Huffman, Loughlin Make First Court Appearances

Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin made their initial appearances in Boston's federal court alongside other wealthy parents Wednesday to face charges in the college bribery scandal that has roiled the world of admissions and amplified complaints the system is stacked in favor of the rich. The two actresses and Loughlin's fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, said little during the brief hearing in a packed Boston courtroom and were not asked to enter a plea, the AP reports. They remain free on bail. Several other parents were given similar hearings of a few minutes each. Also Wednesday, packaged-food entrepreneur Peter Jan Sartorio became the first of the 33 parents charged in the college bribery scandal to agree to plead guilty.

The proceedings came three weeks after 50 people were charged with taking part in a scheme—the biggest college admissions scheme ever prosecuted by the US Justice Department—in which parents bribed coaches and helped rig test scores to get their children into some of the nation's most selective universities, including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Southern California. Loughlin signed autographs and posed for pictures when she arrived in Boston Tuesday night, People reports. She smiled and told reporters "I'm great" on her way in to court Wednesday, Page Six reports. CNN, TMZ, and Deadline were all out with reports Wednesday citing sources who say prosecutors plan to ask for jail time for all defendants in the case. (A big question about the scandal: Who paid $6.5 million?)