Huffman among wealthy parents charged over college entry scam
‘DESPERATE Housewives’ actress Felicity Huffman is among 50 wealthy parents charged with bribing college coaches and insiders at testing centres to get their children into some of America’s elite universities.
Authorities called it the biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the US Justice Department.
“These parents are a catalogue of wealth and privilege,” attorney Andrew Lelling said in announcing the $25m (€22.1m) bribery case.
At least nine athletic coaches and 33 parents were among those charged. Dozens, including Huffman, were arrested.
Prosecutors said parents had paid an admissions consultant since 2011 to bribe coaches and administrators to label their children as recruited athletes, to alter test scores and have others take online classes to boost their children’s chances.
Parents spent anywhere from $200,000 (€177,000) to $6.5m (€5.75m).
The coaches worked at universities such as Stanford, Georgetown, Wake Forest, the University of Southern California and University of California, Los Angeles.
A former Yale soccer coach pleaded guilty and helped build the case against others. No students were charged.
Court documents said Huffman paid $15,000 that she disguised as a charitable donation so her daughter could be included in the college entrance-exam cheating scam.
A co-operating witness had met Huffman and her husband actor William H Macy – who was not charged – and explained to them that he “controlled” a testing centre and could have somebody secretly change her daughter’s answers.