Hudson Valley Actress To Plead Guilty in College Admissions Scam

A Hollywood actress with strong ties to the Hudson Valley will plead guilty to her roles in a nationwide college entrance and recruiting cheating scheme.

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Felicity Huffman, who was born in Westchester, admitted she agreed to pay William "Rick" Singer at least $15,000 to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme for her oldest daughter, officials say.

The former Bedford resident faces up to 20 years in prison. Huffman and nearly 50 others, including current and former Divison 1 coaches at Yale, Georgetown, USC, Wake Forest and Texas were indicted last month in the alleged scheme.

In a statement Huffman said:

"I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions. "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. My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her. This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty," she said in the statement."

CNN reports, in exchange for the guilty plea, federal prosecutors won't bring further charges and will recommend a short jail sentence along with a $20,000 fine and 12 months of supervised release.