Felicity Huffman sentenced to 14 days in prison admissions scandal today

Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison Friday for her role in the fraud scandal. The famous television actress admitted to having paid $ 15,000 to try to improve the SAT score of her eldest daughter.

Huffman, 56, also received one year of probation, 250 hours of community service and a $ 30,000 fine. Huffman said in a statement that she was accepting the "unqualified court decision".

US District Judge Indira Talwani told Huffman that "being a good mother does not excuse that." She also noted that Huffman had not participated in the scheme for his second daughter.

"In terms of advancement and rehabilitation, go ahead and rebuild your life after that," Talwani said. "You paid your dues."

Prior to the conviction, Huffman apologized to Talwani in tears, saying that she was "deeply sorry" for her actions. She also apologized directly to her daughter, Sophia.

"I can only say that I am so sorry, Sofia, I was scared and stupid.I now see everything I knew to be wrong.I realize now that love and truth must go hand in hand. I take full responsibility for my actions, "she said.

Prosecutors had requested a one – year sentence for Huffman. Federal Prosecutor Eric Rosen said: "with all due respect to the accused, welcome to parenthood".

"That's what all parents are going through," Rosen said. "What parenting does not do, it does not make you a criminal.This forces you to cheat.We want all that is best for our children, but most parents have moral compass not to exceed expectations. "

In 2017, Huffman paid $ 15,000 to William Singer, an admissions consultant who allegedly bribed a test supervisor to make corrections to his daughter's SAT. According to the federal indictment, her daughter earned a score of 1,420, about 400 points higher than her PSAT score of the previous year.

Huffman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and fraud in May.

Earlier Friday, Talwani said that the size of the bribes paid by parents in the admissions scandal would not influence the severity of their punishments. Fifteen parents, including Huffman, pleaded guilty. Nineteen more are fighting the charges.