UPDATE: Massachusetts Federal Judge Indira Talwani has sentenced Huffman to 14 days in prison, a $30,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service.
"Trying to be a good mother does not excuse any of this," Talwani said when handing down her sentencing, according to Fox News. But, she added the actress has regained her moral compass.
UPDATE: Huffman offered a teary statement in court, telling the judge she's "deeply ashamed" of what she's done, particularly because of how ashamed her daughter was.
Huffman says her daughter asked her “Why did you do it? Why didn’t you believe in me?”
— Adam Bagni (@AdamBagni) September 13, 2019
“I have inflicted more damage than I could’ve ever imagined.” #FelicityHuffman #WCVB
ORIGINAL POST
"Desperate Housewives" star Felicity Huffman will be the first parent to be sentenced in the wide ranging college cheating scandal in Boston federal court on Friday. She reportedly faces jail time and a fine.
Actress Felicity Huffman arrived at a Boston federal court with husband William H. Macy Friday for sentencing after pleading guilty to fraud charges in the college admissions scandal; Huffman has admitted to paying $15,000 to boost her daughter's SAT score https://t.co/7uRwogE4uG pic.twitter.com/qIQQFs9huK
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) September 13, 2019
Ahead of her sentencing, Huffman wrote a 1,400-word letter to Massachusetts Federal Judge Indira Talwani in an attempt to offer a "bigger picture" about her behavior.
“I find Motherhood bewildering,” she wrote. "From the moment my children were born I worried that they got me as a Mother. I so desperately wanted to do it right and was so deathly afraid of doing it wrong.”
But, she knows her actions were wrong.
"I know there is no justification for what I have done," Huffman said.
In May, Huffman pleaded guilty to paying college counselor William “Rick” Singer $15,000 to alter her older daughter’s SAT score in 2017. She apologized in an emotional statement.
"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," Huffman said in a statement obtained by Fox News. "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," the statement continues, "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."
But her crime seems to pale in comparison to what "Full House" star Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of. They reportedly shelled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their daughters into the University of Southern California. The parents, unlike Huffman, refuse to acknowledge any wrongdoing, rejected a plea deal and are determined to fight the charges in court. Their next scheduled hearing is October 2.
Fifteen other parents have pleaded guilty.
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this piece read that Huffman faced a month in prison. The actress will serve two weeks.
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