After Lori Loughlin suffered a brazen home burglary on Jan. 3, losing $1 million in jewelry stolen from her bedroom, she might have been able to nurse her trauma by jetting off to Mexico for five days, but it appears she cancelled the trip to attend Bob Saget’s funeral.
The disgraced TV star sought and obtained special permission from a federal judge to travel outside the United States, Jan. 13-18. The permission is required because she is on two years of supervised release after her conviction in the college admissions scandal.
It appears, however, that the sudden death of her “Full House” co-star, Bob Saget, on Jan. 9 cancelled the trip.
On Jan. 14, Loughlin was photographed arriving at Saget’s funeral, along with other “Full House” alums John Stamos, Dave Coulier, Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, along with other stars including John Mayer, Jeff Ross and Kathy Griffin, Hollywood Life reported.
Following news of Saget’s sudden, unexpected death at age 65, Loughlin paid tribute to him.
“Words cannot begin to express how devastated I am,” Loughlin said in a statement last week to Us Weekly about Saget’s death. “Bob was more than my friend; he was my family.”
The comedian had shown Loughlin love and loyalty as one of the few Hollywood celebrities who expressed public support when she became the object of national outrage after her March 2019 arrest in the Operation Varsity Blues investigation. She and her fashion designer husband eventually pleaded guilty to paying $500,000 in bribes to get their unqualified daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella, fraudulently admitted to the University of Southern California on the pretense of being talented crew team athletes.
Saget also expressed his love for Loughlin after she finished her two-month stint in federal prison in December 2020.
Saget was found dead in his room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, Florida, according to a statement from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. He was in Florida as part of his comedy tour. The cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner, the Sheriff’s office said, but there were no signs of foul play or drugs.
Before Saget’s death, Loughlin had made plans to travel to a resort near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for five days of leisure, according to a letter filed in U.S. District Court in Boston. The vacation would be her third trip to Mexico since she was released from federal prison in December 2020, after serving two months at the federal prison in Dublin.
For two years following their prison stints, Loughlin and Giannulli must seek permission from a federal probation officer any time they travel to another country, or outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. Court system to which they have been released. In Loughlin and Giannulli’s case, they must receive permission anytime they travel outside of California’s Central District, which covers Los Angeles and five other Southern California counties. If they leave those counties without permission, they could be sent back to prison.
Loughlin and Giannulli were not at home when the Jan. 3 burglary occurred, according to a report by TMZ. Before going into prison, they purchased a $9.5 million mansion in the Hidden Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, near Calabasas.
According to TMZ, surveillance cameras captured thieves, wearing masks and dressed all in black, entering the house by smashing a bedroom window. The break-in was discovered by a housekeeper. TMZ said police suspect the heist was executed by a gang of South American criminals who hit locations around the United States, then escape the country ahead of authorities.
If Loughlin and Giannulli were not at home on Jan. 3, they could have been away for the holidays, perhaps spending time at the $13 million home they purchased in a gated community in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles.
Advocates for federal prisoners say the celebrity couple has enjoyed travel privileges not typically granted to others who have been recently incarcerated in the federal system. Since June, Loughlin has gone before Judge Nathaniel Gorton four times to get permission to travel outside the country.
The first was for a “family” trip to San Jose Del Cabo, a resort town on the Baja peninsula, from June 16 to June 21. During that trip, the couple flew by private jet to the resort, where Giannulli played golf with friends and the couple was seen lounging by the pool, E! News reported.
The couple also received permission to return to San Jose Del Cabo from Nov. 5 to 12, according to letters submitted to the U.S. District Court. They said they wanted to go to Mexico to attend a wedding, while Giannulli also said he would “be hosting” business meetings.
Loughlin also was granted “expedited” permission to travel to Canada in October, presumably to film scenes to reprise her role as Abigail Stanton in “When Calls Hope,” a spinoff of Loughlin’s Hallmark Channel series, “When Calls the Heart.”