Text Message from Former ‘Desperate Housewives’ Star Felicity Huffman Reveals Moments After Arrest

Actresses Vanessa Williams (L) and Felicity Huffman at the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in Los Angeles, Calif., on March 7, 2012. Jason Merritt/Getty Images

A personal text message reveals the terrifying moment authorities pounced on a former comedy-drama television star suspected of involvement in a college admissions scandal.

Former “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman, 56, sent a series of emotional text messages to friend and fellow former cast member Vanessa Williams, also 56, shortly after being arrested back in March. Huffman had allegedly made a “charitable contribution” to improve her daughter Sofia’s chances of gaining admission to selective colleges and universities like Yale University, Georgetown University, and Stanford University.

“I was terrified for [Huffman] when I heard that the feds came with guns drawn in the morning to take her down,” Williams told Us Weekly at the Broadway opening of the musical “Beetlejuice” in New York on April 25. “My phone blew up. I did text her, I just said, ‘Wishing you love and protection’ and she just said, ‘Thank you, my dear friend. That’s what I need.’ And that’s all you can do as a friend.”

The alleged deal involved donating $15,000 to the Key Worldwide Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by William Rick Singer in 2012 that was touted to be a charity. In return, Sofia would receive extra time to complete her SAT. If she made mistakes, one of Singer’s proctors would also allegedly change the answers so they were correct.

In the end Sofia received a 400-point increase to her final SAT  score, according to an affidavit obtained by NBC.

Williams was “surprised“ by the scandal ”for sure.”

“I’m happy that all my kids, luckily, went to art schools or had to audition,” she said. “But, you know, I know what it’s like to want the best for your kids.”

The two actresses have been good friends since working on “Desperate Housewives” and were thought to have contacted each other as recently as March, when Huffman was indicted in the college admissions scandal.

Williams said she reached out to Huffman after discovering her friend had been arrested by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents who entered her Los Angeles home carrying guns on March 12.

Huffman previously announced on April 8 she would plead guilty to fraud.

“I am in full acceptance of my guilt and, with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions,” she said in a statement.

She was “ashamed of the pain” she had caused her daughter, family members, friends, colleagues, and the education sector.

“I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly,” she said.

L.A. Criminal Defense Attorney and Legal Analyst Lou Shapiro believes Huffman’s prison sentence could be anything between 4 and 10 months according to guidelines from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Huffman’s attorneys are widely expected to appeal for no prison time at all.

Correction: A previous version of this article misnamed the SAT standardized test. The test is no longer called the Scholastic Aptitude Test. The Epoch Times regrets the error.