Felicity Huffman Asks Judge for Probation Despite Prosecutors' Call for Jail Time in College Scandal
Felicity Huffman may face up to one month in prison if a judge follows the recommendation of federal prosecutors.
Prosecutors recommended the 56-year-old actress face one month in prison, and followed with 12 months of supervised release as well as a $20,000 fine, PEOPLE confirms.
Through her attorneys, Huffman asked the judge on the case for one year of probation and community service. The actress had 27 people write letters of support to the judge, including her husband William H. Macy and Eva Longoria, who starred with her in Desperate Housewives.
Huffman pleaded guilty on May 13 to her role in the college admissions scandal, in which she paid $15,000 to facilitate cheating on daughter Sofia’s SAT test by having a proctor correct the teen’s answers.
In Huffman’s sentencing memorandum, which was reviewed by PEOPLE, prosecutors described her conduct as “deliberate and manifestly criminal.”
“It was wrong, she knew it was wrong, and she actively participated in manipulating her daughter’s guidance counselor, the testing services and the schools to which her daughter applied,” the document reads. “Her efforts weren’t driven by need or desperation, but by a sense of entitlement, or at least moral cluelessness, facilitated by wealth and insularity.”
The actress will be sentenced on Sept. 13.
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“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 April upon agreeing to plead guilty.
“My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her,” she continued. “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.”
Huffman’s husband Macy was not charged in the scandal. The two married in 1997 and share 18-year-old Sofia and 17-year-old Georgia. A source told PEOPLE in April that Huffman and Macy have remained united during the difficult time.
