TV stars Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin charged in alleged college admissions scam
Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin are reportedly among the high-profile names charged in an alleged college admissions bribery scam against the coaches at schools including Wake Forest University, Georgetown and the University of Southern California.
Artist Mona Shafer Edwards gave the world a sneak peek of what was really happening behind closed doors in the courtroom.
Edwards’ colorful sketches of actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman facing the judge for their alleged involvement in a massive college admissions scandal quickly spread throughout social media. Cameras were not allowed inside the courtroom.
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Yahoo! Entertainment reported Friday the freelancer was determined to portray the players in the high-profile scheme accurately. One of her illustrations showed a weary-looking Huffman, 56, who was awoken Tuesday by seven FBI agents, with guns drawn, at the family home she shares with William H. Macy and taken into custody. In court, the fallen star was shrinking in her seat behind her fellow defendants.
Actor Lori Loughlin appears in this court sketch at a hearing for a racketeering case involving the allegedly fraudulent admission of children to elite universities, at a federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Calif., March 13, 2019. REUTERS/Mona Shafer Edwards
But according to Edwards, Loughlin, 54, managed to surprise her.
“[They were] very, very different,” Edwards told the news site about the two women during their days in court. “Totally different attitude, expression and the way that the body was held.”
Unlike Huffman, Loughlin had the luxury of negotiating her surrender and appeared in court with full hair and makeup done, along with a defiant look. While sitting, the “Fuller House” star had her arms crossed and they stayed that way the whole time.
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“Kind of a defensive deflection like ‘Don’t touch me. What am I doing here? Where are my people? When am I getting out?’ It was so defiant,” said Edwards, who regularly covers court cases. “Loughlin came off, and I think it showed in my drawings, a little arrogant. An illustrator can bring that out maybe more than a camera. However, I wasn’t being subjective. I was just drawing what I saw.”
“The way people stand, their body language, their attitude — it all plays a part in an illustration,” added Edwards.
Actor Lori Loughlin's husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, appears in this court sketch at an initial hearing for defendants in a racketeering case involving the allegedly fraudulent admission of children to elite universities, at the a federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, Calif., March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mona Edwards
Edwards said Loughlin dressed in a white turtleneck, which she described as “like the good guy kind of thing.”
“Her hair was perfectly styled, but it covered half of her face,” said Edwards. “And she wore the glasses. It was all kind of covering up.”
Edwards admitted she was concerned about her Loughlin drawing.
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“I was thinking I made her too stern," she said. "But that’s what she looked like. There’s this thin line about whether I want to please the public and draw something [they’d like to see] or draw something warts and all and I chose [the latter].”
Some commenters have pointed out Edwards’ sketch of Loughlin resembled first lady Melania Trump. Edwards said she found the comparisons comical, but stressed, “That didn’t even dawn on me.”
“Maybe because of the turtleneck,” said Edwards. “Melania wears a lot of turtlenecks.”
Actress Felicity Huffman (R) appears in this court sketch at an initial hearing for defendants in a racketeering case involving the allegedly fraudulent admission of children to elite universities, at a federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, California, March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mona Edwards
Huffman, who was arrested and brought right to court, wasn’t given the Hollywood treatment when it came to her appearance. Unlike Loughlin, the “Desperate Housewives” actress was arrested and brought right to court.
“She didn’t have the time element Loughlin had,” said Edwards. “So obviously she didn’t have time to call a makeup artist and say, ‘Hey, can you make me look great for court today?’”
Instead, Huffman sat behind another defendant and kept her head down until her name was called.
“I think Huffman was more authentic and genuine,” noted Edwards.
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As for Macy, 69, Edwards managed to capture an up close and personal portrait as she was seated right next to him.
“I said hello, he said hello,” she recalled. “Then I started the drawing — and I’m drawing his wife — while he’s sitting literally three inches from me. The sketch of him, he’s literally touching shoulders with me. He leaned over and said, ‘You are really good.’ I said, ‘Thank you.’”
Edwards said there was a tense moment when another sketch artist tapped Macy on the shoulder and asked, “Would you tell me who your wife is?” He responded, “I will not.” Edwards apologized for her colleague’s behavior to avoid any awkwardness.
Felicity Huffman's husband, actor William H. Macy appears in this court sketch at an initial hearing for defendants in a racketeering case involving the allegedly fraudulent admission of children to elite universities, at the U.S. federal courthouse in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mona Edwards
“At that point, he was like my friend,” she said.
Edwards added Macy had books with him and was reading until Huffman had to speak with the judge.
“When his wife stood up and was talking, he, of course, looked very intense and emotional,” she said.
When the proceedings were over, Macy thanked Edwards for drawing him.
“I said, ‘I wish it was in a different situation — someplace else,’” said Edwards. “And I wished him all the best. He put his hand on my shoulder, thanked me and said to have a good day. It was a very pleasant and respectful kind of thing.”
Loughlin and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, were out in $1 million bonds respectively after allegedly paying $500,000 in bribes to have their two daughters designated as recruits for the University of Southern California’s crew team, despite the fact that neither of them participated in the sport.
Huffman, meanwhile, was released on $250,000 bond after allegedly paying $15,000 disguised as a charitable donation so that her daughter could take part in a somewhat rigged college entrance-exam.
More than four dozen people have been charged in the nationwide scam, which is alleged to have placed students in top-tier schools like Yale, Georgetown, Stanford, the University of Southern California, UCLA and the University of Texas. A federal investigation into the matter – dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues" – has been ongoing for more than a year.
Fox News’ Tyler McCarthy contributed to this report.
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