Actress Felicity Huffman Pleads Guilty to Fraud in College Admissions Scam
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 03: Felicity Huffman exits the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse with her brother after appearing in Federal Court to answer charges stemming from college admissions scandal on April 3, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images)
UPDATE: Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty Monday to paying $15K to a fake charity to fraudulently boost her daughter’s college entrance exam scores.
The former Desperate Housewives star pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud. She is one of dozens named in a nationwide scheme, where wealthy parents paid hefty sums to get their children into elite colleges.
According to People Magazine, prosecutors recommended 4 months in prison for Huffman, as well as a $20K fine. The actress reportedly wept as she entered into the plea, accepting responsibility for her actions.
ORIGINAL STORY: Actress Felicity Huffman is set to plead guilty today, Monday, May 13, to paying $15K to a fake charity that helped her daughter cheat on her college entrance exams, according to multiple reports.
The former Desperate Housewives star is facing 20 years in prison, CNN reports.
The charges are part of a massive, nationwide college admissions scam known as “Operation Varsity Blues,” where dozens of wealthy parents paid hefty sums to help their kids get into elite colleges like Harvard, Yale, Stanford and USC.
Huffman, along with actress Lori Loughlin, is among the parents charged.
According to CNN, Huffman was caught on both tape and email discussing the plans to help her daughter cheat on her SATs. The teen ultimately received a 1420 out of 1600, which was about 400 points higher than her practice exams.
Last month, Huffman agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in exchange for prosecutors recommending a lower sentence. The punishment would be a $20,000 fine and 12 months of supervised release, CNN reports.
Dozens of other parents, including Loughlin, rejected the plea deal.
“I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions,” Huffman said last month.
Huffman is married to actor William H. Macy, who has not been charged in the case.
