Felicity Huffman Sentenced to 14 Days in Prison for Involvement in College Admissions Scandal

Actress Felicity Huffman has been sentenced to 14 days in prison and fined $30,000 for her role in the national college admissions scandal. Huffman was the first person sentenced in the scandal, which implicated more than 50 parents, coaches, and administrators at top-tier universities. The Desperate Housewives star was first charged with paying $15,000 to inflate her daughter’s SAT scores in March, when news of the scandal first broke. Two months later, she pleaded guilty to mail fraud and honest services fraud. Now, after some headline-making back-and-forth, Huffman has finally learned her fate.

Huffman’s two-week sentence likely came as a surprise to the actress. Last week, prosecutors recommended that she spend one month in prison and pay a $20,000 fine for her role in the conspiracy, while Huffman’s legal team requested the fine, one year probation, and 250 hours of community service rather than jail time.

In an attempt to sway the judge, Huffman, her husband William H. Macy (he was not charged), Eva Longoria, and more stars wrote letters attesting to her character. In her own letter, the actress wrote that she “find[s] motherhood bewildering” and added that she is “haunted” by her decision to pay conspiracy ringleader William “Rick” Singer to change her daughter’s SAT score. “In my desperation to be a good mother I talked myself into believing that all I was doing was giving my daughter a fair shot,” she wrote.

Page Six reports that despite Huffman’s pleas for leniency, prosecutors remained resolute in their recommendation for prison time, as they believe that the actress’ behavior was “deliberate and manifestly criminal.” It’s likely that they are looking to set an example for others still awaiting trial for their alleged involvement, including Full House star Lori Loughlin, who was charged with paying $500,000 in bribes to get her daughters admitted to USC by falsely portraying them as members of the crew team. Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli have pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering; their legal battle is currently ongoing in Boston.