Actress Lori Loughlin and Oscar-nominee Felicity Huffman are among a group of 46 people who have been charged in a widespread college admissions bribery scandal.
Prosecutors filed charges against 33 parents, some of whom are accused of paying between $200,000 and $6.5 million to get their children into elite universities.
Also among the accused are nine college coaches who are accused of accepting bribe payments in exchange for granting admission. The scheme also involved faking SAT and ACT scores.
“Their actions were without a doubt insidious, selfish and shameful,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI office in Boston. “Today’s arrests should be a warning to others. You can’t pay to play. You can’t lie and cheat to get ahead.” The FBI dubbed the investigation “Operation Varsity Blues.”
Huffman appeared in a federal courtroom in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon to face a charge of paying a bribe to boost her daughter’s SAT score.
Judge Alexander F. MacKinnon set her bond for $250,000. Though he was not indicted, Huffman’s husband William H. Macy sat in the front row in court.
“Full House” actress Lori Loughlin was not in court, but her husband Mossimo Giannulli’s bond was set at $1 million, secured against his home, since his charges were significantly more serious. When she has been arraigned, she will be allowed to return to Vancouver to work.
Huffman and Giannulli both later posted bond and left the courthouse.
The next court date is set for March 29 in Boston for both Huffman and Mossimo, who surrendered their passports to the court.
Wearing a dark sweater and glasses, Huffman answered “yes” when asked if she understood the charges. Her attorney Evan Jenness had asked that she be released on her own recognizance, but the request was refused. Her real estate assets are valued at more than $20 million, in addition to $4 million in liquid securities, the prosecution specified.
