On Friday, actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison for her role in the College Admissions Scandal. The judgement, handed down by District Court Judge Indira Talwani in Boston, also includes year of supervised release, 250 hours of community service, and a $30,000 fine. Friday’s hearing comes after Huffman and thirteen other parents embroiled in the scandal plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in May. She has been told to self-report to prison officials in California on October 25th.
Huffman’s attorneys had asked for a sentence of 250 hours of community service plus a $20,000 fine, while prosecutors insisted on jail time. Per reporter Chris Villani, Assistant US Attorney Eric Rosen argued, “The defendant, Felicity Huffman, must go to jail for one month because the only meaningful and sufficient sanction for the criminal activity she engaged in is prison.”
The result was about half the prison sentence that prosecutors were looking for.
In a statement regarding the sentence, Huffman said, “I accept the court’s decision today without reservation. I have always been prepared to accept whatever punishment Judge Talwani imposed. I broke the law. I have admitted that and I pleaded guilty to this crime. There are no excuses or justifications for my actions. Period. I would like to apologize again to my daughter, my husband, my family and the educational community for my actions. And I especially want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children.”
Huffman was joined in court by her husband, actor William H. Macy, who has not been charged with a crime. Among the Desperate Housewives star’s illegal activities is the payment of a $15,000 bribe to Rick Singer, the man who orchestrated the scandal. That money, disguised as a charitable donation, purportedly went to having someone else take the SAT exam for Huffman’s daughter.
The other high-profile star charged in the scandal is Full House alum Lori Loughlin. Loughlin faces more serious charges in the form of fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. These crimes carry with them maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000. She, along with her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, entered a not guilty plea in April.