Felicity Huffman’s lawyers are working to have their client serve her two-week sentence in a minimum security women’s prison that is consi...
Felicity Huffman’s lawyers are working to have their client serve her two-week sentence in a minimum security women’s prison that is considered by locals to be a ‘Club Fed.’
The Desperate Housewives star on Friday was sentenced by a federal judge in Boston to two weeks behind bars after she pleaded guilty to paying a bribe in order to inflate her daughter's SAT test scores.
Huffman’s attorneys on Friday requested that she be allowed to serve her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California - about 30 southeast of Oakland.
Martin Murphy, a lawyer who represents the actor, made the request on Friday to Judge Indira Talwani.
Murphy asked Talwani to make the recommendation to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which will ultimately decide where Huffman serves her sentence.
Desperate housewife: Felicity Huffman (above arriving in court) was sentenced to 14 days in federal prison for paying $15,000 to have her daughter's SAT falsified by a proctor
Huffman's attorney has asked the judge presiding over her case to recommend to the United States Bureau of Prisons that she be allowed to serve her 14-day sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California (pictured above in September 2014)
FCI Dublin is one of four minimum security federal penitentiaries that houses an exclusively female inmate population
Dublin has had a reputation as one of America’s cushiest prisons. The prison is located close to the Bay Area, where the weather is pleasant year-round. Locals have even dubbed the facility 'Chateau Dublin'
‘It’s the closest to Ms. Huffman’s residence [in Los Angeles],’ Murphy told the court on Friday.
FCI Dublin is one of four federal penitentiaries in the United States prison system that exclusively houses female inmates.
The prison population at Dublin is 1,235 inmates.
If Huffman is granted her request and is sent to Dublin, she will have to abide by the prison rules, which include making her bed in time for a daily inspection at 6.30am.
Inmates are also required to be in bed for lights out at 10pm every day.
Huffman can also expect to have visitors on Saturdays and Sundays between 8am and 2pm, though inmates are not allowed to receive gifts.
Inmates are permitted to receive $35 from visitors, though that money can only be used for the vending machines.
Dublin has had a reputation as one of America’s cushiest prisons, according to Forbes.
The prison is located close to the Bay Area, where the weather is pleasant year-round.
Two of the prison's most famous ex-inmates include Heidi Fleiss (left), the notorious 'Hollywood Madam' who ran a high-end prostitution ring that serviced wealthy clients in the entertainment industry; and Patty Hearts (right), the daughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. Patty Hearst was convicted for helping a left-wing terrorist organization rob a bank in the 1970s
Another famous former inmate is Sara Jane Moore (seen left in 1975 and right in 2009). In 1975, Moore tried to assassinate then-President Gerald Ford. She was sentenced to life in prison, but was released on parole after serving slightly more than 30 years
The prison also housed two of the five white Los Angeles police officers who were filmed in March 1991 beating black motorist, Rodney King. The officers were acquitted in state court, which was a key factor in igniting the Los Angeles riots of 1992. Two officers were charged and convicted in federal court of violating King's civil rights
Locals have even dubbed the facility 'Chateau Dublin'.
'The community came up with it because it’s more like a luxury retreat than a prison,' one source told RadarOnline.
'Also, they came up with a moniker so they didn’t have to refer to it as a prison.'
Inmates are also allowed up to $320 per month to spend at the prison commissary, which offers candy, cookies, ice cream, instant coffee, toiletries, and greeting cards for sale.
There are also televisions in the lobby which are available for viewing on weekdays until 8.45pm, though the prison does provide exceptions for any special programming, including major sporting events or news.
Inmates are also allowed to play card games and board games in the lobbies.
The facilities also offer inmates job training in the fields of customer service and sales for those interested in working at its call center.
Inmates are taught telephone manners and techniques as well as computer typing.
The prison offers education courses such as English, Spanish, vocational training in computer graphics and software, and apprenticeship programs in a number of fields, including plumbing, landscaping, and construction.
Inmates are also given the option of pursuing ‘recreation and leisure’ activities and programs, according to the official Bureau of Prisons (BOP) handbook for Dublin.
