Isabella's admission to USC by having her pose as a recruited crew coxswain, despite Isabella never participating in the sport.
As part of the scheme, Giannulli sent Singer a photo of Isabella on a rowing machine, court documents said.
Giannulli and Loughlin then repeated the same scheme for their younger daughter, Olivia, according to court documents.
Loughlin and Giannulli did not take a plea deal after being charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest-services mail fraud. They were among several parents who were later charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded not guilty on April 15. They now face up to 20 years in prison for each charge, with a potential sentence of 40 years.
While Loughlin has not publicly addressed the allegations against her and her husband, insiders close to the "Fuller House" actress told multiple news agencies that she did not take the charges seriously at first.
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