Felicity Huffman to Be Released on $250,000 Bond After Facing Judge Over College Bribery Scandal
Felicity Huffman is expected to post bail shortly after being taken into custody for her alleged involvement with a college admissions cheating scam involving elite colleges and universities.
A judge ruled late Tuesday that the actress could be released on a $250,000 bond, according to the Associated Press.
She was also ordered to hand over her passport and is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing at a Boston court on March 29, Deadline reports. She currently remains at the Downtown Los Angeles courthouse.
During the hearing, Huffman’s husband William H. Macy remained by her side. As the judge read off the charges against his wife, Macy, 69, reportedly sat with his head down around families of other defendants, according to Deadline.
Earlier on Tuesday, Huffman was arrested after being charged by federal prosecutors with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.
Federal court records unsealed Tuesday in Boston name 50 people, including Huffman and Fuller House actress Lori Loughlin, who have been indicted as part of the alleged nationwide scheme, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
“Dozens of individuals involved in a nationwide conspiracy that facilitated cheating on college entrance exams and the admission of students to elite universities as purported athletic recruits were arrested by federal agents in multiple states and charged in documents unsealed on March 12, 2019, in federal court in Boston,” the release says.
Athletic coaches from Yale, Stanford, the University of Southern California, Wake Forest and Georgetown, among others, are implicated, as well as parents and exam administrators, the release says.
Huffman, 56, allegedly gave $15,000 “to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her oldest daughter,” the indictment in the case states.
Federal agents secretly recorded telephone calls with Huffman and a cooperating witness, which allegedly show Huffman agreeing to pay the lage sum of money in order to help Sofia, 18, get a higher SAT score, the indictment states.
RELATED: Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin Among Dozens Indicted in Alleged College Admissions Scam
Loughlin allegedly gave $500,000 to say her child was part of the rowing team, when that was not true, the indictment states.
The indictment alleges the scheme helped students gain acceptance to top schools by helping them cheat on college exams.
Some named in the court documents allegedly paid bribes of up to $6 million to get their children into elite colleges, according to federal prosecutors.
RELATED: William H. Macy Called His Marriage to Felicity Huffman a ‘Fairytale’ Before Her Indictment
Federal agents secretly recorded telephone calls with Huffman and a cooperating witness, according to the court papers, and also obtained emails from Loughlin allegedly implicating her in the scam, the documents state.
Reps for Huffman and Loughlin did not immediately return calls by PEOPLE for comment.
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