FORMER “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman and actress Lori Loughlin, best known for playing Aunt Becky on “Full House,” are facing court appearances later this month related to allegations they participated in a college admissions cheating scheme.

Loughlin, who faces felony conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, is already feeling the adverse business effects of her alleged involvement in the scam. The Hallmark Channel on Thursday severed ties with the actress, who frequently appeared in their programs, including the “Garage Sale Mystery” TV movie series.

Her daughter, YouTube personality Olivia Jade Giannulli, has also lost a lucrative advertisement deal with Sephora.

Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying US$500,000 in bribes to designate their two daughters as recruits to the University of Southern California crew team, even though they did not participate in crew, according to court documents released Tuesday.

Huffman, meanwhile, is accused of paying US$15,000 to a fake charity to facilitate cheating for her daughter on the SATs, the complaint says.

“There has been a tremendous amount of news coverage and expressed feelings by politicians and Hollywood celebrities themselves about income inequality, higher taxes on the rich and redistribution of wealth,” said Susan Tellem, a senior partner at Tellem Grody PR. “Hollywood figures may be judged more harshly than before.”

The good news for Loughlin and Huffman, however, is that the public has a short memory when it comes to their favorite celebrities.

Loughlin’s reputation with viewers is an undoubtedly wholesome one. First known to most television viewers as plucky broadcaster Rebecca Donaldson on “Full House,” her character eventually married John Stamos’s Jesse Katsopolis — together forming an idyllic image of a young, happy couple.

Her second act on Hallmark preceded a reboot of the series on Netflix, “Fuller House,” on which she was a guest star.

Huffman’s career choices have ranged greatly in her decades on the big and small screens, from an Oscar-nominated role in “Transamerica” to a comedic run on shows like “Desperate Housewives” and “Sports Night.” But her off-screen involvement with Time’s Up and various charitable causes helped her and husband William H. Macy earn favorable reputations in Hollywood.

“Actors and other celebrities are often able to overcome damage to their reputation better than everyday folks because people feel an affinity toward them and the characters they play,” says Evan Nierman, CEO of crisis PR firm Red Banyan. (SD-Agencies)