John Stamos Defends Lori Loughlin, Says Mossimo Masterminded College Scandal

John Stamos is going to bat for Lori Loughlin -- framing her as the true victim in the wild 2019 college admissions scandal, and dumping the whole mess on her estranged hubby, Mossimo Giannulli.

The "Full House" star lashed out on Josh Peck and Ben Soffer’s "Good Guys" podcast, where talk quickly landed on Lori’s recent split from Mossimo, and Stamos didn’t miss a beat, saying his heart breaks for the actress now, just like it did years ago when she got dragged through the "Varsity Blues" fiasco ... which John claims was all Mossimo’s doing.

Stamos branded Mossimo a narcissist, and claimed Lori was unfairly turned into the poster child for Hollywood elites -- and rich parents, in general -- who pay handsomely to get their kids into college.

He even remembered Lori telling him she met a bunch of nice ladies in prison and joined a book club while she was there -- saying it was a classic glass-half-full Lori, making the best out of her life behind bars.

Of course ... Lori didn’t exactly walk away squeaky clean. She pled guilty alongside Mossimo in the scandal, with prosecutors saying they forked over $500k to admissions fixer Rick Singer to sneak daughter Olivia Jade into USC as a bogus crew team recruit. Lori did 2 months in the slammer ... Mossimo served 5.

Bottom line ... Uncle Jesse’s making it clear he thinks Lori got a raw deal, but the courts sure didn’t see it that way.