Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images(BOSTON) — Academy Award-nominated actress Felicity Huffman is expected to appear in Boston federal court Monday to plead guilty to a charge stemming from the massive “Varsity Blues” college entrance scandal. Prosecutors say Huffman, along with dozens of parents nationwide, lied and bribed to get their children into elite schools.
Huffman, 56, has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, federal prosecutors said.
While she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years probation and a $250,000 fine, Huffman is expected to receive a reduced sentence.
In a statement last month, Huffman said, “I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and…I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions.”
The Oscar-nominated actress, who also starred in ABC’s Desperate Housewives, allegedly gave $15,000 to William “Rick” Singer, who prosecutors identified as the ringleader of the nationwide scam, court documents allege.
Huffman claimed in her statement that her daughter “knew absolutely nothing about [her] actions.”
Huffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, later made arrangements to pursue the scheme a second time, for her younger daughter, before deciding not to do so, court documents allege. Macy was not charged in the scam.
On March 13, federal prosecutors announced that 50 wealthy people were charged with allegedly paying bribes of up to $6.5 million to get their children into elite colleges, including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Southern California, federal prosecutors said.
Another well-known actress indicted in the scam is Lori Loughlin — best known for her role as Aunt Becky in the ABC sitcom Full House — and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli.
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