Felicity Huffman Released from Custody on $250K Bond Amid College Admissions Scam
We're here today to announce charges in the largest college admission scam ever prosecuted by the Department of Justice. We've charged 50 people nationwide, with participating in conspiracy that involved first cheating on college entrance exams, being the SAT and the ACT. And second, securing admission to elite colleges by bribing coaches at those schools to accept certain students under false pretenses. In return for bribes, these coaches agreed to pretend that certain applicants were recruited competitive athletes. When in fact, the applicants were not, as the coaches knew. The student's athletic credentials had been fabricated. Overall today we have charged three people who organized these scams, two SAT or ACT exam administrators, one exam proctor, one college administrator Nine coaches at elite schools and 33 parents who paid enormous sums to guarantee their children's admission to certain schools through the use of bribes and fake academic and athletic credentials. A central defendant and scheme William Singer, Will plead guilty today to charges of racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and obstruction of justice. Singer allegedly ran a college counseling service and something called the Key World Wide Foundation, between roughly 2011 and 2018. Wealthy parents paid Singer about $25 million in total.
The consequences of Felicity Huffman's alleged actions in the shocking college admissions scam just became real. On Tuesday evening, the actress was arrested for her presumed role in the scandal, as armed FBI agents escorted her from her Los Angeles home.
Twelve hours later, the Desperate Housewives alum was released from custody after she posted $250,000 bail, according to the Associated Press. However, until her preliminary hearing, which is scheduled for March 29 in Boston, Huffman is ordered to hand over her passport.
Huffman's actual charges include conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud after she allegedly gave $15,000 “to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her oldest daughter,” the indictment states per People.
Meanwhile, Lori Loughlin was in Vancouver, Canada when the FBI issued a warrant for her arrest. Instead, they took her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, into custody, but he was released after posting $1 million bail.
Loughlin and Huffman are just two of 50 individuals who have been indicted for paying up to $6 million to secure their children spots in top college universities in the nationwide scandal.
“Dozens of individuals involved in a nationwide conspiracy that facilitated cheating on college entrance exams and the admission of students to elite universities as purported athletic recruits were arrested by federal agents in multiple states and charged in documents unsealed on March 12, 2019, in federal court in Boston,” a release read from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.
Stay tuned, as we have a feeling this story is far from over.