All by her self: Huffman was seen with swollen eyes (above) as she left court on Friday after being sentenced
America crime: She will also have to pay a $30,000 fine, serve 250 hours of community service and will be placed on probation for a year following her release (above)
Fateful day: Huffman is the first parent to be sentenced for their role in the scandal
Juxtaposition: 'Wealthy people who get their picture taken get off, poor people who garner little more than a press release go to jail,' said Rosen (above)
They include arts and crafts, intramural team sports like softball and volleyball, and physical fitness and weight loss programs.
‘These programs help inmates develop an individual wellness concept,’ the BOP says in its guidebook.
‘Physical fitness and weight reduction programs are also important activities for an inmate and contribute to mental health, good interpersonal relations and stress reduction.
‘In addition, inmates can learn to use their free time constructively.’
The prison is not entirely fun and games, however. Inmates face restrictions in their email communications, the recipients of which must be pre-approved.
Emails are sent through a software that gives the recipients of the messages the option of accepting or rejecting correspondence.
Email messages are also limited to 13,000 characters, and there are no pictures or other attachments.
Dublin has had some famous inmates in its history.
Among the most notable are Heidi Fleiss, the ‘Hollywood Madam’ who was convicted of money laundering and tax evasion in 1997.
Fleiss gained fame for operating a prostitution ring that catered to high-profile Hollywood clients.
Sentenced to seven years in prison, she ended up serving 20 months in Dublin before being released to a halfway house in 1998.
Another famous inmate at Dublin was Patty Hearst.
The daughter of publishing giant William Randolph Hearst, Hearst made headlines in 1974, when she took part in a bank robbery with members of the Symbionese Liberation Army.
The SLA, a left-wing anti-capitalist terrorist organization, kidnapped Hearst when she was 19 years old.
Hearst then joined the group, though she later claimed to have been brainwashed, threatened, and sexually assaulted in captivity.
After her conviction in 1976, she served 21 months at Dublin thanks to then-President Jimmy Carter’s commutation of her sentence.
In 2001, she received a full pardon from then-President Bill Clinton.
Sara Jane Moore was released on parole in 2007 after serving 32 years of a life sentence for the attempted assassination of then-President Gerald Ford.
Before Dublin became an all-female prison, it also housed famous male inmates, including Stacey Koon and Laurence Powell.
Koon and Powell were two of five white Los Angeles police officers filmed in the violent beating of Rodney King in 1992.
They were acquitted in a California court that year, contributing to the racial tensions that led to the Los Angeles riots.
Federal authorities tried and convicted Koon and Powell for violating King’s civil rights.
They served 24 months in prison.
While the conditions at Dublin may not be as brutal as other facilities, those who have served time behind bars say that Huffman is still in for a rough time.
For two weeks, the actress will exchange the comfortable confines of her Los Angeles home for a noisy, crowded dormitory where inmates eat prison food while their every move is watched by guards.
Family: The actress (above with her siblings and Macy) entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud earlier this year
Foreshadow: Huffman's offense was the least grievous of the parents who have been indicted
Holli Coulman, a former Hewlett-Packard executive who served 15 months in a different federal prison after she was convicted of fraud, told Bay Area News Group that she was routinely harassed and abused by guards.
Coulman served time at the minimum security prison in Victorville, California.
Martha Stewart, the domestic lifestyle mogul, spent five months in a minimum-security prison in West Virginia in 2004.
She was convicted of lying to federal investigators about securities violations.
In 2017, she told Katie Couric: 'It was horrifying, and no one - no one - should have to go through that kind of indignity, really, except for murderers, and there are a few other categories.'
Stewart was asked if prison time was a 'growth experience.'
'That you can make lemons out of lemonade? What hurts you makes you stronger? No,' she said.
'None of those adages fit at all. It’s a horrible experience. Nothing is good about it, nothing.'
Huffman must report for her prison sentence in six weeks. She also must pay a $30,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service.
'I would like to apologize again to my daughter, my husband, my family and the educational community for my actions,' Huffman said in an emailed statement after the sentencing hearing.
'And I especially want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children.'
Huffman will serve 14 days in federal prison, followed by a year of probation for paying a five-figure bribe in exchange for a proctor falsifying her daughter's standardized aptitude test to get the teen a higher score.
The actress, 56, addressed the court just moments before she learned her fate, breaking down in tears as she said: 'I have inflicted more damage than I could’ve ever imagined.'
She then admitted her guilt once more and told the judge her actions were 'frightened, stupid and so wrong,' and added that she deserved whatever sentence was handed down.
