Felicity Huffman sentenced to prison

Felicity Huffman left court holding hands with her husband, actor William H. Macy, after her sentencing.

She did not make any remarks.

Huffman must report to prison on Oct. 25 to serve her sentence. During today’s court proceedings, Huffman also received a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and one year supervised release.

Actress Felicity Huffman, who was sentenced to 14 days in prison today, said she accepts the “court’s decision today without reservation” in a statement released to the media.

“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,” Huffman said in the statement. “I would like to apologize again to my daughter, my husband, my family and the educational community for my actions. And I especially want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children.”

Huffman also received a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and one year supervised release, according to federal court Judge Indira Talwani.

“I can promise you that in the months and years to come that I will try and live a more honest life, serve as a better role model for my daughters and family and continue to contribute my time and energies wherever I am needed,” Huffman said. “My hope now is that my family, my friends and my community will forgive me for my actions.”

Felicity Huffman must report to prison on Oct. 25 to serve her 14-day sentence handed down today in federal court.

Where she goes is ultimately up to the Bureau of Prisons and has not been announced.

Huffman’s attorney said in court today that he has requested a facility near Huffman’s California home.

Federal court Judge Indira Talwani said she thinks Felicity Huffman’s punishment is “the right sentence here.”

She also spoke directly to Huffman, saying, “I think you take your sentence and you move forward.”

“You can rebuild your life after this. You’ve paid your dues,” the judge added.

Huffman must report to the Bureau of Prisons in six weeks.

Actress Felicity Huffman has been sentenced to 14 days in prison.

Huffman also received a $30,000 fine, 250 hours of community service and one year supervised release, federal court Judge Indira Talwani said today in Boston.

Before announcing the sentencing, Talwani said Huffman knew what she did was wrong, saying, “She knew it was a fraud it was not an impulsive act.” 

Huffman stood before the judge in Boston and at one point read from a paper, saying, “I am sorry to you.” 

She went on to apologize to her daughters and her husband, actor William H. Macy.

“I am deeply ashamed of what I have done,” Huffman told the judge. “At the end of the day I had a choice to make. I could have said ‘no.’”

Felicity Huffman broke down before the judge this afternoon while sharing a story about driving her daughter to a testing center.

“I thought to myself turn around. Just turnaround,” she said.

Huffman then broke down, “and to my eternal shame, I didn’t.”

She described the conversation she had with her daughter when the scheme was revealed. Huffman said her daughter asked, “I don’t know who you are anymore mom? Why didn’t you think I could do it on my own?”

Huffman said she was frightened and called herself “stupid.”

“I am deeply ashamed of what I have done,” Huffman told the judge. “At the end of the day I had a choice to make. I could have said ‘no.’”

“I take full responsibility,” Huffman continued. “I will accept whatever punishment you give me.”

Actress Felicity Huffman stood before the judge this afternoon in Boston and read from a paper, saying, “I am sorry to you.” 

She went on to apologize to her daughters and her husband, actor William H. Macy.

Felicity Huffman’s attorney Martin Murphy called his client a good, kind and decent person during sentencing this afternoon.

Murphy addressed the judge during sentencing, saying Huffman “knew what she did was wrong.”

He added that Huffman was able to revisit her moral compass and come to a different conclusion.

“She was able to say no the second time,” Murphy said.

During the sentencing this afternoon, Assistant US Attorney Eric Rosen suggested Felicity Huffman should go to jail for one month saying, “there is no excuse for what she did.” 

Citing a letter Huffman sent to the judge roughly a week ago, Rosen said, “With all due respect to the defendant, welcome to parenthood.”

“Most parents have the moral compass and integrity not to step over the line. The defendant did not,” Rosen said.

Rosen argued that probation is not an appropriate punishment for Huffman. Her attorneys are asking for a sentence of one year of probation, 250 hours of community service and a $20,000 fine.

He continued: “She did this once and she planned on doing this again.”

Felicity Huffman’s husband William H. Macy Macy has not been charged in connection with the college cheating scandal because it’s unclear if he was aware of his wife’s alleged activities.

