Thirteen parents and one coach charged in the college admissions scandal will plead guilty, federal prosecutors announced Monday. One of the parents is Felicity Huffman, the actress who is among the best-known of the wealthy individuals arrested in the cheating case that broke last month.

The 14 defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. They have agreed to plead guilty in accordance with plea agreements.

Authorities charged 50 people in the scheme: parents allegedly paid millions of dollars to have their children's test scores and athletic achievements falsified to get them into elite colleges such as Yale University and the University of Southern California.

At least two of those colleges, Yale and Stanford University, have since revoked their offers of admission to students involved in the case.

Prosecutors say that plea hearings in the case have not yet been scheduled.</s>Felicity Huffman said Monday in a statement she is pleading guilty after being charged in the college admissions scandal, saying she has “deep regret and shame” over what she has done.

The former “Desperate Housewives” star admitted she paid at least $15,000 to arrange for a proctor to change answers on her eldest daughter’s SAT.

“I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney's Office,” Huffman, 56, said in her statement.

“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.

“I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community,” Huffman continued. “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. 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.”

Huffman, who appeared in a Boston court last Wednesday in connection with the scandal, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, according to the Department of Justice. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines. However, it is not likely Huffman will spend nearly that much time in prison, since no other charges were committed with the fraud and no violent crime was involved.

The actress is one of 14 defendants who have agreed to plead guilty, the Department of Justice said.

Dozens of parents were charged in the scheme, including “Fuller House” star Lori Loughlin. Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying $500,000 to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as elite rowers, even though neither had ever participated in the sport.

The organizer of the scheme, William Rick Singer, pleaded guilty last month to charges of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.</s>Actress Felicity Huffman agrees to plead guilty in college admissions cheating scam that has ensnared wealthy parents

BOSTON (AP) — Actress Felicity Huffman agrees to plead guilty in college admissions cheating scam that has ensnared wealthy parents.</s>Thirteen wealthy parents, including actress Felicity Huffman, and one coach will plead guilty to using bribery and other forms of fraud as part of the college admissions scandal, federal prosecutors in Boston said on Monday.

Huffman, the “Desperate Housewives” star, pleaded guilty to paying $15,000 to a fake charity associated with Rick Singer to facilitate cheating for her daughter on the SATs, the complaint says.

She faces up to 20 years in prison. In exchange for Huffman’s plea, federal prosecutors will recommend incarceration at the “low end” of the sentencing range, a $20,000 fine and 12 months of supervised release. They will not bring further charges.

A federal judge will have the final say on the outcome for Huffman and the other defendants.

“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,” she said in a statement.

“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. 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,” she said in the statement.

Huffman, Gregory and Marcia Abbott, Jane Buckingham, Gordon Caplan, Robert Flaxman, Agustin Huneeus Jr., Marjorie Klapper, Peter Jan Sartorio, Stephen Semprevivo and Devin Sloane were all charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud and have agreed to plead guilty, prosecutors said.

Bruce Isackson and Davina Isackson will plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Bruce Isackson will also plead guilty to money laundering conspiracy and conspiracy to defraud the IRS for taking a tax deduction for the bribe.

Finally, Michael Center, the former men’s tennis coach at the University of Texas, agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

Prosecutors recommended a range of sentences for those pleading guilty, from 12 to 18 months and unspecified “low end” amounts such as Huffman’s recommended sentence.

Rick Singer, who ran a college prep business, masterminded what prosecutors called the largest college admissions cheating scheme ever prosecuted in the United States.

Singer helped wealthy parents cheat on standardized tests for their children, and he bribed college coaches to falsely designate the children as recruited athletes, smoothing their path to admission.

The scheme helped the students get into highly selective universities like Yale, Stanford, University of Southern California and UCLA.

Several of the central figures in the case have already pleaded guilty, including Singer. Yale women’s soccer coach Rudy Meredith, who accepted a bribe to help a student get admitted, and Mark Riddell, who cheated for the students on the SATs and ACTs, have agreed to plead guilty and are cooperating witnesses for the prosecution.

