Felicity Huffman is free on bail following her arrest in a college bribery scheme.
A spokesperson for the United States Attorney’s Office has confirmed to ET that the former “Desperate Housewives” star, 56, was released on a $250,000 bond following her indictment on Tuesday. In addition, Huffman was ordered to surrender her passport, and has been ordered to appear in federal court in Boston on March 29.
According to Deadline, Huffman appeared “noticeably drawn” and spoke in “a cracked voice” when she appeared before a judge on Tuesday.
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Huffman’s husband, “Shameless” star William H. Macy, was on hand for her court appearance, and reportedly “sat among the families of other defendants with his head down staring at the floor or reading documents.”
Huffman and 45 others were indicted in a multimillion-dollar scheme in which wealthy parents allegedly paid substantial bribes to get their children into top universities, notes Deadline.
Also indicted was “Fuller House” star Lori Loughlin, who is facing the same charges but was out of town and was not taken into custody on Tuesday morning; her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, however, was arrested, and was among those who appeared in court alongside Huffman.
A year-long investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office found that Huffman “made a purported charitable contribution of $15,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter,” according to the indictment.
The indictment also alleges that Huffman paid an undisclosed sum to an individual who “controlled” an SAT testing centre in Los Angeles, who corrected incorrect exam answers in her daughter’s test, leading to a huge increase in the SAT score that allowed her to be admitted to a top university.
If found guilty, Huffman could face up to five years behind bars.