That tearful display came almost 30 minutes after the hearing kicked off with the federal prosecutor assigned to the case reprimanding the actions that resulted in Huffman's indictment and ridiculing her excuses.
Right off the bat, the prosecution commented on Huffman's claim that it was her 'parental anxiety' that lead her to bribe an official in order to guarantee her daughter a better SAT test score.
'With all due respect to the defendant, welcome to parenthood,' said Assistant US Attorney Eric Rosen.
'There's no instruction manual. Parenthood is exhausting and stressful, but that's what every parent goes through.'
He later noted: 'Parenthood does not make you a felon or make you cheat. It makes you serve as a positive role model.'
Prosecutors reiterated their sentencing recommendation to the court on Friday by very plainly stating: 'The defendant, Felicity Huffman, must go to jail for one month because the only meaningful and sufficient sanction for her criminal activity she engaged in is prison.'
Huffman was ordered to self-report to a facility determined by the Bureau of Prisons on October 25 by Talwani, who shared with the court how she arrived at her ruling after hearing from prosecutors, the defense and Huffman.
'The outrage in this case is a system that is already so distorted by money and privilege in the first place,' noted Talwani.
'And that in a system in that context, that you took the step of having one more advantage to put your child ahead.'
Rosen then used his time to tear apart Huffman's defense team and their request for a year probation, 250 hours of community service and a $20,000 fine.
'The punishment she proposes, is no punishment at all,' declared Rosen.
'Punishment is doing something they don’t want to do, not something she already does and enjoys.'
As for the financial penalty suggested by the defense, Rosen stated: 'A $20,000 fine for someone worth in the tens of millions amounts to little more than a rounding error.'
Rosen also came armed with a number of cases where lower-class Americans who committed similar offenses for far more altruistic reasons were sent to prison.
'Wealthy people who get their picture taken get off, poor people who garner little more than a press release go to jail,' said Rosen.
'In prison, there is no paparazzi, in prison everyone is treated the same, wears the same clothes and is subject to the same rules.'
One of those cases, in Akron, Ohio, resulted in a mother being sentenced to 10 days in jail because she wanted her daughter to get into a better public school and falsified her address.
'If a poor, single mom from Akron goes to jail, there is no reason why a wealthy, privileged mother should avoid the same fate,' said Rosen.
He also took aim at Huffman's decision to cite her frayed relationship with her two daughters in her letter to the court.
Huffman spoke about that herself later in the hearing, saying: 'She said to me, "I don't know who you are anymore, mom." Then she asked, "Why didn't you believe in me? Why didn't you think I could do it on my own?"'
Rosen launched into his impassioned plea for prison time just minutes after Macy and Huffman made it past the media and into the court.
Macy was overheard saying 'that wasn't that bad' to his wife as they took their seats, not knowing they were soon to be eviscerated by a federal prosecutor.
Prosecutors made a few not-so-subtle references to Huffman's fame and fortune in their sentencing memo, suggesting that probation at her California compound would be more like a vacation.
'Neither probation nor home confinement (in a large home in the Hollywood Hills with an infinity pool) would constitute meaningful punishment or deter others from committing similar crimes,' read the court filing submitted last week.
A somber Huffman touched down in Boston on Wednesday with her husband ahead of her appearance in federal court.
The Oscar-nominated actress was in no mood to talk and hid behind a cap and sunglasses as she made her way though Logan International Airport.
Huffman was much more open in the letter she wrote to Judge Indira Talwani prior to her arrival in Boston.
In that letter, which was obtained by DailyMail.com, Huffman detailed the tearful confrontation she had with her daughter after her arrest.
That same court filing also revealed that on the morning of Huffman's arrest, her teenage daughters woke up to find FBI agents with guns drawn to their heads.
'I have broken the law, deceived the educational community, betrayed my daughter, and failed my family,' wrote Huffman in her letter to Judge Talwani.
'When my daughter looked at me and asked with tears streaming down her face, "Why didn't you believe in me? Why didn't you think I could do it on my own?" I had no adequate answer for her.'
Huffman continued: 'I could only say, "I am sorry. I was frightened and I was stupid."'
She then explained how this one decision caused her entire life to fall apart.
'In my blind panic, I have done the exact thing that I was desperate to avoid,' said Huffman.