John Vandemoer, Stanford University’s former sailing head coach, has also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering.

But a number of the defendants in the case have given no signs of a coming guilty plea, including “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli.

Loughlin and Giannulli allegedly agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team, easing their acceptance to the school.

The criminal complaint says Huffman and Singer exchanged multiple emails about how to get extra time on her daughters’ SAT.

They then arranged for Huffman’s daughter to take the SAT at a location controlled by an administrator who had been bribed by Singer, the complaint states. Riddell, the brains of the operation, then flew from Tampa to California to cheat on the test for Huffman’s daughter.

Huffman’s daughter received a score of 1420 out of a maximum of 1600 on the SAT, a score about 400 points over her Preliminary SAT exam a year earlier. Huffman later discussed the scheme in a recorded phone call with Singer, the complaint says.

In court last week, Huffman acknowledged her rights, charges and the maximum possible penalties. She waived a pretrial hearing, signed conditions of her release and then was free to leave. Her husband, the actor William H. Macy, is not charged in the case.

Prosecutors will be asking for jail time for all defendants, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. The defendants are facing anywhere between six to 21 months in prison if convicted or if they plead guilty, the official added, though the exact sentence would depend on a number of factors.

USC, Georgetown University and other schools implicated in the scheme have said they are reviewing the admissions of students accused of participating. Yale and Stanford have each expelled students associated with the scam.</s>Thirteen parents and one coach charged in the college admissions scandal will plead guilty, federal prosecutors announced Monday. One of the parents is Felicity Huffman, the actress who is among the best-known of the wealthy individuals arrested in the cheating case that broke last month.

The 14 defendants were charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. They have agreed to plead guilty in accordance with plea agreements.

Authorities charged 50 people in the scheme: parents allegedly paid millions of dollars to have their children's test scores and athletic achievements falsified to get them into elite colleges such as Yale University and the University of Southern California.

At least two of those colleges, Yale and Stanford University, have since revoked their offers of admission to students involved in the case.

Prosecutors say that plea hearings in the case have not yet been scheduled.</s>SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Actress Felicity Huffman has agreed to plead guilty in the college admissions cheating scandal.

Court documents made public Monday show Huffman and 12 other prominent parents will plead guilty in the scheme.

Huffman was accused of paying $15,000 to have a proctor boost her older daughter’s SAT score.

Huffman was among 50 people charged in what authorities have described as the biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department.

Officials say parents paid an admissions consultant to rig their children’s test scores and bribe coaches at elite universities to designate their kids as athletic recruits.

Fellow actress Lori Loughlin and Loughlin’s fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are also charged in the scam. They are not among those who’ve agreed to plead guilty and haven’t publicly addressed the allegations.

Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Actress Felicity Huffman has agreed to plead guilty in the college admissions cheating scandal.

Court documents made public Monday show Huffman and 12 other prominent parents will plead guilty in the scheme.

Huffman was accused of paying $15,000 to have a proctor boost her older daughter's SAT score.

Huffman was among 50 people charged in what authorities have described as the biggest college admissions scam ever prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department.

Officials say parents paid an admissions consultant to rig their children's test scores and bribe coaches at elite universities to designate their kids as athletic recruits.

Huffman said in a statement she was "ashamed of the pain" she caused her family, friends, colleagues and educational community.

She added that her daughter "knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her."

Actress Felicity Huffman arrives at federal court in Boston on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, to face charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Fellow actress Lori Loughlin and Loughlin's fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are also charged in the scam. They are not among those who've agreed to plead guilty and haven't publicly addressed the allegations.

In this Feb. 28, 2019 file photo, actress Lori Loughlin poses with her daughter Olivia Jade Giannulli, left, at the 2019 'An Unforgettable Evening' in Beverly Hills, Calif.</s>Actress Felicity Huffman is joining 13 other defendants in the college admissions scandal who are pleading guilty, according to the Department of Justice.

