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Felicity Huffman among 13 parents to plead guilty in admissions scandal

Actress Felicity Huffman.
Actress Felicity Huffman. Photo: Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Federal prosecutors in Boston said Monday that actress Felicity Huffman, 12 other parents and the former head coach of men's tennis at the University of Texas at Austin have agreed to plead guilty after being charged in a massive college admissions scheme last month.

"I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community. I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly. My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her."
— Huffman wrote in a statement

The big picture: Huffman is one of dozens of wealthy parents facing federal criminal charges for bribing coaches and paying William "Rick" Singer — the ringleader of the scheme — to forge standardized tests in order to get their children admitted to prominent American colleges such as Yale, Stanford, and the University of Southern California.

Defendants pleading guilty, according to prosecutors:

  1. Gregory Abbott, 68, of New York, N.Y., together with his wife, Marcia, agreed to pay Singer $125,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for their daughter;
  2. Marcia Abbott, 59, of New York, N.Y.;
  3. Jane Buckingham, 50, of Beverly Hills, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $50,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for her son;
  4. Gordon Caplan, 52, of Greenwich, Conn., agreed to pay Singer $75,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for his daughter;
  5. Robert Flaxman, 62, of Laguna Beach, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $75,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for his daughter;
  6. Felicity Huffman, 56, of Los Angeles, Calif., agreed to pay Singer at least $15,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for her oldest daughter;
  7. Agustin Huneeus Jr., 53, of San Francisco, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $300,000 to participate in both the college entrance exam cheating scheme and the college recruitment scheme for his daughter;
  8. Marjorie Klapper, 50, of Menlo Park, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $15,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for her son;
  9. Peter Jan Sartorio, 53, of Menlo Park, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $15,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for his daughter;
  10. Stephen Semprevivo, 53, of Los Angeles, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $400,000 to participate in the college recruitment scheme for his son; and
  11. Devin Sloane, 53, of Los Angeles, Calif., agreed to pay Singer $250,000 to participate in the college recruitment scheme for his son.
  12. Bruce Isackson, 61, and Davina Isackson, 55, of Hillsborough, Calif. agreed to pay Singer an amount, ultimately totaling $600,000, to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for their younger daughter and the college recruitment scheme for both of their daughters.

Go deeper: The major developments in Operation Varsity Blues

College Bribery Scandal