In a new development that surprises no one, Felicity Huffman has been released from federal prison after serving only 11 days of her already-light 14-day sentence for her role in the ongoing college admissions scandal, per CNN. The actress tearfully pleaded guilty back in May to conspiracy to commit mail fraud. At her sentencing, Judge Indira Talwani verbally rebuked any notion that Huffman’s behavior should be excused as “good parenting,” responding to Huffman’s earlier explanation of trying to boost her daughter’s test scores. “Trying to be a good mother doesn’t excuse this,” Talwani said during the verdict. “The outrage in this case is a system that is already so distorted by money and privilege in the first place.”
According to CNN, that same system includes a bureau policy that allows inmates to be released early if their release date “falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, on the last preceding weekday unless it is necessary to detain the inmate for another jurisdiction seeking custody under a detainer, or for any other reason which might indicate that the inmate should not be released until the inmate’s scheduled release date.” Huffman, who reported to prison October 15, will continue to serve the remainder of her sentence, which includes a year of supervised release and 250 hours of community service.
Recently Lori Loughlin, the other major name headlining the scandal, was charged with additional counts of bribery. Loughlin has refused all deals up to this point and has pleaded not guilty to the previous slate of charges. Loughlin’s next court date is scheduled for January 17, 2020.