Huffman gets 14 days in college scam

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star Felicity Huffman was sentenced on Friday to 14 days in prison for paying $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT scores, tearfully apologizing to the teenager for not trusting her to get into college on her own.

“I was frightened, I was stupid, and I was so wrong,” Huffman said as she became the first parent sentenced in a college admissions scandal that ensnared dozens of wealthy and well-connected parents.

The scandal exposed the lengths to which parents will go to get their children into the “right” schools and reinforced suspicions that the college admissions process is slanted toward the rich. In sentencing Huffman, US District Judge Indira Talwani noted the outrage the case has generated, adding that it “isn’t because people discovered that it isn’t a true meritocracy out there.” The outrage, she said, was because Huffman took steps “to get one more advantage” in a system “already so distorted by money and privilege.”

Prosecutors had sought a month in prison for Huffman, while her lawyers said she should get probation. A total of

Felicity Huffman

51 people have been charged in the scheme, the biggest college admissions case ever prosecuted by the Justice Department. Prosecutors said parents schemed to manipulate test scores and bribed coaches to get their children into elite schools by having them labeled as recruited athletes for sports they didn’t even play.

Huffman paid $15,000 to boost her older daughter’s SAT scores with the help of William “Rick” Singer, an admission consultant at the center of the scheme. The amount Huffman paid is relatively low compared with other bribes alleged in the scheme. Some parents are accused of paying up to $500,000.

Huffman must report for her prison sentence in six weeks. She also must pay a $30,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service. “I would