Felicity Huffman Freed From Prison Early

LOS ANGELES, CA — Oscar-nominated actress Felicity Huffman was released from prison Friday morning, serving 11 of her 14-day sentence for cheating to ensure her daughter's admission to college.

The most famous person caught up in the scandal, Huffman was quick to admit guilt and repent, earning her one of the more lenient sentences yet handed down in the far-reaching college admissions scandal. Actress Lori Loughlin, somewhat casting herself as Huffman's foil in the scandal, took the opposite approach of fighting the charges. She faces significant prison time if convicted for her alleged role in the scandal.

Huffman, 56, was sentenced to the prison time in September. She was also ordered to spend a year on supervised release, pay a $30,000 fine and perform 250 hours of community service.

"I am deeply ashamed of what I have done," Huffman told the judge during her sentencing hearing in Boston. "At the end of the day I had a choice to make. I could have said `no.' I take full responsibility. I will accept whatever punishment you give me."

The Hollywood Hills resident walked out of a Northern California prison early Friday morning. Huffman was set to be released from prison Sunday, but was allowed to leave Friday as a result of normal policy for inmates who are due to be released on weekends, officials said.

The "Desperate Housewives" actress pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud for paying a $15,000 bribe to have a proctor correct her daughter's answers on a college- entrance exam. She was the first parent to be sentenced in connection with the wide-ranging college-admissions cheating scandal, a probe dubbed "Varsity Blues."

In a letter to the judge, Huffman wrote she was driven to participate in the college admission fraud out of "desperation to be a good mother. I talked myself into believing that all I was doing was giving my daughter a fair shot."

She added that she sees "the irony in that statement now because what I have done is the opposite of fair" and feels "a deep and abiding shame over what I have done."

Huffman was one of dozens of the rich and parents caught up in the scandal and one of the first to plead guilty. Those who admitted to their role early on have received light sentences averaging a few months in jail. Those fighting the charges are facing brass-knuckle tactics from prosecutors, who continued to pile on additional charges such as conspiracy and money laundering.

Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, have pleaded not guilty to federal conspiracy and money-laundering charges in the scandal.

Dozens of parents and college athletic coaches were implicated in the 52-defendant nationwide bribery scandal, in which wealthy parents paid Newport Beach businessman William "Rick" Singer thousands of dollars to have their children's entrance-exam scores doctored. In other cases, students were falsely admitted to elite universities as athletic recruits, even though they never had any experience in the sports for which they were being recruited.

City News Service and Patch Staffer contributed to this report.