>>> WELCOME BACK TO "HARDBALL." FELICITY HUFFMAN OF DESPERATE
HOUSE WIVES SHE WAS SENTENCED
TODAY TO 14 DAYS IN PRISON FOR
HER ROLE IN THE COLLEGE
ADMISSION CHEATING SCANDAL.
HUFFMAN AND 13 OTHER PARENTS
PLEADED GUILTY TO BRIBERY AND
MAIL FRAUD CHARGES.
SHE INITIALLY FACED UP TO 20
YEARS IN PRISON BUT RECEIVED A
MORE LENIENT SENTENCE IN TWO
WEEKS BECAUSE OF HER GUILTY
PLEA.
PLEA. IN A STATEMENT TODAY HUFFMAN
SAID I ACCEPT THE COURT’S
DECISION TODAY WITHOUT
RESERVATION.
RESERVATION. I’VE ALWAYS BEEN PREPARED TO
ACCEPT WHATEVER PUNISHMENT THE
JUDGE IMPOSED.
JUDGE IMPOSED. I BROKE THE LAW, I ADMITTED THAT
AND PLEADED GUILTY TO THIS
CRIME.
CRIME. THERE’S NO EXCUSES OR
JUSTIFICATIONS FOR MY ACTIONS,
PERIOD.
PERIOD. WELL, 50 PEOPLE INCLUDING FALSE
HOUSE ACTRESS LORI LOUGHLIN WERE
INDICTED BACK IN MARCH OF THIS
YEAR IN A MASSIVE INVESTIGATION
WHICH REVEALED THAT PARENTS PAID
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN BRIBES TO
GET THEIR CHILDREN INTO ELITE
UNIVERSITIES.
UNIVERSITIES. PART OF THE SCHEME INVOLVING
CHEATING ON STANDARDIZED EXAMS
LIKE THE SAT AND FALSELY
DESIGNATING SOME KIDS AS
ATHLETES TO GET PREFERENTIAL
TREATMENT EVEN IF THEY WEREN’T
ATHLETES AT ALL AND HAD NOTHING
TO DO WITH THOSE SPORTS.
IN HUFFMAN EMPHASIS CASE SHE
PAID $15,000 TO HAVE A COLLEGE
COUNSELOR CORRECT ANSWERS ON HER
DAUGHTER’S SAT TEST RESULTING IN
A HIGHER SCORE.
TOM, IN THIS CASE WHAT DID SHE
PAY THE TEST MODERATOR TO DO TO
GET HER KID’S NUMBERS UP.
WHAT DID SHE ACTUALLY DO FOR THE
MONEY?
MONEY? >> IT WAS TWO THINKS.
ONE SHE’D BE ABLE TO HAVE HER
DAUGHTER TAKE THE TEST WITH NO
TIME LIMIT WHATSOEVER.
AS WE KNOW FROM TAKING THE
COLLEGE BOARDS YOU HAVE A
CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME TO
COMPLETE CERTAIN PORTIONS OF OF
THE TEST.
THE TEST. SHE WOULD BE ABLE TO TAKE AS
MUCH TIME AS SHE WANTED.
IN ADDITION TO THAT WHAT SHE
PLEADED GUILTY TO AND WHAT WE
SAW IN THE CHARGING DOCUMENTS
WAS THAT THE PERSON WHO
PROCTORED THE TEST, BASICALLY
THE INSTRUCTOR FOR THE TEST WENT
BACK AND WAS ABLE TO CORRECT
SOME OF HER DAUGHTER’S ANSWERS
THAT LED TO APPROXIMATELY A
400-POINT INCREASE ON HER
COLLEGE BOARD.
COLLEGE BOARD. SO NOT AN INSIGNIFICANT
INCREASE.
INCREASE. AND ON TOP OF THAT HER DAUGHTER
HAD A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME
IT GET IT RIGHT IN THE FIRST
PLACE.
PLACE. >> HOW DOES THE PROCTOR GET TO
SQUIRREL AWAY WITH A TEST,
SOMEBODY’S TEST AND CHANGE
ENOUGH OF THE ANSWERS TO GET THE
POINTS, DO THEY HAVE THE
ANSWERS?
ANSWERS? HOW DO THEY CHEAT?
>> I THINK WHAT CAME ACROSS IN
THE INITIAL CHARGING DOCUMENTS
IN SEVERAL INSTANCES AND IT
WASN’T JUST FELICITY HUFFMAN’S
DAUGHTER WHO WAS ABLE TO GET
SOME OF THESE BENEFITS, BUT
ACCORDING TO THE CHARGING
DOCUMENTS, CHRIS, BASICALLY YOU
HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE EDUCATORS.
THESE ARE NOT PEOPLE THAT ARE
JUST OFF THE STREET.
GOD KNOWS IT’S NOT MYSELF.
BUT IT WOULD BE PEOPLE THAT ARE
EDUCATORS, THAT ARE PROFESSORS
THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THE SCHOOL,
YOU KNOW, IN THE SCHOOL AND
SCHOOLING SYSTEMS SO THEY WOULD
PRESUMABLY HAVE THAT HIGHER
LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE TO BE ABLE TO
CORRECT THESE ANSWERS AND JACK
UP THOSE SCORES.
>> KATEY, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
TWO WEEKS, 14 DAYS IS THAT JAIL
TIME OR PRISON?
WHAT KIND OF A SITUATION WILL
THIS DEFENDANT, THIS CONVICTED
PERSON HAVE TO FACE?
WHAT WILL THE SITUATION BE FOR
TWO WEEKS?
