Felicity Huffman’s indictment for her alleged involvement in the ivy league admissions scheme known as Operation Varsity Blues continues to bring fresh updates. Of course, it also resurrected a poorly aging tweet, some unsuccessful ridicule from Donald Trump Jr., and jokes aplenty about “Aunt Becky,” but when it comes down to the legal side of things, Huffman, Lori Loughlin, and dozens of others are on the hook for some serious white collar crimes. These charges could result in up to five years behind bars, and on Tuesday morning, the FBI wasn’t messing around when it came to arresting the Desperate Housewives actress. The LA Times reports that the federal agents arrived at her house and arrested Huffman at gunpoint:
When Felicity Huffman opened the door to her Los Angeles home at 6 a.m. Tuesday, she was met by FBI agents with their guns drawn, according a source familiar with the incident. The agents informed her of the charges in a sweeping college admissions fraud case and handcuffed her, the source said. Huffman spent hours in federal custody at a detention center in downtown Los Angeles.
Huffman later posted $250,000 bail after a short court appearance, for which her husband, William H. Macy, was present. As with Loughlin and per the Justice Department’s full indictment list, she’s being charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Loughlin’s status is listed as “[w]ill self-surrender on 3/13 in Los Angeles,” although (and for whatever reason), the FBI felt it necessary to arrest Huffman in a raid.
That difference in treatment between Huffman and Loughlin is puzzling, yet the LA Times details how Huffman not only allegedly issued a $15,000 bribe within this scheme, but she also paid a third party to game her eldest daughter’s SAT score — with drastic and quite obvious results:
Huffman’s older daughter allegedly took the test in December 2017 and received a score of 1420. That was a 400-point improvement from her first test. In October 2018, Huffman was recorded by the FBI discussing participating in the same scheme for her younger daughter; however, she did not ultimately pursue it.
Meanwhile, it hasn’t escaped notice that although Macy was not indicted as part of this scheme, Huffman’s unnamed “spouse” was apparently involved in the, uh, negotation process:
Second, yes, William H. Macy was in this up to his neck. He's SPOUSE in this phone transcript, arranging the fraudulent SAT. pic.twitter.com/99RDe4Hrio
— Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) March 12, 2019
You can read the full analytical Twitter thread from CUNY professor and student advocate Angus Johnston here. Huffman is scheduled to make her next court appearance in Boston on March 29.
UPDATE: TMZ reveals that Loughlin was taken into custody on Wednesday morning after surrendering herself as agreed, although FBI agents apparently did try to apprehend her at home on Tuesday:
Law enforcement sources tell us Loughlin made prior arrangements to meet with FBI Agents Wednesday for her surrender.
As we reported … the FBI showed up at her doorstep early Tuesday morning, but she wasn’t home because she was shooting in Vancouver. FBI agents arrested her husband, Mossimo clothing founder Mossimo Giannulli, who was also indicted in the bribery scam, and made arrangements with Lori’s team for her to turn herself in when she got back to L.A.
