Let Lori Loughlin get on with Her Life

It’s time to let go.

Lori Loughlin got out of prison today. All 60 days of minimum-security prison that it was. I made some jokes about her getting a teardrop tattoo on her cheek and going to work for Netflix instead of Lifetime. She now has some grit to her story. I then read some internet stories which were essentially in the same vein. There was a lot of complaining about Lori’s complaining. A lot of sarcasm about her short sentence, the hardships she must have endured, her entitlement, and her privilege.

They are right, but… Lori Loughlin did not “buss a cap” in someone’s azz… She committed a white-collar crime whose victims are pretty intangible although they exist. Her actions, in part, hurt society in general. However, she has paid for her crimes as the court dictated. Before we argue, let’s look at the facts.

First, she lost a half a million dollars in her crime. That’s approaching “real money” levels for me. So, she played her cards and lost. Her relationships with her children and partner are damaged. We don’t know how much she actually masterminded this crime and how much she just allowed to happen around her. She lost her work and her reputation which was worth, I would say, again, millions of dollars potentially. This is a big deal. Part of her motivation to commit the crime was to help maintain a certain status in her community. Part of the penalty of being caught and convicted is the loss of that very status and reputation.

She had to give up her freedom and be institutionalized. Albeit for 60 days, but let’s consider the impact of those 60 days on someone like her. Her world did not include going to prison even to visit let alone for a longer stay. The impact of that may have been much greater than 6 months on a more typical person. She probably had to clean the toilet herself once or twice.

So, she’s served her sentence. Now let’s consider some things that even I don’t want to consider. She refused to cooperate with the investigation, and this might have led to a harsher penalty. But is that right? Nothing says you get caught for a crime and you must participate in your prosecution. She had the right to make the government create and try the case. That is an important part of our system. The state never gets to take the easy road because it must be able to prove its case. It HAS to prove it’s case. She was within her rights to take the position she did. In the end, the government either didn’t have the case they thought or the judge started seeing the boundaries of justice in this kind of case.

Lori, I’m only talking about her, so I’ll reserve judgment on the others. Lori was also the victim of a crime. The grifter that set this up, set up an elaborate network to make himself illicit money. A lot of people that MIGHT have intervened and steered Lori away from this course of action were involved! To include one of the secondary school officials that connected the parents to Singer. It’s not like this wasn’t how business was conducted. Which doesn’t excuse the behavior, but it adds to Singer, et al’s ability to draw the victims in.

Did Lori get the best advise from her husband? How complicit was she? Did she get the best advice from her lawyer? Who was telling her to hold out? What would have happened if she had rolled on day one? Less time in the spotlight? A lighter sentence? A pardon in the Court of Twitter? Who knows?

On top of all this, her production company shit canned her before she ever went to court. Boy those are some friends, huh? I’m sure there was a clause in the contract, right? Do you think they are calling her back now that she’s served her time? No, I don’t. But that’s ok. Maybe now she can help her career mature. She can play some psychopath on Longmire, or maybe be the new deputy or judge or love interest. Who knows? I’m ready for her to move on.

I don’t think I was on her “side” when all this kicked in. She did her crime and she suffered the consequences. No parent should be getting their kids an education they didn’t earn (not to mention didn’t want). But now she’s done her time and paid it back the way it’s designed. It’s time for us to let go and let her get on with it. I hope she learned her lesson and I wish her luck.