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11 months ago
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Felicity Huffman has been spotted for the first time since breaking her silence on the Varsity Blues scandal.
The former Desperate Housewives star spoke out on Friday and said that she had to bribe her daughter's way into college 'to give her a future'.
Huffman, 60, was spotted exiting Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles as she donned a casual, all black outfit with a large gray scarf.
She completed the look with a messy bun, a pair of circular sunglasses, along with black and white Nike Dunk Lows.
EXCLUSIVE: Felicity Huffman was spotted as she exited Vibiana- a event venue in downtown Los Angeles days after she spoke out about her involvement in the college admissions scandal
The actor donned a casual, all black outfit with a large gray scarf and black and white Nike Dunk Lows
She was reportedly helping set up a Christmas party event at the venue. Huffman sported an open black leather jacket and held what looked to be wallet or phone in her hand
The actor bribed fraudster Rick Singer $15,000 in 2017 to fudge her daughter Sophia's SAT score and bolster her chances of admittance to America's top universities.
She was arrested in 2019 and spent 11 days in jail for the crime and paid $30,000 in fines.
'It felt like I had to give my daughter a chance at a future. And so it was sort of like my daughter's future, which meant I had to break the law,' Huffman added.
She was just one among a group of wealthy, famous celebrity parents who were swept into the scandal.
Actress Lori Loughlin was also jailed for paying for both her daughters to be accepted into USC.
In her first public remarks outside of the courtroom, Huffman, 60, tells ABC that she thought it was 'a joke' when FBI agents turned up at her mansion to arrest her.
'They came into my home, they woke my daughters up at gunpoint - again, nothing new to the black and brown community - then they put my hands behind my back and handcuffed me.
'I asked if I could get dressed. I thought it was a hoax. I literally turned to one of the FBI people in a flak jacket and a gun and I go "is this a joke?"
The former Desperate Housewives actor cracked a smile as she exited Vibiana
The actor bribed fraudster Rick Singer $15,000 in 2017 to fudge her daughter Sophia's SAT score. She was arrested in 2019 for her involvement and spent 11 days in jail
Her daughter Sophia currently studies theater at Carnegie Melon and said that she had no idea that her parents hired Singer
Huffman dished out $30,000 in fines for the crime. Other famous and wealthy celebrities like Lori Loughlin took part in the scheme as well
Though Huffman said she regretted the scheme, she also felt that she had no choice but to do it for her daughter Sophia who she previously said had a learning disability and would not have been accepted otherwise.
'I think I feel the people I owe a debt and an apology to is the academic community and to the students and the families that sacrifice and work really hard to get to where they are going legitimately.'
Sophia currently studies theater at Carnegie Melon.
During the interview, she went on to speak about how she has participated in A New Way of Life, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated women reintegrate into society.
'I want to use my experience and what I've gone through and the pain to bring something good,' she said.
Huffman and actor husband William H. Macy hired Singer to help Sophia improve her scores in order to get into college.
She claims the scheme was not obvious at first but became clear when Singer told them Sophia would not be accepted into any schools without greasing the wheels.
'It felt like I had to give my daughter a chance at a future. And so it was sort of like my daughter's future, which meant I had to break the law,' Huffman said
Huffman said that on the day of the SAT exam her daughter Sophie was nervous and asked if they could go for ice cream afterwards
During the scheme, Singer had paid off a handful of discreet SAT test supervisors who would inflate students' scores once they had completed the exam
'After a year, he started to say your daughter is not going to get into any of the colleges that she wants to.'
'And I believed him. And so when he slowly started to present the criminal scheme, it seems like - and I know this seems crazy at the time - but that was my only option to give my daughter a future.
'And I know hindsight is 20/20 but it felt like I would be a bad mother if I didn't do it.
'So - I did it,' Huffman said.
Sophia was unaware that her parents had paid for someone to alter her test answers after she completed the SATS.
During the scheme, Singer had paid off a handful of discreet SAT test supervisors who would inflate students' scores once they had completed the exam.
On the day of the SAT test, Huffman said that Sophia was nervous and asked if they could go for ice cream afterwards.
'She was going, "Can we get ice cream afterwards?"' Huffman recalls. "I'm scared about the test.'
In her interview with ABC, Huffman said that she regretted being involved, but felt that she had no choice but to do it for her daughter Sophia who she previously said had a learning disability
Huffman and actor husband William H. Macy hired Singer to help Sophia improve her scores in order to get into college
She joined A New Way of Life, an organization that helps formerly incarcerated women reintegrate into society. 'I want to use my experience and what I've gone through and the pain to bring something good,' she said
She claims the scheme was not obvious at first but became clear when Singer told them Sophia would not be accepted into any schools without greasing the wheels
Huffman showed off a stern poker face as she walked in front a red SUV. She felt that if she didn't go along with the scheme, her daughter might have not gotten into college
'What can we do that's fun? And I kept thinking, turn around, just turn around.
'And to my undying shame, I didn't,' Huffman said.
Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giuliani had their daughters masquerade as sports stars, propping them up on rowing machines to fudge applications that presented them as athletes.
Singer, the mastermind behind it all, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in January of this year.
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