TWO WEEKS? >> SO FELICITY HUFFMAN IS NOT
GOING TO BE DOING HARD TIME AT A
MAXIMUM SECURITY FEDERAL PRISON
BUT TWO WEEKS IS A LOT OF TIME
FOR SOMEONE WHO’S AN OTHERWISE
GLAMOROUS HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS.
14 DAYS DOESN’T SOUND LIKE A LOT
BUT FOR ANY DEFENDANT LOOKING
DOWN THE BARREL OF GOING TO JAIL
IS DAY FOR DAY.
SHE’LL DO THOSE 14 DAYS BUT
FRANKLY CHRIS BY THE TIME SHE
ACTUALLY GETS INTO THE PRISON
SENTENCE, BASICALLY GETS
ACCLIMATED TO, SHE’LL BE OUT OF
THE SYSTEM.
THE SYSTEM. YOU LOOK AT HER, SEE SHE GAVE
$15,000 IN ORDER TO GET HER
DAUGHTER TO TEST BETTER WITH
THAT PROCTOR’S ASSISTANCE BUT IF
I WERE SOMEONE LIKE LORI
LOUGHLIN, I WOULD BE WHIPPING
OUT THOSE PRAYER CANDLES TONIGHT
BECAUSE SHE’S DECIDED TO PLEAD
NOT GUILTY, TAKE THE RICK OF
GOING TO TRIAL AGAINST THE
BIGGEST LAW FIRM IN THE WORLD
WHICH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
SO HE’S LOOKING AT SIGNIFICANT
JAIL TIME IF FELICITY HUFFMAN
ONLY GOT 14 DAYS.
>> WILL THIS SERVE AS A REAL IT
DETERRENT?
DETERRENT? WILL THIS STOP PARENTS WHO HAS
THE CRAZY AMBITION WITHOUT THE
RIGHT VALUES FROM THE TIME THEIR
FIRST GRADE ONTO 12th GRADE AND
THEY THINK ABOUT BUYING THEM IN?
IS THIS GOING TO TEACH BETTER
VALUES OR SCARE THE BAD GUYS?
>> I THINK IT’S TWO THINGS.
ONE, YOU CAN GET CAUGHT BECAUSE
THAT’S A BIG PART OF THIS.
I THINK EVERYBODY HERE THOUGHT
YOU PAY THIS GUY AND THIS GUY
PAYS SOMEBODY ELSE AND YOU CAN
GET INTO THE SCHOOL OF YOUR
CHOICE OR AT LEAST HAVE A BETTER
OPPORTUNITY.
OPPORTUNITY. AND I THINK THE FACT WHEN PEOPLE
GET CAUGHT DOING WRONG THINGS
AND THEY ARE PEOPLE IN POSITIONS
OF POWER OR INFLUENCE OR
CELEBRITY, THAT’S ALWAYS A BIT
OF A WAKEUP CALL.
AND THE FACT THAT FELICITY
HUFFMAN SHE GOT A PRETTY GOOD
DEAL HERE.
DEAL HERE. 4 TO 10 MONTHS IS WHAT SHE
AGREED TO IN HER PLEA AGREEMENT.
PROSECUTORS WEPT FOR EVEN LOWER
THAN THAT, ARGUING FOR ONLY A
MONTH AND NOW SHE’S GOING TO DO
14 DAYS.
14 DAYS. I WOULDN’T WANT TO DO 14 DAYS
AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE
WATCHING TONIGHT WOULDN’T WANT
TO DO 14 DAYS IN A FEDERAL
PRISON EITHER.
PRISON EITHER. I THINK IT IS A BIT OF WAKE UP
CALL.
CALL. AND IF YOU’RE LORI LOUGHLIN AND
YOU’RE SITTING AT HOME AND
WATCHING THIS SHE PAID A LOT
MORE MONEY.
MORE MONEY. $500,000 ALONG WITH HER HUSBAND.
SHE’S LOOKING AT SIGNIFICANT
JAIL TIME EVEN IF SHE PLEADS
OUT.
OUT. I THINK SOME FOLKS ARE GOING TO
BE WATCHING REALLY CLOSELY AND
REALIZE THIS SERVICE FRAUD OR
WIRE FRAUD IS SOMETHING THAT
COULD BITE YOU.
>> GOOD DETERRENT BY THIS?
>> IT IS A SEND A MESSAGE
SENTENCE, CHRIS, AND THAT’S
EXACTLY WHAT THE FEDERAL JUDGE
SAID SHE WANTED TO DO IBN THIS
CASE.
CASE. NORMALLY IN THESE CASES WHEN YOU
HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE INVOLVED IN
THE FRAUD, WHEN P WHAT HAPPENED
IN THIS SPECIFIC CASE HE WAS
COOPERATING WITH THE FEDS, HE
WORE WIRES.
WORE WIRES. EVERYTHING WAS BUGGED.
I MEAN, THIS IS HOW HE ACTUALLY
DREW THAT HUGE NET TO BRING IN
ALL OF THESE PARENTS.
SO IN THIS PARTICULAR
INVESTIGATION, THIS OPERATION
VARSITY BLUES IT ACTUALLY WENT
FROM THE VERY TOP IN TERMS OF
COOPERATION.
COOPERATION. WHICH MADE IT EASIER TO SNAG
PEOPLE LIKE FELICITY HUFFMAN,
LORI LOUGHLIN, EXACTLY THOSE
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. SO YEAH, IT IS A DETRPT BUT I
DON’T THINK IT’S GOING TO STOP
PEOPLE FROM DOING THE OBVIOUS
WHICH IS GIVING MILLIONS OF