Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday in Boston, Massachusetts, for her role in the college admissions scandal.
Felicity Huffman was sentenced Friday in Boston, Massachusetts, for her role in the college admissions scandal.
The 56-year-old actress was sentenced to 14 days in prison, one year of supervised release, 250 hours of community service working one-on-one with children and a $30,000 fine. Her husband, William H. Macy, was present to support his wife, and the two held hands as they entered the courthouse.
According to court documents obtained by ET last Friday, the U.S. Attorney requested that Huffman be sentenced to one month of incarceration, followed by one year of supervised release and a fine of $20,000. Meanwhile, on her end, Huffman requested that the court sentence her to one year of probation, 250 hours of community service as a special condition of probation and the $20,000 fine called for by the plea agreement.
The actress has admitted to paying $15,000 to help get her eldest daughter, 19-year-old Sophia, into an elite college by cheating on the SAT. Inside the courtroom, Huffman cried before she was sentenced and told the judge that she took full responsibility for her actions and was prepared for whatever sentencing was handed down. The actress also apologized to Macy as well as her daughters, 19-year-old Sophia and 17-year-old Georgia, and said she betrayed them all. Huffman recalled driving Sophia to the SAT testing center, when her daughter asked her if she could get ice cream after.
"I remember thinking: turn around, just turn around. To my eternal shame, I didn't," Huffman said.
Huffman also said her daughter has told her, "I don't know who you are anymore."
In a statement after the sentencing, Huffman said she accepted the court's sentencing.
"I accept the court’s decision today without reservation," the statement reads. "I have always been prepared to accept whatever punishment Judge Talwani imposed. I broke the law. I have admitted that and I pleaded guilty to this crime. There are no excuses or justifications for my actions. Period. I would like to apologize again to my daughter, my husband, my family and the educational community for my actions. And I especially want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children.
"I have learned a lot over the last six months about my flaws as a person," the statement continues. "My goal now is to serve the sentence that the court has given me. I look forward to doing my community service hours and making a positive impact on my community. I also plan to continue making contributions wherever I can well after those service hours are completed. I can promise you that in the months and years to come that I will try and live a more honest life, serve as a better role model for my daughters and family and continue to contribute my time and energies wherever I am needed. My hope now is that my family, my friends and my community will forgive me for my actions."
Huffman formally pleaded guilty to charges of mail fraud and honest services mail fraud back in April.
"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 at the time. "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, 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."
In a letter to the judge obtained by ET on Monday, Huffman once again took full responsibility, but provided some context for her actions. The former Desperate Housewives star said Sophia struggled with "Sensory Modulation Issues" -- explaining, "she would under or over respond to the outside world and couldn't regulate herself" -- and said that ultimately, Sophia was diagnosed with learning disabilities. Huffman insisted that she didn't care about her daughter going to a prestigious college, but rather, was concerned that her acting auditions at top schools would be ignored due to her struggling grades and scores.
"To my utter shame, I finally agreed to cheating on Sophia's SAT scores, and also considering doing the same thing for Georgia," she wrote, explaining that a tutor offered to alter the scores. "But the decision haunted me terribly; I knew it was not right."
"I find Motherhood bewildering," she added, referring to herself as "insecure and highly anxious." "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. 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. I see the irony in that statement now because what I have done is the opposite of fair."
A source told ET last week that the actress was "very emotional," but trying to stay strong for her family as she prepared for her sentence. The source added that Huffman and 69-year-old Macy still have "a very strong relationship," and although they want this ordeal to be behind them, they "fully understand and respect the legal process."
Huffman and Macy arrived in Boston on Wednesday for her sentencing, ET exclusively reported. An eyewitness told ET that the couple was talking to each other throughout the duration of the flight, and despite being in first class, it was very clear that they were not receiving any "special treatment" from the airline.
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