Bribery scandal: Felicity Huffman has to go to jail for 14 days

In the university bribery scandal, actress Felicity Huffman has been sentenced to two weeks in prison. This was decided by the competent court in Boston, as reported by, among others, the Washington Post and the New York Times. The 56-year-old is thus the first defendant to be punished in the affair.

In addition, Huffman, known primarily for her role as Lynette Scavo in the US series Desperate Housewives, was fined $ 30,000 and 250 hours of community service. The actress pleaded guilty to paying $ 15,000 in bribes in May, so that replies from her eldest daughter to the state-wide SAT placement test were retrospectively corrected.

Other US celebrities are charged

According to the Washington Post, Huffman apologized before the verdict in tears to her daughter, who knew nothing of her mother's bribe payment. "I was scared, I was stupid and I was so wrong," the actress said. She is deeply ashamed of what she has done and deserves every punishment the court gives her.

The scandal over university bribery had spread widely. To house their children in Yale, Stanford or Georgetown dozens of celebrities and other wealthy parents bribed employees at colleges and universities in the United States. Friday's sentence is also used as a pointer to the trial of a number of other defendants. Among them are the actress Lori Loughlin from the sitcom "Full House" and her husband, the fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli.

Huffman, who had been nominated for an Academy Award in 2006, had hoped to get a jail sentence. Her lawyers had asked the court to impose only a suspended sentence, a fine and social services. The prosecution, however, had pleaded a month in jail and a $ 20,000 fine.