Felicity Huffman is expected to plead guilty over the college admissions bribery case that broke last month. The Desperate Housewives actress was among the dozens charged by the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the scandal that involved the parents either faking athletic records or cheating their SAT scores to get their children to high profile universities such as Yale, Georgetown and the University of Southern California. According to the charges, Huffman allegedly paid $15,000 to a fixer, William Singer of Key Worldwide Foundation, who arranged a fake person take the SAT in lieu of her daughter, resulting to getting better scores from her Preliminary SAT.
Charged with with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud, Huffman is currently out on bail amounting to $250,000. Husband Shameless actor, William H. Macy has not been indicted with the same offense, although it does seem like he’s aware of his wife’s illegal dealings to cheat on their daughter’s SAT scores and was on board for the scheme. According to documents, Huffman and Macy’s daughter got a 1420 score on the test, a 400 point increase from her PSAT. As it turns out, they also initially discussed going through the same route for their younger daughter, but didn’t push through it.
In an official statement obtained by Variety, Huffman admitted to partaking on the cheating scheme and says she’s shameful of her actions. She also claims that her daughter was not aware of the deal she made with Singer. With this, she, alongside 13 other people who are in on the ploy are set to plead guilty. Read her statement below:
Considering Huffman’s admission, prosecutors agreed to recommend a prison term at the lower end of the bracket, lasting from four to 10 months under federal sentencing guidelines as part of the plea deal. She has also agreed to pay a $20,000 fine and restitution. For context, those who were charged could be looking at a potential maximum sentence of five years behind bars, but their time in prison and probation primarily hinge on their cooperation in the ongoing case. And since Huffman’s expected to plead guilty, her proposed jail time is more likely plausible.
“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. I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community. I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly.
“My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her. This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty.”
While Huffman is making steps to ensure that she’ll get a lighter sentencing regarding her involvement in this scandal, former Fuller House actress Lori Loughlin’s camp remains silent on the matter. The Hallmark Channel staple and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, reportedly paid half a million dollars to get their two kids into USC. Basing on amount of money the Gianullis paid to get in on the scheme, not to mention the fact that they used the illegal process for both of their daughters, it’s curious if that will make any difference with regard to their sentence. As fans wait for any any development from their end, Aunt Becky, unfortunately, won’t appear in the fifth and final season of the Full House spinoff after Netlfix fired her.
More: Fuller House’s Lori Loughlin Expected to Do Prison Time Over College Scandal
Source: Variety