'I have compromised my daughter's culture, the wholeness of my family and my own integrity.'
The actress also got support from over 30 friends and family members, with her siblings, Eva Longoria, Macy, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry and more writing letters on her behalf that were filed in court.
Huffman admitted to paying $15,000 to a fake charity to facilitate cheating on her daughter Sofia's SATs in April.
Soon after the news broke, the actress released a statement saying she was 'ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community.'
The actress also stated: 'My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her.'
US Attorney Andrew Lelling recommended in filings submitted last week in Boston that Huffman spend 30 days in jail because she acted 'out of a sense of entitlement, or at least moral cluelessness.'
Huffman's lawyers argued she should get a year of probation, 250 hours of community service and a $20,000 fine instead.
Her lawyers said in their reply to this memo on Thursday that prosecutors were 'comparing apples to oranges' in the case law they cited in their brief.
Federal documents show that while Huffman worked alone to iron out the details when the couple's first daughter had her SAT changed by a proctor to improve her score, Macy was aware of the situation and the payment came from the couple's joint account.
He in turn took a more active role in organizing the younger daughter's fraudulent SAT, agreeing to the money and a set place and time much like his wife had done one year prior with their other child.
In that case however, the couple's daughter achieved the results she had hoped for on her own and the mastermind behind the operation was informed that she would not be needing to submit a fraudulent score.
Huffman paid a $15,000 'charitable contribution 'to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter,' states the complaint.
'Huffman later made arrangements to pursue the scheme a second time, for her younger daughter, before deciding not to do so,' according to the documents.
The charging documents state that Huffman had the site where her daughter took the SATs moved from her own high school to a test center West Hollywood.
That was to avoid a teacher who knew the girl, who had also applied for and received extended time to take the test, from being present.
The girl's test was then administered by a proctor who had flown in from Tampa and told investigators that he 'facilitated cheating, either by correcting the student's answers after the test or by actively assisting the student during the exam.'
That proctor, Mark Ridell, has also been charged.
In this case, Huffman's daughter scored a 1420, which was a 400 point improvement from her PSAT results just one year prior.
Soon after the proctor was paid $40,000 by Key Worldwide Foundation, the same organization that Huffman would later give a $15,000 donation to, according to the documents.
The documents also include the transcript of a phone call between Huffman and the individual who facilitated the test in which she admits that her older daughter had assistance and expresses her desire for her younger daughter to get similar help.
In a follow up call just this past December, Huffman and her unnamed spouse spoke about their daughter wanting to get into Georgetown.
It was then decided that the young girl would take the exam twice, once on her own and once with help, to ensure she got the score necessary to get her into Georgetown, it is claimed.
Then, at the last second, the couple decided not to have their daughter take the test with assistance.
Huffman is one of two Hollywood stars wrapped up in the scandal.
Fellow actress Lori Loughlin is still in the pre-trial phase, with the Full House star fighting back hard and entering a not guilty plea against the claims she paid to get her eldest daughter into USC.
Loughlin and her husband are facing jail time because they opted to use the athletics route to gain their daughters admittance into University of Southern California.
This required daughters Isabella and Olivia, who had never before rowed in their lives, to pretend they were on crew teams.
In order to sell that, they posed for photos on ergometers, suggesting that they were both aware and willing participants in their parents' plan.
Furthermore, Olivia knowingly had Singer's team fill out her college applications according to the complaint.
'On or about December 12, 2017, Loughlin e-mailed [Singer], copying Giannulli and their younger daughter [Olivia], to request guidance on how to complete the formal USC application, in the wake of her daughter’s provisional acceptance as a recruited athlete,' states the complaint.
'Loughlin wrote: "[Our younger daughter] has not submitted all her colleges [sic] apps and is confused on how to do so. I want to make sure she gets those in as I don’t want to call any attention to [her] with our little friend at [her high school]. Can you tell us how to proceed?"'
In response, Singer wrote an email 'directing an employee to submit the applications on behalf of the Giannullis’ younger daughter [Olivia].
Loughlin and Giannulli 'agreed to pay bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team - despite the fact that they did not participate in crew - thereby facilitating their admission to USC,' according to the documents.
The couple emailed Singer in 2016 about their daughters college prospects, stating that they wanted to do the necessary work to see that the girls got into USC as opposed to ASU.
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