Actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday in a federal court to 14 days behind bars for her part in “Operation Varsity Blues.”
Judge Indira Talwani has sentenced Felicity Huffman to 14 days in jail. She is also imposing a fine of $30,000, a year of supervised release, and 250 hours of community service.
— julia reinstein 🚡 (@juliareinstein) September 13, 2019
Huffman was one of the wealthy parents charged for shelling out money to William “Rick” Singer, the CEO of a college prep company The Key, to improperly grease the wheels, and help their children get into college. In Huffman’s case, she paid Singer $15,000 in bribes for a test proctor to fix her daughter’s SAT exam answers.
Prosecutors: “From the very beginning, she knew it was wrong.”
“She lied…she called the college board…she then paid Singer’s charity $15,000.”
“Happy with the results, she planned to do it all over again.” #WCVB #FelicityHuffman
— Adam Bagni (@AdamBagni) September 13, 2019
Felicity Huffman to judge before sentencing, her voice withering and crying at times: “There is no adequate answer. I am so sorry.” “I take full responsibly for my actions.” “I will deserve whatever punishment you give me.” @NBCNightlyNews @TODAYshow @MSNBC
— Miguel Almaguer (@Miguelnbc) September 13, 2019
“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,” Huffman wrote the judge in a letter back in September. “I see the irony in that statement now because what I have done is the opposite of fair. I have broken the law, deceived the educational community, betrayed my daughter, and failed my family.”
Prosecutors said Huffman wasn’t driven by “need or desperation, but by a sense of entitlement, or at least moral cluelessness, facilitated by wealth and insularity.”
Huffman pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. That was a month after the charges were filed by complaint.
Jerry Lambe contributed to this report.
[Image via Paul Marotta/Getty Images]
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