Felicity Huffman is ready for redemption. The 56-year-old actress is hoping for forgiveness from the public after she completes her 14-day prison sentence, a source close to the family tells Us Weekly exclusively.
“She is looking forward to seeing her family in two weeks and hopes upon release that the public will give her a second chance,” the source explains.
Huffman reported to the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, on Tuesday, October 15. The source confirms that the Desperate Housewives alum’s husband, William H. Macy, drove her to the facility. She was admitted at 12:30 p.m. ET and will serve her time with the “general population,” per the insider. (Huffman was ordered to report by October 25.)
“She is resigned to paying her dues to society and spending her time at Dublin in a humble and quiet manner,” the source continues. “She has not been assigned her post release 250 community service hours yet, but she is hoping she will be able to make a positive impact on under privileged young women and women who have been recently incarcerated and released and who are attempting to re-enter society.”
In addition to 14 days in federal prison and 250 community service hours, Huffman was ordered to pay a $30,000 fine and one year of supervised release for her role in the nationwide college admissions scandal. The Emmy winner, who paid $15,000 to enhance her 19-year-old daughter Sophia’s SAT scores, pleaded guilty to fraud charges in May.
Huffman and Macy, who wed in 1997, are also parents of daughter Georgia, 17. In a letter to the judge prior to his wife’s sentencing, the Shameless star detailed his daughters’ emotional trauma amid the scandal.
“[Sophia] still doesn’t like to sleep alone and has nightmares from FBI agents waking her that morning with guns drawn. … After watching the six FBI agents put her handcuffed Mom into a car and drive her away, [Georgia] cried,” Macy wrote. “If I may I’d like to tell you one more thing: every good thing in my life is because of Felicity Huffman.”
Huffman, for her part, attempted to explain the reasoning behind her actions in a letter to the judge. After her sentencing in September, she apologized and took responsibility for her role in the scandal.
“I would like to apologize to my daughter, my husband, my family and the educational community for my actions. And I especially want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children,” Huffman’s statement read. “I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community. I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly.”
With reporting by Marjorie Hernandez
