Felicity Huffman – star of Desperate Housewives and American Crime – was one of several dozen individuals recently convicted in a massive college cheating scandal.
Joseph Bonavolonta of the FBI’s Boston field office accused the parents involved of “flaunt[ing] their wealth, sparing no expense to cheat the system so they could set their children up for success with the best money can buy,” according to Fox News.
Huffman joins the likes of Full House’s Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli. Huffman reportedly paid $15,000 to have her eldest daughter’s SAT answers doctored post-exam. Making the payment on behalf of their eldest daughter, Sofia Grace, documents later revealed that the payment was disguised as a charitable donation.
The FBI stated they have phonecalls of Huffman discussing the conditions with a witness who has since agreed to cooperate with authorities. Huffman now face charges of mail fraud.
Felicity Huffman never claimed to be a righteous one
When discussing her dynamic with William H. Macy, and their respective parenting styles, Huffman revealed that she’s the less sensible of the two. In a statement to US Weekly, Huffman stated:
“He’s very pragmatic and he’s very level-headed and he’s very moral, and I’m on the other side. I’m very… reactionary, amoral and not level-headed.”
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Sunday in her Papa’s lap.
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Whether Felicity Huffman was speaking from a place of sincerity and full-disclosure or harboring guilt for her recent actions is up for debate; however, either way, it does suggest that her involvement in the cheating scandal should come as no surprise.
Macy, speaking on behalf of the college admissions process stated:
“I’m the outlier in this thing. We’re right now in the thick of college application time, which is so stressful. I am voting that once she gets accepted, she maybe takes a year off. God doesn’t let you be 18 twice. I know from casting, if you need a 25-, 26-year-old actress, there are a lot of them out there and they’re really good. But if you need a 15-, 16-year-old actress, it’s tough. Sofia looks young. I think this is an opportunity for her. But it’s just my opinion, and we’ll see what she wants to do, what Felicity thinks and how the chips fall. My daughter Georgia, she’s interested in politics, political science and pursuing that. She’s in a very academic school and killing it.”
Considering the eldest daughter, Sofia is not painted as the academic genius Felicity seems to be in Macy’s eyes, Huffman was likely concerned that Sofia would not receive admission into an elite institution. However, putting ration and law aside, it seems that Huffman decided to put status and reputation before the urge to do what’s right.
However, despite Felicity’s apparent knack for academia, Huffman nearly participated in the cheating scandal a second time before deciding to back out, according to Fox.
How the college entrance exam scam worked
According to ET, a witness met with Macy and Huffman in 2017, prior to the SAT exam date, and explained how the scam worked. The witness told the couple that he controlled a test center, and he could arrange for a third party member to adjust her test answers after completion. According to the witness, Huffman and Macy agreed to the plan.
Huffman and the witness, according to court papers, had several email exchanges throughout the Summer of 2017 to ensure that everything went as intended. A second witness stated that, after Sofia took the exam, he flew from Florida to L.A to proctor the test, according to ET.
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On this week’s episode of #Shameless…Frank breaks his leg. Wait till you see it. It’s seriously gross. The guy talking to me in the third picture is Iain B. MacDonald. One of my favorite directors. When he’s sober, he’s awesome. #OnlyOnShowtime
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This was a well thought out, and extremely intricate plan involving several members. Huffman, Loughling, and all others involved should not be able to use their wealth, privilege, and status to guarantee collegiate success; thus, all should, and according to the FBI and College Board, will be held accountable.
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