Felicity Huffman, star of Desperate Housewives, pleaded guilty to the college admissions scandal today in court along with 13 other parents and one coach. According to her statement, Huffman admitted that “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.”
Her statement also read that she was ashamed for her actions and the repercussions on her daughter:
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.
She and 49 others were arrested last month and charged with a number of complaints such as mail fraud in what has now been dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. Huffman was charged with a bribery scheme in which, according to the indictment, Huffman had “made a purported charitable contribution of $15,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter.”
In the complaint, it was alleged that Rick Singer, owner of college prep business, was the mastermind behind the operation. He headed a fake charity to which the parents contributed and in exchange of which Singer got their children into the college they desired. Concerning Huffman’s daughter, Singer altered her SAT score to a 1420 out of 1600. Actor William H. Macy, Huffman’s husband, has not been charged.
Huffman’s daughter received a score of 1420 out of a maximum of 1600 on the SAT, a score about 400 points over her Preliminary SAT exam a year earlier. Huffman later discussed the scheme in a recorded phone call with Singer, the complaint says.
Lori Loughlin, star of Full House, has still not pleaded guilty, and neither has her husband Mossimo Giannulli, a well known fashion designer. They both were alleged to have given bribes of $500,000 in order for their two daughters to be recruited into the USC crew team.
According to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office, it is not believed that any of the colleges were co-conspirators in the scams. No comment was given by Netflix and nothing has been announced concerning whether Huffman will continue working on further projects.