Will Hallmark Fire Lori Loughlin After Indictment? Company Responds to College Admissions Scam

Hallmark star Lori Loughlin turned herself in to the FBI in Los Angeles on Wednesday after being indicted for alleged federal mail fraud, leaving many questioning what will happen to her roles in various projects for the network.

Loughlin, 54, was released on $1 million bail a few hours after her arrest on Wednesday evening, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.

She will be allowed to travel to Vancouver and British Columbia, Canada in order to work on her various projects for the Hallmark Channel. However, she'll have to surrender her passport in December, once all her contracted work in Canada is completed, TMZ reported.

Loughlin, who currently stars as Abigail Stanton on Hallmark Channel's original series When Calls the Heart, was in Canada when the indictment was handed down. She was in the middle of shooting Garage Sale Mystery: Three Little Murders for the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel.

A representative for the Hallmark Channel had "no comment" on the situation, according to Yahoo News.

Loughlin is a mainstay on the Hallmark Network, starring in a variety of programs on the network. Most recently, she starred in 2018's Hometown Christmas.

Hallmark's parent company, Crown Media, is "monitoring developments" in the case as it relates to Loughlin's future employment with the network, according to New York Daily News.

"Crown Media Family Networks is aware of the situation and is monitoring developments as they arise," spokeswoman Pam Slay said in the statement.

Several Hallmark fans have taken to Twitter and the network's Instagram comments to call for her firing, but so far no decisions have been made.

Other celebrities have also shared their opinions on the scandal, including actor Rob Lowe.

When Lowe's son, John Lowe, tweeted about the scandal being "really, really gross," Rob Lowe replied in a now-deleted tweet: "Very proud of my honest, hardworking sons."

And let me say: I’m incredibly grateful that I had the privilege and opportunity to have a tutor and to afford practice test programs. A lot of kids don’t. And to think of them losing their chance at their dream school to someone undeserving is really, really gross.

— John Owen Lowe (@Johnny_L0we) March 12, 2019

George Lopez drew a comparison between the scandal and President Donald Trump, saying "Let me get this straight.. They were faking documents so their children can have a better life… Hmmm," said a meme he posted on Instagram.

One of more than 40 individuals named in the "Operation Varsity Blues" college admissions cheating scam case, Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, have been accused of funneling approximately $500,000 in bribes to say their daughters were recruits for the University of Southern California crew team, the indictment states.

Giannulli was placed under arrest Tuesday, and later released after paying a $1 million bond. Both Loughlin and Giannulli placed their home as collateral.

In addition to Loughlin and Giannulli, Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman was also indicted and arrested by federal authorities for paying $15,000 on behalf of her eldest daughter to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scam. Huffman was released on $250,000 bond.

Lori Loughlin, Olivia Jade
From left: Olivia Jade and Lori Loughlin attend WCRF's "An Unforgettable Evening" at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on February 27, 2018. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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