Huffman, a star on ABC’s Desperate Housewives and the wife of Shameless star William H. Macy admitted to paying $15,000 to get her older daughter unlimited time for her SAT test and to have a proctor administer the test and correct the answers.

Macy was not charged in the FBI Investigation.

“I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community,” Huffman said in a statement. “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.”

While revealing that her daughter knew “absolutely nothing” about the deal she made with scheme organizer William Rick Singer, Huffman added, “This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life.”

Singer pleaded guilty last month to charges of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice. Huffman agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

The max sentence for those charges? 20 years in prison and three years of supervised release and fines.

RELATED: Girl, Bye: Felicity Huffman’s Shame Is ‘Unfathomable’ After Trying To Get Her Mediocre Kid Into College

RELATED: How The College Admissions Scandal Lawsuit Affects Black Alumni Of Schools Involved

RELATED: How Many Scams You Got: Dozens, Including Celebs Charged In Alleged College Cheating Scandal

Felicity Huffman, 13 Others To Plead Guilty In College Admissions Scandal was originally published on myhoustonmajic.com

Also On 101.1 The Wiz:</s>Actor Felicity Huffman is among more than a dozen people who will plead guilty in the U.S. college admissions scandal as prosecutors aggressively wrest admissions from wealthy parents looking for deals to reduce their punishment.

The U.S. announced the agreements on Monday, identifying 13 parents and a University of Texas men’s tennis coach who have negotiated plea bargains in the largest college admissions scandal the U.S. has ever prosecuted. Many are making plea agreements that carry at least minimal prison time, although their lawyers will seek none.

Prosecutors have said the investigation continues and have indicated they will file further charges against others. In addition, a revised criminal complaint against two of the parents suggests a new avenue of investigation for the government — tax and financial advisers who may have helped conceal bribes as charitable donations.

Huffman, 56, will plead guilty to a felony, prosecutors said. She’s accused of paying the scam’s ringleader, William Rick Singer, at least $15,000 to cheat on a standardized admissions test for her oldest daughter.

Her husband, actor William H. Macy, isn’t accused of wrongdoing, but prosecutors said in a complaint that “Huffman and her spouse” made a payment to Singer’s foundation “to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme” under the guise of a donation “to provide educational and self-enrichment programs to disadvantaged youth.”

“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. “My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her.”

It is not clear what effect Huffman’s acknowledgment of guilt will have on her career. She has roles in several coming movies and television series, including playing prosecutor Linda Fairstein in the miniseries “When They See Us” about the so-called Central Park Five, five black and Hispanic teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of beating and raping a female jogger in Central Park in 1989.

Prosecutors said that Huffman and most of the other parents would plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, but it is unclear how much time, if any, Huffman and the other parents will receive. The plea agreement indicates prosecutors will seek a sentence of four to 10 months.

Their sentences may be affected in part by how much money each is alleged to have paid to Singer and others as part of the scheme. Huffman’s payment of $15,000 was among the smallest, according to court documents. Huffman’s and the 12 other parents’ sentences are also likely to be lighter as a result of their pleading guilty and not making the government go to trial.

Prosecutors are taking a hard line with the 33 parents swept up in the scandal after charging them last month with a conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest-services mail fraud. Those who don’t enter into a deal risk an additional charge such as money laundering.

That charge was brought earlier against oncologist Gregory Colburn and his wife, Amy — two of only three parents to be indicted so far — after they balked at a plea. The Colburns have denied wrongdoing and vowed to clear their name in court.

Now Bruce Isackson, one of the 13 parents who said they’d plead guilty, faces the charge.

He and his wife, Davina Isackson — the first parents the U.S. has identified as cooperating in the investigation — are accused of paying $600,000 to participate in the exam-cheating plot for their younger daughter and a college recruitment scheme for both of their daughters. In the recruitment plot, they are alleged to have funneled bribes to coaches to win the girls’ admission as recruited athletes.

