Felicity Huffman Was Sentenced to Prison for Her ‘Desperation to Be a Good Mother’

Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty to her involvement in the big college admissions scandal and served 12 days in prison. The actress regrets and is ashamed of jeopardizing her daughter Sophia's future. Sophia was eventually admitted into a prestigious college on her own merit, and her mother is also getting back to acting.

Felicity Huffman, the actress known for her role in "Desperate Housewives," was involved in the big college admissions scandal.

On March 12, 2019, the Attorney's Office in Massachusetts announced that 50 people had been charged in the cheating scandal, including Huffman, actress Lori Loughlin, and her fashion designer husband, J. Mossimo Giannulli.

Huffman was accused of paying $15,000 to help her daughter Sophia get into college. She paid the money to William "Rick" Singer, who reportedly ran a nonprofit organization, Key Worldwide Foundation ("KWF"), that turned out to be a cover-up for accepting brides from wealthy parents.

Why Did Felicity Huffman Commit the Crime?

According to reports, Huffman's payment was for her daughter's SAT scores to be bumped up so she could get into the program of her choice.

The actress has two daughters, Sophia and Georgia, with her husband William H. Macy. She reasoned that she sought help from doctors and other experts after her eldest daughter Sophia was "diagnosed with learning disabilities."

Huffman confessed that she had worked with Singer for a year and consulted about her daughter, Georgia, who she also revealed had learning disabilities. The mother of two felt at ease working with Singer because he seemed good at his job.

Singer also told her that Sophia's SAT scores were too low for the theatre program she was interested in and even said the colleges would not consider her for auditions.

As Huffman faced the reality that her daughter may not be accepted into college, Singer reportedly suggested they get a proctor to up her SAT scores. The actress was shocked but thought she would be a bad mother if she did not do as told.

Eventually, Huffman admitted that the decision to break the law haunted her, and she eventually asked Singer to stop the process for Georgia. However, the damage had already been done. The actress was one of the 14 people in the college cheating scandal who pleaded guilty.

Huffman was initially sentenced to a month in prison, but it was reduced to 14 days with an addition of a $20,000 fine and 12 months of supervision after her release. The 60-year-old wrote a letter to the judge expressing:

“In my desperation to be a good mother, I talked myself into believing that all I was doing was giving my daughter a fair shot."

Despite what she might have thought was an act of motherhood, Huffman took responsibility for her actions. "I have broken the law, deceived the educational community, betrayed my daughter, and failed my family," she said.

The actress continued to express that she was ready to accept any punishment from the court. But she kept wondering what drove her to this decision. "I keep asking myself, why did I do this? Why did I say yes to a scheme of breaking the law and compromising my integrity?" Huffman reiterated.

Huffman also clarified that her daughter knew nothing of her deal with Singer and admitted that her actions would be something that she would regret for the rest of her life.

The actress revealed that everything she did affected her relationship with Sophia. She recalled her standing before her with tears, asking her why she did not believe in her.

All she could do as her mother was apologize for making a decision on behalf of her daughter that had the potential to negatively affect her future and the reputation of her entire family.

Life After Felicity Huffman Was Released from Prison

Huffman was reportedly the first person involved in the college cheating scandal to serve time in prison but will not be the last. The actress ended up only serving 12 out of the 14 days she was sentenced due to the Bureau's prison policies.

However, a former prosecutor, Anthony Barrasso, said Huffman's sentence was light and did not fit the crime she had committed. Barrasso reiterated that he had clients who had also committed mail fraud but could not even dream of a sentence as short as 14 days.

The actress served at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, which was described as more of a "club" that included activities like ping pong, yoga, Zumba, with access to computers and radios.

However, someone who served nine years at the prison said the facility was not necessarily a vacation as it had certain rules that needed to be followed, which was not the kind of life that Huffman was accustomed to.

After the whirlwind of public scrutiny surrounding Huffman and her family, her daughter Sophia was eventually admitted into the prestigious college, Carnegie Mellon University, which she started attending in the fall of 2020.

Sophia subtly announced the big news by changing her bio on Instagram to "CMU Drama '24." Her sister Georgia also got accepted into Vassar College.

Huffman was reportedly proud of Sophia for staying strong during the stressful time that her family faced. "It was a painful, challenging time, and she pulled through it with strength and grace," said a close source.

Things have also started looking up for Huffman, as she is now back on screen. The actress spoke about her role on the hit series "The Good Doctor." where she plays "The Good Lawyer," Janet Stewart.

She expressed her excitement about working on the show alongside people she had the pleasure of working with in the past, as well as her excitement about the twists and turns her character would be dealing with.