What happens on Wisteria Lane doesn’t always stay on Wisteria Lane! Felicity Huffman’s Desperate Housewives character, Lynette Scavo, paid $15,000 to get her kids into an elite private school —and the actress has been accused of paying the same amount of money to help her own child secure college admission.
Lynette and her husband, Tom Scavo (Doug Savant), make “a generous donation” in order to secure spots for their twin sons, Porter and Preston (Brent and Shane Kinsman), at the prestigious Barcliff Academy during season 1. The school’s headmaster advises Tom and Lynette to pay up to “ensure [their] kids beat” out another eager family, so the couple sell Tom’s boat to get the money.
But the scamming didn’t stop there: Lynette succumbs to bribery again in season 3 when her son Parker (Zane Huett) wants to quit the baseball team. She pays off the rival team’s pitcher to go easy on Parker and she eventually bribes the coach as well with new baseball bats for the players.
Huffman, 56, was arrested on Tuesday, March 12, for allegedly making “a purported charitable donation of $15,000 … to participate in the college entrance cheating scheme on behalf of her eldest daughter,” Sofia, 18, whom she shares with husband William H. Macy. The ABC star considered doing the racketeering scam again for the couple’s younger daughter, Georgia, 16, but decided “not to do so.”
The American Crime alum was released later on Tuesday on a $250,000 bond and is set to appear at federal court in Boston on March 29. She is one of nearly 50 people to be accused of partaking in the scheme, including actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli. The couple have been accused of paying $500,000 to have their daughters Bella, 20, and Olivia, 19, admitted into the University of Southern California as crew team members. However, there is no record of them being on the team.
The Fuller House actress, 54, and Giannulli, 55, were released on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 13, respectively, and they were each ordered to pay a $1 million bond. They will also appear at federal court in Boston on March 29.