Housewives till the end. Vanessa Williams has been concerned for former Desperate Housewives costar Felicity Huffman, who was arrested in March and has since pleaded guilty to fraud in the nationwide college admissions scandal.
Williams, 56, reflected on the scandal as she attended the Broadway opening of the musical Beetlejuice at New York City’s Winter Garden Theater on Thursday, April 25.
“I was terrified for [Huffman] when I heard that the feds came with guns drawn in the morning to take her down,” the Ugly Betty alum exclusively told Us Weekly. “My phone blew up. I did text her. I just said, ‘Wishing you love and protection.’ And she just said, ‘Thank you, my dear friend. That’s what I need.’ And that’s all you can do as a friend.”
Williams told Us she was “surprised for sure” by the scandal. “I’m happy that all my kids, luckily, went to art schools or had to audition,” she added. “But, you know, I know what it’s like to want the best for your kids.”
Huffman, 56, was arrested in March after allegedly making a “purported charitable contribution of $15,000” to get Sophia, her and husband William H. Macy’s elder daughter, into a prestigious university, according to court documents.
On April 8, the Cake actress announced her decision to plead guilty. “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,” she said in a statement.
She continued: “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.”
That same day, Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney Lou Shapiro told Us that Huffman may be sentenced to four to 10 months in prison under the guidelines considered by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, though he said the Emmy winner’s attorneys will probably argue for no prison time.
With reporting by Nicki Gostin
