Star Felicity sentenced to jail for fraud role
ACTRESS Felicity Huffman has been sentenced to 14 days in prison for her role in a sweeping college admissions scandal.
The Desperate Housewives star was sentenced in Boston’s federal court after pleading guilty in May to a single count of conspiracy and fraud.
She was also given a ¤27,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and a year of supervised release.
She has admitted to paying an admissions consultant ¤13,500 to have a proctor correct her daughter’s SAT exam answers in 2017.
Prosecutors had recommended a month in prison and a ¤18,000 fine.
Huffman’s lawyers said she should get a year of probation, 250 hours of community service and a ¤18,000 fine.
She is the first parent to be sentenced among 34 charged in the scheme.
Felicity Huffman will serve 14 days in federal prison, followed by a year of probation for bribing a man to falsify her daughter’s SAT and get the girl a higher score.
The actress addressed the court just moments before she learned her fate, breaking down in tears as she said: ‘I have inflicted more damage than I could’ve ever imagined.’
Those tears may have been brought on in part by the remarks made earlier in the hearing by the lead prosecutor, who reprimanded the actions that lead to Huffman’s indictment and ridiculed her excuses.
‘Parenthood doesn’t make you a felon’
Right off the bat, the prosecution commented on Huffman’s claim that it was her ‘parental anxiety’ that lead her to bribe an official in order to guarantee her daughter a better SAT test score.
‘With all due respect to the defendant, welcome to parenthood,’ said assistant US attorney Eric Rosen.
‘There’s no instruction manual. Parenthood is exhausting and stressful, but that’s what every parent goes through.’
He later noted: ‘Parenthood does not make you a felon or make you cheat. It makes you serve as a positive role model.’
Huffman wrote to Judge Indira Talwani prior to her arrival in Boston.
In that letter, Huffman detailed the tearful confrontation she had with her daughter after her arrest.
That same court filing also revealed that on the morning of Huffman’s arrest, her teenage daughters woke up to find FBI agents with guns drawn to their heads.
‘I have broken the law, deceived the educational community, betrayed my daughter, and failed my family,’ wrote Huffman in her letter to Judge Talwani.
‘When my daughter looked at me and asked with tears streaming down her face, “Why didn’t you believe in me? Why didn’t you think I could do it on my own?” I had no adequate answer for her.’
Huffman continued: ‘I could only say, “I am sorry. I was frightened and I was stupid.”’
In an odd twist, the judge’s decision could mean that Huffman spends next Sunday night behind bars or at the Emmy Awards.
Her Netflix series When They See Us is nominated for 16 Emmys.