Hollywood star Felicity Huffman pleads guilty to conspiracy charge in college admissions scandal
- She is among 50 people accused of taking part in a college admissions scheme that involved cheating or bribery
- Prosecutors have charged 33 parents with taking part in the scheme with consultant William ‘Rick’ Singer, including Huffman, and actress Lori Loughlin
Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty on Monday to paying to rig a college-entrance exam for her daughter, part of a wide-ranging scandal in which wealthy parents used bribery and fraud to secure their children spots at prominent US universities.
The one-time star of the television series Desperate Housewives pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to a conspiracy charge related to her payment of US$15,000 to have someone secretly correct her daughter’s answers on the SAT exam.
She is among 50 people accused of taking part in a scheme that involved cheating or bribery. Wealthy parents paid US$25 million to bribe coaches to help their children gain spots at universities like Yale, Georgetown and the University of Southern California.
William “Rick” Singer, a California college admissions consultant, pleaded guilty in March to charges that he facilitated the cheating and helped bribe coaches to present their children as fake athletic recruits.
Twenty people so far have agreed to plead guilty since officials carried out a wave of arrests under the code name “Operation Varsity Blues” on March 12. Prosecutors have said the investigation is ongoing.