Back in 2004, the “Shameless” star spoke to “Entertainment Tonight” about his willingness to utilize nepotism in order to help his and Huffman’s two daughters get ahead in the industry.

And in an interview with Men’s Journal published last month, Macy said the best advice he had ever received was, “Never lie.”

“It’s the cheapest way to go,” he said. “Lies cost you a lot, and they’re never worth what they cost.”

Sentencing proceedings for actress Felicity Huffman are underway in Boston.

Huffman has roughly 13 loved ones with her in the courtroom today. Huffman’s longtime friends made the trip to Boston to show support and she has sisters and brothers with her as well.

Her husband William H. Macy is sitting in the first-row center aisle with other loved ones. US Attorney Andrew Lelling is also in the center aisle next to Macy.

William Rick Singer and his company The Key allegedly helped wealthy students score better on the ACTs or SATs by helping them cheat on the exams.

Singer is also accused of bribing college coaches and athletic officials to say a prospective student should be accepted because the student was a recruit for their sports team. But Singer and the coaches knew that the student was not a competitive player, and that his or her athletic profile was fake, an indictment said.

During his hearing at a Boston federal court in March, Singer pleaded guilty to four charges and admitted the allegations were true.

“All of these things, and many more things, I did,” Singer said. “I created a side door that would guarantee families would get in.”

Singer was paid about $25 million by parents to help their children get into colleges, said Andrew Lelling, the US attorney for Massachusetts. Two high-profile parents accused of working with Singer are actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman.

Some other background on Singer:

Actress Felicity Huffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, arrived moments ago to federal court in Boston for her sentencing.

The couple held hands as they headed into court.

Her possible sentence: Prosecutors have suggested one month in prison and a $20,000 fine. Her lawyers are asking for a sentence of one year of probation, 250 hours of community service and a $20,000 fine.

In her letter of support, actress Eva Longoria said she saw Felicity Huffman “every day, of every week for nearly 15 hours a day,” during their time together on the show “Desperate Housewives.”

She described the actress as a “good friend.”

“When I began the TV show, I was very new to the business and industry as a whole,” Longoria said. “Felicity was the first one to take me under her wing. From the first table read of the script, she noticed me sitting alone, scared and unsure of where to go and what to do. Her gentle character and kind heart immediately opened up to me.”

The actress explained how “one of the most significant examples of Felicity’s kindness” came when Huffman helped her with contract negotiations during the show.

“I was the lowest paid actor on the show, by far,” Longoria wrote. “Felicity and the other ladies were making much more than I was because I was the most inexperienced.”

In an attorney filing last week, Felicity Huffman submitted a letter to U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani to “shed light on how I finally got to the day when I said ‘Yes’ to this scheme,” the letter said.

In the three-page letter, Huffman details early struggles with her daughter’s medical issues and learning disabilities.

Read some excerpts from the letter below:

Felicity Huffman will be the first parent sentenced for the college admissions scandal known as “Operation Varsity Blues.”

More than 50 people — parents, coaches, test administrator and conspirators — were charged in the scandal, in which prosecutors claim mastermind William “Rick” Singer either facilitated cheating on standardized tests or bribed college coaches to give students an advantage in the admissions process.

The parties: Of those charged, more than 30 are parents accused of conspiring with Singer. More than a dozen of those parents, including Huffman, have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit fraud. Fellow actress Lori Loughlin was also among the most high-profile parents to be caught up in the admissions scandal.

The sentences: So far, only one person has been sentenced: Former Stanford sailing coach John Vandemoer, who served no jail time.

About Huffman: She has written that before she paid $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT test, she worked with Singer’s college counseling and preparation business legitimately for a year to try to improve her eldest daughter’s math SAT scores.

But the scores didn’t improve, and Singer warned her that none of the colleges her daughter was interested in would consider her auditions to their acting programs, Huffman wrote to the judge.

Huffman wrote that Singer eventually offered to have a proctor boost the daughter’s scores after she took the test, without the daughter ever knowing. Huffman struggled with the offer for weeks before relenting, she wrote.