Felicity Huffman's Legal Scandal: Breaking What Law?

In 2019, actress Felicity Huffman was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. She was accused of paying $15,000 to a college counsellor to change the answers on her daughter's SAT exam, to improve her score by 400 points. Huffman pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service.

Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud

In May 2019, actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. This was in connection with a $15,000 payment she made to have her daughter's SAT score corrected. Huffman admitted to giving the money to William "Rick" Singer, the ringleader of the nationwide scam, "to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of their oldest daughter," according to court documents.

Huffman's actions were part of a wider college admissions cheating scandal known as "Operation Varsity Blues," which accused wealthy parents of paying bribes to help their children get into elite universities across the country. The parents allegedly paid an admissions consultant, Rick Singer, to bribe coaches in exchange for helping their children get into school as athletic recruits. Singer also paid off entrance exam administrators to allow a proctor to take tests for students or fix their answers, authorities say.

Huffman, who is best known for her role in the TV show "Desperate Housewives," was among 14 parents who agreed to plead guilty to charges in the case. She was sentenced to 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service.

In a statement, Huffman said, "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." She also apologized to her daughter, her family, and the educational community, adding, "I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions."

She was sentenced to 14 days in prison

In 2019, actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison for her involvement in a college entrance exam cheating scandal. Huffman paid $15,000 to have a proctor correct her daughter's SAT answers, resulting in a 400-point score improvement. This was part of a larger scheme orchestrated by college admissions consultant Rick Singer, who helped wealthy parents gain their children illicit admission to prestigious universities.

Huffman's sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who also ordered her to pay a $30,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service. Huffman pleaded guilty to the charges, expressing remorse and accepting responsibility for her actions. She served her time at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, and was released two days early on October 25, 2019.

Huffman's case shed light on the lengths to which some wealthy parents would go to secure their children's admission to elite universities. The scandal, dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues," implicated dozens of parents, including fellow actor Lori Loughlin, who allegedly paid bribes totaling $500,000.

In an interview with KABC-TV in November 2023, Huffman spoke publicly about the scandal for the first time, expressing regret and acknowledging the privilege that enabled her actions: "It felt like I would be a bad mother if I didn't do it." She also promoted A New Way of Life, a non-profit organization that supports formerly incarcerated women, where she completed her community service.

Huffman's sentence and her public statements reflect the legal consequences and personal repercussions of her actions, marking a significant development in the ongoing effort to address fraud and corruption in the college admissions process.

Huffman paid $15,000 to falsify her daughter's SAT scores

In 2019, actress Felicity Huffman was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. This was in connection to her involvement in a college entrance exam cheating scandal, wherein she paid $15,000 to falsify her daughter's SAT scores.

Huffman's daughter, Sophia Grace Macy, took the SAT exam in December 2017. Unbeknownst to her, Huffman had paid $15,000 to college counsellor William 'Rick' Singer to have a third party pose as a proctor during the exam and secretly correct her answers afterward. This resulted in an improvement of approximately 400 points over her PSAT score.

Huffman made the payment to Singer's charity, The Key Worldwide Foundation, disguised as a charitable contribution. Singer, the mastermind behind the scheme, advised Huffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, that he controlled a testing center and could arrange for someone to proctor their daughter's SAT and change her answers.

In February 2018, Huffman and Macy made another purported contribution of $15,000 to The Key Worldwide Foundation. They received a letter from Singer's bookkeeper, falsely stating that the reason for the payment was to fund "self-enrichment programs" for "disadvantaged youth."

Huffman pleaded guilty to honest services fraud and federal charges for paying $15,000 to have a proctor correct SAT questions answered incorrectly by her daughter. She was sentenced to 14 days in jail, a $30,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service.

Huffman's daughter, Sophia, was ultimately admitted to Carnegie Mellon University's theatre program in April 2020 after retaking the SAT and getting in on her own.

The actress was involved in the 2019 college entrance exam cheating scandal

The actress Felicity Huffman was involved in a college entrance exam cheating scandal in 2019. Huffman was among dozens of wealthy parents charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office on 12 March 2019. Prosecutors alleged that Huffman's $15,000 donation to the Key Worldwide Foundation, ostensibly a charitable contribution, was in fact payment to someone who posed as Huffman's daughter, Sophia, to take the SAT exam. Huffman's daughter took the test in December 2017, unaware that her mother had paid for the results to be falsified.

Huffman was arrested at her California home by FBI and IRS agents and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud. She appeared in court in Los Angeles and Boston, where she pleaded guilty to the charges. She was sentenced to 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service. Huffman served 11 days of her sentence and was released early as the end of her sentence fell on a weekend.

Huffman was not the only actress involved in the scandal. Lori Loughlin, who starred in the TV series 'Full House', was also charged. Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were accused of paying a total of $500,000 in bribes to get their two daughters admitted to the University of Southern California. Huffman, on the other hand, paid $15,000 as part of a cheating scheme to have a college counselor correct wrong answers on her daughter's SAT scores.

The mastermind of the scheme was college admissions consultant Rick Singer, who was sentenced to three and a half years in prison and ordered to forfeit $10 million. Singer facilitated the cheating and helped bribe university sports coaches to present clients' children as fake athletic recruits.

Huffman was arrested by FBI agents

On March 12, 2019, FBI agents and IRS agents arrested actress Felicity Huffman at her California home. She was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud. Huffman was released on a $250,000 bail after appearing in Los Angeles Federal Court the following day.

Huffman was one of dozens of wealthy parents charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office as part of a nationwide college entrance exam cheating scandal. The parents were accused of conspiring to use bribery and fraud to secure their children's admission to top colleges.

Huffman paid a $15,000 to college admissions consultant William "Rick" Singer, who funnelled the money to a proctor who corrected wrong answers on her daughter's SAT exam. Huffman's daughter was unaware of the scheme and believed her improved score was legitimate.

Huffman waived a pretrial hearing in April 2019 and agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. She formally pleaded guilty the following month and was sentenced to 14 days in jail, a a $30,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service.

Huffman reported to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, on October 15, 2019, to begin serving her sentence. She was released two days early, on October 25, as October 27 fell on a weekend.

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