Mossimo Giannulli (born Massimo Giannulli; June 4, 1963) is an American fashion designer who founded
Mossimo, a mid-range clothing company, in 1986. In March 2019, Giannulli and his wife, actress
Lori Loughlin, were charged and arrested in connection with the
college admissions bribery scandal. Both agreed to plead guilty to the relevant charges and were sentenced to jail time and a fine in August 2020. Giannulli served a five-month prison sentence from November 2020 until April 2021, while his wife served a two-month prison sentence, from October 2020 to December 2020.
Early life
Giannulli was born Massimo Giannulli on June 4, 1963 in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
to parents of Italian descent, Gene, an architect, and Nancy Giannulli, a homemaker. He was raised in
Encino, California
Encino (Spanish for "oak") is a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.
History
In 1769, the Spanish Portolá expedition, first Europeans to see inland areas of California, traveled north through Sepulveda ...
.
In the first grade, he changed his first name to Mossimo at the suggestion of a teacher who insisted it was easier to pronounce.
According to some sources, after graduating from high school, he studied business and architecture at the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
for three years before dropping out in 1987;
in the wake of the college entrance scandal in which Giannulli was involved, however, CNN reported that Giannulli tricked his father into giving him money for tuition (which he used to fund his t-shirt business) and falsified report cards, with his actual education at the university consisting only of attending "USC during the spring semester in 1984, but not as a fully matriculated student. He was enrolled in the College of Continuing Education, a non-degree program open to anyone 'with no formal admission requirements'"; he lived at the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house, however, which according to a fraternity spokesman was due to the fact that "having non-matriculating students associate with the fraternity would not have been uncommon."
Mossimo
Giannulli created
Mossimo, a mid-range American clothing company in 1986 on
Balboa Island in
Newport Beach, California. Mossimo specializes in youth and teenage clothing such as shirts, jeans, jackets, socks, underwear, and accessories.
During his first year in business he grossed $1 million. The following year he made $4 million.
Mossimo expanded the line in 1991 to include sweatshirts, knits, and sweaters. By 1995, the collection included women's clothing and men's tailored suits. After eight years in business, Mossimo, Inc. had grown into a multimillion-dollar lifestyle sportswear and accessories company.
Mossimo went public with an
initial public offering
An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investme ...
in 1996.
[ After shares tumbled from $50 to $4 when the founder tried and failed to make the transition from streetwear/beachwear to high fashion,] he took the brand downscale, announcing on March 28, 2000, Mossimo, Inc. a major, multi-product licensing agreement with Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, f ...
stores, for $27.8 million. Mossimo was acquired by Iconix Brand Group
Iconix Brand Group is an American brand management company that licenses brands to retailers and manufacturers primarily in the apparel, footwear, and apparel accessory industries. Its brands are available in such stores as Kohl's, Kmart, Se ...
in 2006.
College bribery scandal
Giannulli and his wife Lori Loughlin were arrested on March 12, 2019 in connection with their alleged involvement in a nationwide college entrance exam cheating scandal, regarding their two daughters' (including Olivia Jade
Olivia Jade Giannulli (born September 28, 1999) is an American YouTuber, and daughter of fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli and actress Lori Loughlin. While in high school, Giannulli began a social media career on YouTube and Instagram. As of ...
) admission to University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
(USC). They were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud
Mail fraud and wire fraud are terms used in the United States to describe the use of a physical or electronic mail system to defraud another, and are federal crimes there. Jurisdiction is claimed by the federal government if the illegal activity ...
and honest services fraud
Honest services fraud is a crime defined in (the federal mail and wire fraud statute), added by the United States Congress in 1988, which states "For the purposes of this chapter, the term ''scheme or artifice to defraud'' includes a scheme or ...
. They were released on $1 million bail each. They were among 50 people charged. The couple were also charged with money-laundering offenses in April 2019.
The indictment against the couple alleged that they paid $500,000, disguised as a donation to the Key Worldwide Foundation, so that USC's admissions committee would think that their two daughters would be joining the school's women's rowing team if admitted. In fact, neither young woman had ever trained in the sport and had no plans to do so. Initially denying the charges, Giannulli and his wife later pled guilty as part of a plea bargain.
Prison sentence
Giannulli was sentenced to five months in prison and a $250,000 fine on August 21, 2020, while his wife was sentenced to two months in prison and a $150,000 fine. On conviction, the couple were expelled from the Bel Air Country Club. Giannulli and Loughlin both had until November 19, to report to prison. On October 30, 2020, Giannuli refused to report to prison after Loughlin did so. The same day, Loughlin had her right to have people, including Giannulli, visit her in prison suspended due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
Giannulli entered the medium-security federal penitentiary in Lompoc, California
Lompoc ( ; Chumash: ''Lum Poc'') is a city in Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast, Lompoc has a population of 43,834 as of July 2021.
Lompoc has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Chumash people, who calle ...
on November 19, 2020, to serve his five-month sentence and was scheduled for release on April 17, 2021. Prior to his entry, he was seen with a shaved head and tougher look. In prison, he was placed in isolation due to COVID-19 in a medium security cell, rather than a minimum security cell that he was supposed to be in. He complained about this rough treatment to his family and his son, Gianni. Gianni posted on Instagram that the "mental and physical damage being done from such isolation and treatment is wrong." On April 2, 2021, Giannulli was released to home confinement
In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allo ...
where he was slated to remain until the completion of his sentence on April 17, 2021. However, he would be released from home confinement a day early on April 16, 2021. He is currently on parole until April 2023.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Giannulli, Mossimo
1963 births
Living people
University of Southern California alumni
American company founders
Place of birth missing (living people)
American fashion designers
American textile industry businesspeople
People from Encino, Los Angeles
American people of Italian descent
21st-century American criminals