Felicity Huffman breaks silence over heartbreaking FBI arrest and jail stint

01 December 2023 , 14:06

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Felicity Huffman breaks silence over heartbreaking FBI arrest and jail stint

Felicity Huffman has spoken out for the first time since she was jailed after being convicted of paying a $15,000 (£11,800) bribe to correct wrong answers on her daughter's SAT tests.

Four years ago, the Desperate Housewives star, 60, spent 11 days in prison following her conviction. She paid the bribe to ensure her daughter Sophia Macy got top marks and landed a place at a top flight university.

In a brand new interview, Felicity has opened up about the night the FBI came to her home in relation to the scandal. She said they woke her daughters - Sophie and Georgia Macy - at gun point before taking her into custody.

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Felicity Huffman has spoken out (GMA/Twitter)

"I literally turned to one of the FBI people in a flak jacket and a gun and I went, 'Is this, is this a joke?'" she explained during an interview with ABC News' Marc Brown. Felicity soon found out it wasn't and she was sentenced to 14 days behind bars after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

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Sophia is believed to have had no knowledge of the scam until it was exposed. She has since taken the decision to re-sit her SAT exams after the scandal.

Speaking to ABC News, the actress explained why she made the decision to pay the bribe. She said: "It was sort of like my daughter's future, which meant I had to break the law."

The actress explained why she paid for the bribe (GMA/Twitter)

She added: "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." Felicity also apologised for her part in the scandal and admitted she almost stopped her daughter, who didn't know about the bribe from taking the test.

Felicity said she still feels "undying shame" about her involvement in the scandal. The actress spent 11 days at Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, last year. As well as her two weeks in jail, she also got a $30,000 (£23,000) fine, 250 community service and a year of supervised release.

Explaining why she was coming forward now, despite being released from prison four years ago, Felicity said she wanted to shine a light on the organisation A New Way of Life, where she completed her community service. The non-profit helps formerly incarcerated women get back on their feet by providing housing, clothing and job training.

Scarlett O'Toole