Actor Felicity Huffman and husband William H. Macy are sharing new details on their role in the sweeping U.S. college admissions bribery scam, revealing that their eldest daughter was traumatized by the sight of federal agents showing up at their home earlier this year.
In letters obtained by the Los Angeles Times and published Sunday, the couple wrote about the scandal to U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who will deliver Huffman’s sentence next week.
According to Macy, 19-year-old Sophia Grace “has nightmares from the FBI agents waking her that morning with guns” when Huffman was taken away in handcuffs in March. Huffman later pleaded guilty to shelling out $15,000 to rig her daughter’s SAT scores.
Two days after Huffman’s arrest, her daughter’s audition to an unnamed college was suddenly canceled via email.
“She called us from the airport in hysterics, begging us to, ‘Do something, please, do something,’” Macy recalled.
In her own letter, Huffman said she had convinced herself that the bribery was a necessary crime to ensure her child’s success.
“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,” the “Desperate Housewives” star said. “I see the irony in that statement now because what I have done is the opposite of fair.”
In a searing memo filed Friday and also obtained by the Times, prosecutors dismissed any notion that the actions of Huffman and the dozens of others allegedly involved were simply parental concern gone awry. Others charged in the scam include “Full House” actor Lori Loughlin and fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli, who both pleaded not guilty in April.
“All parents want to help their kids get ahead, yet most manage to steer clear of conspiracy, bribery and fraud,” they said.
Prosecutors are recommending a one-month jail sentence for Huffman, in addition to a $20,000 fine and one year’s probation, according to CBS News.