Actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin are facing prison time after being charged with conspiracy to commit fraud as part of a large college admission scheme. The two celebrities are amongst over 50 affluent parents who allegedly cheated to get their children into elite schools.

If convicted, Massachusetts state criminal defense attorney Edward Molari explained to HollywoodLife how much time behind bars the two stars could face.

“What I would say is that once someone is involved in a conspiracy, they are liable for the crimes committed by their co-conspirators,” Molari said. “In this case, Ms. Huffman and Ms. Laughlin are alleged to have conspired to commit money laundering, mail, and wire fraud offenses. Each of those offenses carries a maximum of 20 years and fines of not more than $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved.”

“Jail is always a possibility in a criminal case, but I would not say it is a foregone conclusion,” he added.

Huffman and Loughlin were indicted by the FBI and U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston during an investigation code-named Operation Varsity Blues. This is the largest college admissions scam prosecuted by the Department of Justice. Coaches and administrators at various schools were allegedly bribed to accept students under false pretenses, and some parents even paid for their children’s SAT answers to be doctored.

Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, as well as Huffman, have been implicated in the bombshell scandal, along with the other wealthy parents after they allegedly paid millions of dollars to ensure their children were accepted into top-notch schools. According to courts documents, Loughlin and her husband paid $500,000 to have their two athletic records falsified.

Huffman reportedly woke up to FBI agents outside of her home with their guns drawn as they took her into custody on Tuesday. She is accused of paying $15,000 disguised as a charitable donation.

College Cheating Scam
Actress Felicity Huffman is seen inside the Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Los Angeles on March 12, 2019 after being charged in a college cheating scam. David McNew/AFP/Getty Images
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