Under the terms of his plea, Bruce Isackson faces between 37 and 46 months behind bars under federal sentencing guidelines, although his cooperation may win him significant leniency.

It isn’t clear what new evidence the Isacksons can give federal investigators, but the revised complaint against them suggests prosecutors may now look to tax and financial advisers. The government added a tax conspiracy charge against Bruce Isackson, saying he and “others known and unknown to the United States Attorney” helped prepare fraudulent returns.

Lawyers for the couple confirmed their cooperation and their planned guilty pleas.

The U.S. accuses the 33 parents of conspiring with Singer to shower $25 million in bribes on entrance exam administrators, a surrogate test taker and corrupt university sports coaches in order to get their children into Yale, Georgetown, Stanford and other exclusive schools.
• Marni Soupcoff: The U.S. college admissions scandal should not be a crime
• Why do Americans value their universities so much more than Canadians?

On Friday, Gordon Caplan, the former co-chair of Willkie Farr & Gallagher and one of the highest-profile parents charged, said he would admit guilt after being accused of paying $75,000 to participate in the exam scheme for his daughter. His statement followed a notice by Peter Jan Sartorio, a 53-year-old packaged-food entrepreneur from Menlo Park, California, that he’d also plead guilty.

Under the guidelines, court papers indicate, most of the parents could face some prison time. For example, the guidelines recommend a range of zero to six months for Sartorio, eight to 14 months for Caplan and 21 to 27 months for Agustin Huneeus, who is accused of conspiring to bribe the former water polo coach at the University of Southern California to get his daughter in as a recruit.

But defense attorneys may dispute the proposed ranges. The ranges themselves depend on many factors, including the amount of money involved in the crime, the nature of the conduct, the parents’ charitable and other good works, and their willingness to acknowledge guilt — as all will do in their pleas. The judge is allowed to impose a lesser term than is recommended by the guidelines.

Huffman faces four to 10 months under the guidelines. Prosecutors say they’ll recommend a sentence at the low end of that range. Her lawyers say they’ll seek as little as no jail time at all.

“No words can express how profoundly sorry we are for what we have done,” the Isacksons said in a statement on Monday. “Our duty as parents was to set a good example for our children and instead we have harmed and embarrassed them.” They added that they have also let down their “entire community” and said they have cooperated with prosecutors and would continue to do so.

Morris Fodeman, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said parents probably want to quickly cut a deal to get credit for accepting responsibility from a sentencing judge. “In a case with overwhelming evidence of guilt and no viable defense, there is often no reason to delay the inevitable,” said Fodeman, a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC, who isn’t involved in the case.

“Pleading guilty as soon as possible, saving judicial resources,” can show the defendant “is remorseful and fully accepts responsibility, all potential grounds for leniency at the time of sentencing,” he said.

The others who will plead guilty are Gregory and Marcia Abbott, Jane Buckingham, Robert Flaxman, Marjorie Klapper, Stephen Semprevivo and Devin Sloane.

A 14th parent, Toby MacFarlane, filed papers on Monday asking that his case be delayed, saying he and the government “are engaged in plea discussions and believe that the defendant will most likely plead guilty pre-indictment.” MacFarlane, a title insurance executive in Del Mar, California, is accused of planning to pay bribes to get his daughter into USC as a soccer player and, later, his son as a basketball player.

Michael Center, who coached tennis at the University of Texas, will also plead guilty, prosecutors said, joining two other ex-coaches — Rudy Meredith of Yale and John Vandemoer of Stanford — who have also acknowledged their guilt.

With files from Associated Press and New York Times</s>The parents are accused of paying bribes ranging from $50,000 to $1.2 million to have their children falsely designated as athletic recruits or have someone else take or correct SAT and ACT exams to boost the scores.

A federal grand jury in Boston returned an indictment against Loughlin, 54, her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, 55, and the other parents whom prosecutors charged last month with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for allegedly paying bribes to help their children gain admission into top colleges.

