On Monday, the Department of Justice said that actress Felicity Huffman and 13 other defendants pleaded guilty to charges related to a national college bribery and recruitment scheme.
Each of the 14 defendants pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Each was accused of agreeing to pay William "Rick" Singer, the accused mastermind of the scheme, thousands of dollars to help their children with their college admissions process. Court documents said Huffman paid Singer $15,000 to get her daughter more time to take her SAT test.
In a statement released Monday, Huffman said she had "deep regret and shame" over her actions, and she plans to accept responsibility for her crime. Huffman said she "betrayed" her daughter, who had no knowledge of the scheme, adding "this transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty."
Under the terms of Huffman's plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to recommend imprisonment at the low end of sentencing guidelines for the crime, a fine of $20,000, 12 months of supervised release and restitution.
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