Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty in a Boston federal court Monday to charges stemming from the “Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal, a scam which ensnared dozens of parents who allegedly paid bribes to get their children into elite colleges.
The Desperate Housewives actress agreed to plead guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, Buzzfeed News reports.
Huffman admitted to paying $15,000 to have a college entrance exam proctor correct her daughter’s answers to increase her score. Court documents allege that Huffman gave $15,000 to William “Rick” Singer, the alleged ringleader of the nationwide college scandal, “to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of their oldest daughter.”
Prosecutors said they would recommend four months in prison for Felicity Huffman, who pleaded guilty to participating in the college admissions scheme. https://t.co/A7bDSYrs9K
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 13, 2019
According to prosecutors, the actress also facilitated the scheme by having her daughter diagnosed with a learning disability, which permitted her daughter to have additional time for the college entrance exam, ABC News reports. In court Monday, Huffman sought to clarify that the neuropsychologist who diagnosed her daughter had been seeing her since she was eight years old and had no part in the scheme.
“But everything else [assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen] said I did I did,” Huffman reportedly admitted in court.
In a statement last month, Huffman said her daughter knew “absolutely nothing,” adding that “in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her.”
“I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility of my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions,” she said. “I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues, and the educational community,” she said. “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.”
According to ABC News, Huffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, had made arrangements to pursue the scheme a second time, for her younger daughter, but later decided not to. Macy was not charged in the scheme.
Huffman’s agreement with prosecutors means she will relinquish her right to appeal her conviction and sentence. In exchange, the government has agreed to not bring forth any additional charges and has recommended a lesser sentence. Prosecutors recommended she be sentenced to four months in prison.
Huffman has been ordered to return to court on September 13th where she will be sentenced.