Felicity Huffman released on bail of $ 250K, passport at the hearing

UPDATED with more details: Felicity Huffman did not have to plead Tuesday as part of the scheme of corruption in the elite colleges for which she had been charged earlier in the day, but the actor had to hand over a piece of money and his passport to the Federal Court of Los Angeles. His release was ordered in the expectation of a bail of $ 250,000.

Huffman is scheduled to appear in Boston court on March 29 for a preliminary hearing.

Standing in front of US Judge Alexander F. MacKinnon and with a cracked voice, Huffman, remarkably drawn and dressed casually, responded with a "yes" on several occasions during the hearing. today to the question of whether she understood the charges before her.

With guards at their side, Huffman and the ten or so other Los Angeles locals arrested in the sting this morning were in a glassed-in area at the back of the courtroom. There was also Huffman's husband and Shameless Star William H. Macy, who was sitting among the families of the other accused, with her head bowed, looking at the floor or reading documents. He only raised his head to raise his hand when the judge asked him if he was in the courtroom and handing him his driver's license and another piece of identification for verification as part of the signing of the bond.

Huffman, the former Emmy winner Desperate housewives star, and 45 others were charged in a multi-million dollar ploy by wealthy parents to bring their children to big schools with bribes and false sports skills.

His appearance in federal court this afternoon comes hours after the American crime the actor was arrested. Fuller House Star Lori Loughlin is also facing the same charges but was not arrested this morning. she was out of town and flew into LAX this afternoon. Her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, was arrested and also appeared in court on Tuesday.

Represented by attorney Mark Harris, Giannulli also today asked for a $ 250,000 bond, prohibiting travel only to the United States. Although Loughlin is not in court, his placement in this case was also discussed. Apparently also represented by Harris, the Hallmark Channel's regular representative has asked the court for slightly lenient travel restrictions. Specifically, the actor also wants to be able to travel to Vancouver, British Columbia, for work. MacKinnon admitted that the request seemed reasonable, but that it should be dealt with later by another magistrate.

Although the hearing for many of today's accused began two hours after the start of the hearing, Huffman's appearance before the judge was relatively quick: it began at 4:18 pm local time, ending at 16.30. In addition to the actor's succinct answers, Huffman's attorney general, Evan Jenness, and federal prosecutors were fighting over most of his time arguing over his bail and other conditions.

Jenness promised that her client would not become "an international fugitive" and argued that she should be released under her commitment. Saying that Huffman had real estate assets in excess of $ 20 million and other investments of up to $ 4 million, the government strongly advocated a bond that would represent at least 1% of Huffman's resources.

While MacKinnon agreed with the federal government on the amount of the bond, he did not accept that Huffman could not discuss the case with Macy, rejecting the government's claim that he considered him "a witness to his conduct".

Following today's hearing, Huffman's trip is limited to the continental United States. However, as is often the case with high profile defendants, the judge stated that international travel would be allowed if the court allowed it.

Discovered after recorded conversations and more during a one-year investigation conducted by the FBI and the US Attorney's Office, Huffman specifically "made an alleged charitable contribution of $ 15,000 to participate in the ploy." cheat at the college entrance examination on behalf of his eldest daughter ". Indictment read this morning in Boston by Andrew Lelling, the US District Attorney of Massachusetts. Huffman, CAA, also paid an undisclosed amount to a person who "controlled" a Los Angeles SAT test center to correct his daughter's erroneous examinations. This effort led to a massive increase in the girl's test score and, consequently, her admission to a large college.

Warned in the pursuit of another case, the federal government discovered a $ 25 million scam led by the World Key William Singer Foundation. The money, collected by the associations in the form of "donations" from parents, would have financed an illegal activity, including hiring other people to pass admission exams for potential students, remunerating officials. to change test scores and bribe coaches so that their children could be admitted as recruited athletes they had never played sports. Singer and several high school coaches pleaded guilty earlier Tuesday.

Among those charged in the March 6 indictment, Huffman could be sentenced to five years in prison if convicted.

Although mentioned in the grand jury indictment, Macy was not charged in the national case. Massachusetts District Attorney General, Lelling, called the case "the biggest fraud in university admissions ever pursued by the Department of Justice."