William H. Macy has not been charged alongside his wife in a nationwide college admissions bribery scam. However, he did participate in a consultation about the scam, according to a new report.
Court documents unsealed on Tuesday, March 12, alleged that Macy’s wife, Felicity Huffman, reportedly gave $15,000 “to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her oldest daughter.”
“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.
#FelicityHuffman and #LoriLoughlin indicted in nationwide college exam scandal https://t.co/pGBUmeujmB
— ET Canada (@ETCanada) March 12, 2019
In the court documents, Macy and Huffman were both recorded during a phone call on Dec. 12, with William Rick Singer, the alleged mastermind behind the $25 million scam, according to Page Six.
At one point during the call, Singer asked the couple if they planned to “do this similarly as we did with” older daughter Sofia Grace Macy, a year earlier.
Macy allegedly responded with, “Yes, I think we are.”
However, despite Huffman allegedly speaking with Singer again on Feb. 13, “Ultimately, Huffman and her spouse decided not to pursue the SAT cheating scheme for their younger daughter,” according to the documents.
View this post on Instagram#Emmys weekend fun with Bill. Excited for tonight! Congrats to all the nominees ❤️
On Tuesday, March 12, Huffman was charged with conspiracy and honest service mail fraud in connection with a Dec. 2, 2017, SAT test proctored by co-conspirator Mark Riddell.
In that SAT test, Huffman’s older daughter Sophia scored 1,420 points. That score was 400 points higher than what she scored in the PSAT in the previous year without Riddell, who has admitted to cheating on the exams he proctored in Los Angeles, according to court documents.
According to the court documents, prosecutors said Riddell would proctor the test and secretly correct wrong answers afterward before it was submitted for scoring.
Two months earlier, in an interview with Parade magazine, Macy called his daughter’s college application process a “stressful” experience.
“She’s going to go to college,” Macy said in the January interview. “We’re right now in the thick of college application time, which is so stressful.”
“I’m voting that once she gets accepted, she maybe take a year off,” he added. “God doesn’t let you be 18 twice. … But it’s just my opinion, and we’ll see what she wants to do, what Felicity thinks and how the chips fall.”
Macy also told the magazine that his younger daughter, “Georgia, she’s interested in politics, political science, and pursuing that. She’s in a very academic school and killing it.”
“My daughters are extraordinary women,” Macy said. “They’re really a joy. They’re both thriving. They’ve got a life ahead of them, but you can exhale a little bit. They’re 16 and 18 years old, and they’re good people.”
View this post on InstagramThe girl tried on her prom dress. The dad took her for a spin. ❤️ @williamhmacy
“My daughter Sofia, the oldest, is going to LAHSA [Los Angeles High School of the Arts]. She’s thriving there. I know she’s going to make a go of it in the business, which I support. I’ve seen her; she’s good, she’s really good.”
It’s unclear if Sofia knows about the alleged scam.
Huffman was one of the 50 who was charged in a nationwide bribery scam involving elite American universities.
Awkward tweet to look back on. ????#FelicityHuffman #LoriLoughlin #AuntBecky pic.twitter.com/RNbOaLttMJ
— Chris Strider (@stridinstrider) March 12, 2019
“Dozens of individuals involved in a nationwide conspiracy that facilitated cheating on college entrance exams and the admission of students to elite universities as purported athletic recruits were arrested by federal agents in multiple states and charged in documents unsealed on March 12, 2019, in federal court in Boston,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.
Aside from Huffman, “Full House” actress Lori Loughlin was also charged for allegedly giving $500,000 to say her child was part of a rowing team, when that was not true, according to court documents.
View this post on InstagramLove this lady so much ❤️ such an incredible night supporting @wcrfcure #wcrfcure #betheend
