Actress Felicity Huffman has said she has "no excuses or justifications" after she was sentenced to 14 days in prison, having pleaded guilty to paying to rig her daughter's entrance exam in a US college admissions cheating scandal.
On Friday in Federal Court in Boston, the 56-year-old former Desperate Housewives star was also given a year's probation, 250 hours of community service and a $30,000 fine.
In May she entered a guilty plea to conspiracy related to her payment of $15,000 to have someone secretly correct her daughter's answers on the SAT standardised test used for college admissions.
Huffman was accompanied to court by her husband, fellow actor William H Macy, who was not charged with any crime.
Huffman said in a letter to the court that the couple's daughter Sophia was unaware of the scheme until the actress was arrested on March 12.
In a statement released after the ruling, Huffman said: "I accept the court's decision today without reservation. I have always been prepared to accept whatever punishment Judge Talwani imposed. I broke the law. I have admitted that and I pleaded guilty to this crime. There are no excuses or justifications for my actions. Period.
"I would like to apologise again to my daughter, my husband, my family and the educational community for my actions. And I especially want to apologise to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices supporting their children.
"I have learned a lot over the last six months about my flaws as a person. My goal now is to serve the sentence that the court has given me. I look forward to doing my community service hours and making a positive impact on my community. I also plan to continue making contributions wherever I can well after those service hours are completed.
"I can promise you that in the months and years to come that I will try and live a more honest life, serve as a better role model for my daughters and family and continue to contribute my time and energies wherever I am needed.
"My hope now is that my family, my friends and my community will forgive me for my actions."
