Felicity Huffman, Ex-Texas Tennis Coach Among Defendants to Plead Guilty in Admissions Scandal
Former Texas tennis coach Michael Center and actress Felicity Huffman were among 14 defendants charged in relation to the college admissions scandal and pleaded guilty to their charges Monday.
Huffman is one of 11 who was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Huffman allegedly paid William Singer $15,000 for her daughter to be a part of the college entrance exam cheating scandal.
Huffman issued the following statement:
"I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney's Office. I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions. 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. This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty."
Center, the lone coach among the defendants to plead guilty Monday, also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. He took $60,000 in cash from Singer and another $40,000 directed to the tennis program back in 2015 for listing one of Singer's clients as a tennis recruit.
Center was fired last month for his involvement in the scandal.
A plea hearing for the parents has not been scheduled yet.
