Lori Loughlin is 'shocked and saddened that this is what her legacy is going to be'

Full House star Lori Loughlin is facing a possible 20-year prison sentence relating to her alleged involvement in the recent US college cheating scandal.

Now, PEOPLE is reporting that the actress is concerned the criminal charges will overshadow her career and permanently ruin her reputation.

"Lori is shocked and saddened that this is what her legacy is going to be," a source told the magazine.

Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were among 33 prominent parents accused of participating in a scheme that involved rigging college entrance exams and bribing coaches at elite universities.

Prosecutors say Loughlin and Giannulli paid US $500,000 to a fake charity to get their two daughters accepted into the University of Southern California.

They both pleaded not guilty to alleged mail fraud and money laundering.

According to the source, Loughlin and Giannulli didn't understand that their actions were illegal when they allegedly bribed their daughters' way in to the elite university.

"You read the complaint and they look like criminal masterminds," the source says. "But they really didn't know the legalities of what was going on. They're not lawyers and they're not experts. They were parents who simply wanted to make sure that their daughters got into a good school."

The source added, "She never intended to break any laws, and if she did, it was inadvertent."