Felicity Huffman Pleads Guilty in College Bribery Scandal

There’s been a dramatic development in the “Varsity Blues” scandal in which several parents, including Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), of high school and college-aged students were charged by the United States Attorney’s Office for attempting to rig the system in order to get their kids into top universities.

According to TMZ, Huffman, wed to actor William H. Macy (Shameless), has entered a plea of guilty, which will mean the case against her does not need to go to trial.

Huffman had reportedly paid Rick Singer $15,000 to alter her daughter’s SAT test. She was given not only twice the amount of normal time to complete the exam, but her answers were corrected afterward by a proctor.

“I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney’s Office,” Huffman said. “I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions.

“I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community. I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly.

“My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her. This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty.”

From here, Huffman will have to appear in court again to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and a judge will then issue a sentence but more than likely far less than the 20 years that can be imposed. Prosecutors reportedly are asking for jail time.