Yahoo News Felicity Huffman recalls arrest at gunpoint in college admissions scandal: 'Thought it was a hoax'
"It felt like I had to give my daughter a chance at a future," Huffman said in her first interview since the scandal, "which meant I had to break the law."
Felicity Huffman has spoken out against her own involvement in the infamous college admissions scandal that landed both the Desperate Housewives actress and Full House star Lori Loughlin in prison.
In her first interview about the criminal affair that saw her pay $15,000 to falsify her daughter's SAT scores in 2017, the 60-year-old Oscar nominee spoke to Los Angeles' ABC7 about the ordeal.
"It felt like I had to give my daughter a chance at a future, so it was sort of like my daughter’s future, which meant I had to break the law," Huffman explained, adding that, on the day of the exam, she considered turning her car around and driving her daughter home instead of to the testing location, but instead endured personal "shame" and went through with it anyway.
Huffman also recounted being arrested over the incident in 2019, telling the outlet that the F.B.I. raided her home and apprehended her at gunpoint.
"They put my hands behind my back and handcuffed me, and I asked if I could get dressed, and I thought it was a hoax," she remembered. "I literally turned to one of the FBI people in a flak jacket and a gun and I went, 'Is this a joke?'"
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Felicity HuffmanIt was, in fact, a serious matter, and Huffman ended up spending 11 days in jail atop paying a $30,000 fine. Loughlin — one of many who were charged in the wide-reaching scandal — ultimately served two months in prison before being released in December 2020. The scandal's mastermind, William "Rick" Singer, was sentenced to 3.5 years in jail.
Huffman finished the interview by noting that she hoped to use her story to bring attention to the families that go through legitimate channels to advance education in their families, and to raise awareness for the New Way of Life organization which aims to help formerly incarcerated women get back on their feet through job placement, housing, and other services.
Both Huffman and Loughlin have since returned to acting, with Huffman appearing on the TV series The Good Doctor and Loughlin fronting a pair of Christmas films for the controversial Great American Family network.
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