Aunt Becky Wants A PR Fixer

Lori Laughlin, Mossimo Giannulli

Two high-level crisis management executives told CNN they've been approached by Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli to improve their public image in the wake of the college admissions scandal. The executives requested anonymity to protect their clientele.

"She [Loughlin] has been having preliminary talks with some top crisis management firms on what she can do to change the public perception," one of the executives told CNN. "I truly believe she thinks she's going to not serve jail time and return to work."

This executive said Martha Stewart's comeback after her legal troubles were referenced in their conversations, and that Loughlin is "agonizing" over how to repair her reputation.

"It's killing her that her squeaky clean reputation has done a total 180," this source, who did not take Loughlin and Giannulli on as clients, said. "She reads everything that's written about her, and she's already thinking about how she can turn her image around."

Prosecutors say the couple paid $500,000 to a fake charity to get their two daughters accepted into the University of Southern California, falsely designating them as crew team recruits.
Loughlin and Giannulli have both pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Each of the charges is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

The second crisis management executive told CNN they advised Loughlin and her husband to first focus on their legal case before worrying about public perception.

A source close to Loughlin and Giannulli, who defended their alleged actions, previously told CNN the couple just wanted a good education for their daughters.