Hollywood actress Lori Loughlin, her husband, and 14 other wealthy parents implicated in the college admissions cheating scandal were indicted on money laundering charges Tuesday, opening a new phase in the high-profile case.

Advertisement

Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying $500,000 in bribes to have their daughters designated as crew recruits to gain admission to the University of Southern California. Neither daughter participated in the sport.

The money laundering charges were handed down one day after 13 parents, including actress Felicity Huffman, said they intended to plead guilty to a sole count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

Loughlin portrayed the character of Aunt Becky on the television show ‘‘Full House.’

Lawyers for Loughlin and Giannulli didn’t respond to requests for comment on Tuesday, but attorneys representing some of the other parents challenged the government’s case.

Boston attorney Martin G. Weinberg, who represents Miami parent Robert Zangrillo, 52, said the indictment hinges on a “novel theory” of money laundering.

“The paradigm of money laundering is to convert dirty money that comes from a crime,” Weinberg said. “Here, there’s no allegation any parent used illegally acquired money for any transaction. So this becomes, to me, a novel expansion of the money laundering statutes and we of course are going to strongly contest it.”

Advertisement

The indictment charges the parents with conspiracy to commit money laundering for allegedly funneling the payments through a purported charity and for-profit company set up by William “Rick” Singer, the admitted ringleader of the scheme who is now cooperating with authorities.

Singer then used the money to bribe coaches, test administrators, and others involved in the scheme, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges some of the parents wired the money to Singer from outside the United States “for the purpose of promoting the fraud scheme.”

Brad Bailey, a Boston criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor, said the money laundering charge increases the penalty parents will face if convicted and signals that prosecutors “are playing hardball.”

He said it could mean that Loughlin would face several years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering.

“For somebody with no criminal record who has notoriety as a beloved television star, that’s serious stuff and that’s real time,” Bailey said.

The other parents indicted Tuesday were:

Gamal Abdelaziz, 62, also known as “Gamal Aziz,” of Las Vegas.

Diane Blake, 55, and her husband, Todd Blake, 53, both of Ross, Calif.

I-Hsin “Joey” Chen, 64, of Newport Beach, Calif.

Elizabeth Henriquez and her husband, Manuel Henriquez, both 56 of Atherton, Calif.

Douglas Hodge, 61, of Laguna Beach, Calif.

Michelle Janavs, 48, of Newport Coast, Calif.

Elisabeth Kimmel, 54, of Las Vegas.

William McGlashan Jr., 55, of Mill Valley, Calif.

Marci Palatella, 63, of Hillsborough, Calif.

Advertisement

John Wilson, 59, of Lynnfield, Mass.

Homayoun Zadeh, 57, of Calabasas, Calif.

Boston attorney Tracy Miner, who represents Zadeh, called the new charges against her client “another instance of prosecutorial overreach.”

California attorney John Hueston, who represents McGlashan, said “the prosecutor’s case against Mr. McGlashan is deeply flawed and ignores important exculpatory facts. We look forward to presenting his side of the story.”

On Monday, federal prosecutors filed a plea agreement indicating they will argue that Huffman should serve between 4 and 10 months under sentencing guidelines. They will recommend she serve a term at “the low end” of that range. The guidelines, which are advisory, are based on the amount of the bribe. Prosecutors will also seek a $20,000 fine and restitution.

Huffman’s lawyers say her sentencing range should be zero to six months, according to the plea agreement. The judge will decide her sentence.

Huffman allegedly paid $15,000 — significantly less than most of the other parents charged in the case — in 2017 to have someone proctor her daughter’s SAT exam and correct her answers afterward.

Huffman was scheduled to plead guilty before US District Judge Indira Talwani on May 24, but has asked the court to reschedule it to May 21.

Shelley Murphy can be reached at Shelley.Murphy@globe.com. Travis Andersen can be reached attravis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.
16 people are indicted on new charges in the nationwide college admissions cheating scandal, one day after it was announced that 13 of the defendants charged in the case would plead guilty for conspiracy.