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Brand and reputation management expert Eric Schiffer has a theory about why federal prosecutors released Olivia Jade’s fake college athletics resume — they could be building a case against her, too.
What’s going on?
- Schiffer spoke to me on the phone after multiple reports shared Olivia Jade Giannulli’s fake resume, which was presented in court filings in the college admissions scandal.
- According to my report for the Deseret News, prosecutors added the resume in their response to a motion by Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli that the FBI was holding back texts, transcripts and phone records.
- Schiffer said it may be the federal prosecutors way of hinting to Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli — who are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes so their daughters Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose would be crew team recruits for the University of Southern California — that they may be building a case against their daughter.
- “You know, she may face her own charges,” Schiffer told me. “I mean, they released that document. Who knows what they’re gonna do? To me, that was a clear and present danger signal coming from the prosecution that she may get charged. And it’s a message to her parents that if they want to protect her daughter, they better play ball.”
The impact on Olivia Jade
- Though she hasn’t been charged in the scandal, the college admissions scandal has had a tremendous impact on Olivia Jade. She watched her partnership with Sephora disappear. She stopped posting her YouTube videos as much, which tainted her brand, too.
- Schiffer said Olivia Jade’s life won’t be the same — no matter if her mother and father are proven innocent.
- “She could get some secondary second-level brands that may be one of monetize off of her social media following,” he said. “But I’m not sure that anyone’s going to view her as someone that is a role model and someone that they can look to for good counsel.”
- Schiffer said Olivia Jade made mistakes along the way after the charges were filed against her parents. She posted on social media. She slammed the media. She’s shown a level of arrogance that doesn’t play with the public, he said.
Advice for clients
- Schiffer has some advice for celebrities who deal with the loss of their partners.
- Schiffer said: “Recognize the gravity of what you’re dealing with. And show show respect to the process and the court and to cut down and if you’re going to fight, then fight and message a bit more about why you feel your innocence.”