Probation or prison? Felicity Huffman will be sentenced Friday in a program of admission to the university



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Felicity Huffman will learn Friday how she will be punished for her role in a massive college admissions scandal, revealing how much well-heeled parents had paid a college repairer to get their kids into college and university colleges. # 39; s elite.

The 56-year-old Oscar-nominated actress is expected to be sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty in May to paying thousands of dollars to bolster her daughter's college hopes. She pleaded guilty to committing postal fraud and fraud related to honest services.

Federal prosecutors said she should serve a one – month prison sentence and pay a $ 20,000 fine. And while the probation officers did not explicitly recommend a sentence for Huffman, they did say that there was "no casualties" or "no real or intentional loss".

The actress' attorneys, who co-starred in the television series "Desperate Housewives" and were nominated for an Oscar for "Transamerica," asked the judge to sentence her to a probation sentence. one year and 250 hours of work in the general interest. She would also pay a fine of $ 20,000, they said.

She is one of 50 people accused of cheating at the entrance to college, revealing how well-heeled parents had paid William "Rick" Singer to get their children into elite universities by increasing their scores at the university. tests or by posing them as high level athletes. admission. The actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, have also been indicted.

Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, fraud ploy in the United States and obstruction of justice in March. He cooperated with federal investigators.

Huffman has disbursed $ 15,000 for correcting the wrong SAT exam answers from his daughter Sofia Grace Macy, which has dramatically improved the PSAT's teen performance score, have said the prosecutors.

Huffman said in a letter to Judge Indira Talwani earlier this month that "there is no justification for what I've done," that "I could have said "no" to fraud on the SAT scores. "

Huffman wrote that other mothers had told him not to let his daughter's collegiate process in the hands of overworked administrators of her high school for the performing arts, and so it was. She became involved in Singer.

Singer later told Huffman that his daughter's math scores were still not up to par, that he could "make sure she gets the scores she needs." "by raising his scores after passing the test, said Huffman in his letter. The actress wrote that she was "shocked that such a thing exists."

Huffman finally accepted the ploy, she said in her letter to the judge. "As distorted as it may seem, I honestly began to think that I might be a bad mother if I did not do what Mr. Singer suggested," wrote Huffman in his letter.

"In my desperate desire to be a good mother, I persuaded myself that all I was doing was just kicking my daughter," wrote Huffman.

She also wrote that her daughter, who had no idea of ​​the scheme, was upset when she learned about the existence of this ploy and asked her why she did not believe in her or whether she could do the scores herself.

"I did not have an adequate answer for her, I could only say:" I'm sorry, I was scared and stupid, "said Huffman in his letter.

Prosecutors said in their sentencing memorandum last week that Huffman defrauded the College Board, the non-profit organizations that develop and administer the SAT and the colleges his daughter asked for, depriving competing candidates of Just a shot at admission.

"Huffman's conduct was deliberate and clearly criminal: it was false, she knew it and she actively participated in the handling of her daughter's guidance counselor, test services and schools in which her girl has applied, "wrote the prosecutor.

Prosecutors also wrote: "Neither probation nor house arrest (in a big house in Hollywood Hills with an infinity pool) would be a meaningful punishment or deter others from committing similar crimes."

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