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Felicity Huffman and 13 other high net worth defendants in the college fraud plead guilty on Monday and are likely to receive less than a year in prison.
But actress Lori Loughlin, another major player charged in the case, was not one of those who pleaded on Monday.
The star of Full House and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, have also been charged with conspiracy to commit postal fraud and honest service fraud.
Loughlin, 54, and Mossimo, 55, are two of the estimated 50 people involved in a national swindle aimed at bribing people in colleges, including Yale.
The family would have paid $ 500,000 to bypass the system and guarantee their children a place at the USC. They are accused of lying about their children in the rowing teams.
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Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli (party in green tie), have not yet pleaded or contracted with prosecutors. They are presented in court on April 3 in Boston
Huffman and the 13 others who pleaded guilty Monday could receive between four and ten months in prison, according to Us Weekly.
"Well, the deal for people who have lost their seats today is the best deal possible," said former New York State Attorney Adam Lemron at Fox News.
"This obviously helps them to advocate quickly not to drag the case and it shows that they are responsible for their actions and that they show remorse.
"I am sure that during the pre-trial interviews, they present themselves with remorse and already make statements of remorse.
"So, they are not stupid people – they know how to act to get the best deal and also play in court to get the lightest possible sentence.
"Again, even if there were seven to nine [months of possible prison time], the deal is in this range from zero to six – that's the lowest you'll get.
"With Lori Loughlin, it's not clear and it's possible that nothing has been offered yet.
"[Federal prosecutors] could say, "We are going to do these fifteen people this week and these people next week for interviews" – or if they hold her to a less advantageous offer with a heavier prison sentence. "
But Loughlin and her husband are likely to be sentenced to harsher sentences by not agreeing quickly to an advocacy agreement like the others, said Lemon.
"If I were his lawyer and he was offered something less advantageous, my recommendation would be to let the dust settle, to let these people express themselves and to have two more News cycles where people start to lose focus on the case, "Lemon said.
"So that's quite possible, but we do not know if they've offered him anything yet, or are just waiting to give him something when they make the next round of people."
Lemon criticized Loughlin after the actor was seen signing autographs for fans after landing at Boston Airport, where the case is ongoing in federal court.
"The optics look horrible for Lori Loughlin," he said.
"The court wants you to see that you take it seriously, that you have remorse, that you are responsible for your actions and that you do not consider it a concert.
"This is a very serious procedure with serious charges with a lot of ramifications … She should not have treated this as a red carpet affair.
"She feels unquenchable – she does not take it seriously."
The next step in the Huffman affair is an advocacy hearing that has not yet been set. She will be sentenced.
His maximum sentence is 20 years in prison, three years of probation, and a fine of $ 250,000.
She was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and loyalty fraud for paying someone to alter the SAT results of her 18 year old daughter in December 2017.
In a statement, Huffman said that she had "betrayed" her eldest daughter, Sofia, by paying $ 15,000 US for someone else to change her SAT test results in order to prevent her. improve your chances of getting into a good school.
Felicity Huffman (photo in court April 3) has agreed to plead guilty to mail fraud for his role in the scam
Huffman issued this statement on Monday while she agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit postal fraud and honest service fraud.
"I plead guilty to the charge brought against me by the US Attorney's Office.
"I fully recognize my guilt and, with deep regret and shame for what I have done, accept responsibility for my actions and accept the consequences that follow from them.
"I am ashamed of the pain I have caused to my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community.
"I'm ashamed … I want to apologize to hard-working students every day for entering the university and their parents who are making huge sacrifices to support themselves." to the needs of their children and do it honestly
"I would like to apologize to them and, in particular, to hardworking students every day to enter the university and to their parents who are making tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do it honestly.
"My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions and, erroneously and deeply mistaken, I betrayed her.
"This transgression to her and to the public that I will carry all my life.
"My desire to help my daughter is not an excuse to break the law or be dishonest," we read.
This is the first time she's been making a public comment about the scandal since her arrest in March.
The 13 others who have also agreed to plead guilty are Jane Buckingham, Gordon Caplan, Robert Flaxman, Agustin Huneeus, Marjorie Klapper, Gregory Abbott, Marcia Abbott, Peter Jan Sartorio, Stephen Semprevivo, Devin Sloane and Bruce and Davina Isackson.
Fifty people were charged in total.
Coach Michael Center, 54, of Austin, Texas, head coach of men's tennis at the University of Texas at Austin, also agreed to plead guilty.
BLISS
Huffman paid $ 15,000 for someone to change his daughter Sofia's SAT scores in December 2017.
It was one of two ways that the brain of the ploy, Rick Singer, was operating.
They planned her over the phone after a meeting at her house and their conversations were detailed in the indictment.
& # 39; In [Singer], he informed Huffman and his wife that he "controlled" a test center and that he could have a third party claim to be watching over their daughter's SAT and correct his answers secretly thereafter, " we.
Huffman and her husband William H. Macy are accompanied by their eldest daughter Sofia (left), whose test was manipulated, and their youngest daughter Georgia in January
The test was held in West Hollywood and was one of two where Singer had administrators on his payroll.
The first step towards their goal was to convince the committee to let Sofia take her exam with extra time over two days.
This allowed him to take him to the designated examination center.
When this was granted, Huffman sent an email to Singer telling him: "Hooray! She had it & # 39;
They had problems when his school tried to insist on appointing their own supervisor, which Huffman also described in e-mails.
& # 39; Ruh Ro! Looks like [my daughter’s high school] wants to provide his own supervisor, "she wrote.
They ironed and organized it for her to pass the test at the desired location.
Once her December 3 test was over, the "supervisor" – Mark Riddell – examined his exam and modified the wrong answers to improve his score.
She scored 1420, 400 points higher than she had in her practice test.
Sofia is still a teenager and we think she has not left for college yet.
It is unclear where she intended to apply, but schools, including USC, the most affected by the scandal, said they would not allow anyone as part of the act. ;charge.
Huffman's husband, William H. Macy, is photographed Monday in Los Angeles. He was not charged
Macy did not join his wife during his last court appearance. He still has to talk about the scandal
Huffman paid $ 15,000 for someone to change Sofia's answers once she finished her SAT exam.
She considered using the program again for her youngest daughter Georgia, but decided not to take it in February 2018.
Her husband, William H. Macy, was not arrested or charged. He did not join him when he last appeared in court.
Instead, she entered the courthouse holding the hand of an unidentified man.
Macy was photographed in Los Angeles Monday, while his wife's call was announced.
The fraudulent scheme was led by 58-year-old Rick Singer.
He has raised more than $ 25 million in bribes from desperate parents to bring their children to prestigious schools.
He had either summoned them by someone who was modifying their test responses or, in some cases, passed the whole test for them, either claiming to be star athletes recruited for their athletic abilities.
To achieve this, he bribed sports coaches from various colleges who joined fake athletic profiles and college test administrators who diverted their gaze while the tests were being handled. He faces 60 years behind bars.
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