Felicity Huffman and 12 other parents to plead guilty in college bribery scandal
Actress Felicity Huffman has agreed to plead guilty to participating in the biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department. Along with the 56-year-old actress, 12 others are pleading guilty. The ones coming forward and pleading guilty are among the 50 accused by federal prosecutors in Boston, of engaging in a bribing method and getting their children into well-known universities. Reports have it that individuals paid as much as $25 million in bribes to secure their child's seat.
Documents made public on Monday show Huffman and 12 other prominent parents will plead guilty in the scheme and Huffman herself has been accused of paying $15,000 to boost her older daughter's SAT score. Officials say parents paid an admissions consultant to rig their children's test scores and bribe coaches at elite universities to designate their kids as athletic recruits.
Fellow actress Lori Loughlin and Loughlin's fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are also charged in the scam. They are not among those who've agreed to plead guilty and haven't publicly addressed the allegations.
Earlier today, Stanford University expelled a student who lied about her sailing credentials in her application, which was linked to the college-admission bribery scandal. The university quietly announced it had rescinded the student's admission in a short statement posted on its website April 2 after determining "some of the material in the student's application is false." The statement added: "The student is no longer on campus."
University officials previously said the student was admitted without the recommendation of former Stanford sailing coach John Vandemoer, who pleaded guilty to taking bribes in exchange for helping students get into the elite university. They said a $500,000 contribution to the sailing program was made several months after the student was admitted. The Stanford Daily first reported on Sunday that the student had been expelled.
After pleading guilty, Huffman issued a statement to CNN, saying: "I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney's Office. 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."
With AP inputs