Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman will plead guilty to mail fraud in relation to the massive college admissions scandal, which saw a slew of parents pay obscene bribes to sneak their children into elite American universities.
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Citing federal prosecutors in Boston, CNN reports Huffman will plead guilty to paying roughly AU $21,000 to a fraudulent charity set up by Rick Singer, the ‘fixer’ at the middle of the scandal.
It is alleged that Singer operated a vast and scammy network which funnelled underperforming students into elite universities, like Yale and Princeton. Singer allegedly paid sports coaches to recruit students without any requisite sporting ability. It is alleged he also facilitated cheating on standardised admissions tests – a service Huffman is accused of acquiring for her daughter.
“I am in full acceptance of my guilt,” Huffman said in a statement obtained by CNN.
“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.”
Huffman maintained her daughter had no knowledge of her alleged interference.
Twelve other parents are slated to plead guilty on similar fraud charges. Incredibly, one parent will also plead guilty money laundering charges after claiming the fraudulent charity payment as a tax wrote-off.
A plea hearing has not been set.
