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Felicity Huffman appeared in a federal court in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon to face a charge of paying a bribe to improve her daughter's SAT score.
Judge Alexander F. MacKinnon set his bond at $ 250,000. Although he was not charged, Huffman's husband, William H. Macy, sat at the forefront in court.
"Full House" actress Lori Loughlin was not in court, but the bond of her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, was set at a million dollars, collateral against his home, his charges being significantly more serious. When she appears, she will be allowed to return to Vancouver to work.
The next court date is March 29 in Boston for Huffman and Mossimo, who handed their passports to the court.
Huffman, who was wearing a dark shirt and glasses, answered "yes" to the question of whether she understood the charges. Her attorney, Evan Jenness, had requested that she be released on her recognizance, but the application had been denied. His property holdings are valued at more than $ 20 million, in addition to $ 4 million in liquid securities, the prosecution said.
Huffman is one of 46 people accused of the largest university admissions program in US history. Also accused of many CEOs, investors and other top professionals.
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Huffman was arrested at her home in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning. Although Macy was not charged in the case, the affidavit indicates that "Huffman and his wife accepted the plan".
Loughlin was not home Tuesday morning and has not been arrested yet. The authorities are working to negotiate its surrender. She and Huffman face a single piece of mail fraud related to the scheme.
Loughlin and her husband are accused of paying $ 500,000 for their two daughters to become USC.
In total, federal prosecutors laid charges against 33 parents, some of whom reportedly paid millions of dollars to bring their children to elite universities. The scheme would have been centered on William "Rick" Singer, Admission Consultant in Newport Beach, California. Singer would have developed a network of college coaches to help his clients enroll in selective universities.
Singer agreed to plead guilty in this case.
Criminal defense lawyers say that the admissions scandal has few precedents. There have simply been no cases like this before.
"We are in unknown territory here," said Peter Elikann, defense attorney and author of "Superpredators: The Demonization of Our Children by Law." "
It is not clear whether the case will be heard by a jury or whether a judge alone will preside. But the court of public opinion is not likely to be too sympathetic. College admissions affect so many people and there is a lot of resentment about the benefits that affluent people have when it comes to bringing their children to the schools of their choice. .
"The public could be in a bad mood," Elikann said. "It's as unpopular as possible. At the end of the day, people will be angry at all the good students, who work hard, who did everything right and who did the right thing and are not in those schools, because an unqualified person has stolen their place. "
Some of those charged may conclude plea bargains by paying fines and offering community service instead of letting the court process unfold. Much will depend on the amount of evidence that prosecutors have amassed. For Huffman and Loughlin, television actors with a long career in the eyes of the public, being a star could be a disadvantage.
"In a case as prestigious as this, it can be difficult to convince prosecutors to treat their clients like everyone else," said Dmitry Gorin, partner at Eisner Gorin LLP. "It's not because someone is a celebrity that he should be punished more."
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