Felicity Huffman Will Plead Guilty in College Admission Bribery Case
Felicity Huffman and some of the other parents implicated in the college admission bribery scandal [...]
Felicity Huffman and some of the other parents implicated in the college admission bribery scandal have agreed to plead guilty.
Huffman was officially charged in the scandal last week after allegedly paying $15,000 to get her daughter into an elite school. In a statement published by E! News on Monday, she explained that she will plead guilty in the case.
"I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney's Office. I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions," Huffman said in her statement. "I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community."
"I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly," she went on.
Finally, Huffman assured fans in her own words that her daughter had no idea about the bribery, and was therefore innocent in the explosive scandal.
"My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her," the actress said. "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."
Huffman was among 13 parents who agreed to plead guilty, according to a press release from the Department of Justice, as well as one university athletic coach.
Huffman was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest service mail fraud. Her alleged payment was disguised as a charitable gift and paid through William Singer, who orchestrated the nation-wide scheme.
Huffman's payment was small in comparison to some of the other massive bribes allegedly dolled out in the scandal, which ranged up to half a million dollars. Huffman is accused of paying a standardized test proctor to forge a high score for her daughter, though many others allegedly paid coaches to falsely admit their children as star athletes.
There are still 20 other parents implicated in the scandal that have yet to make plea agreements like Huffman and the others on Monday.