William H. Macy Prepares for Daughter’s High School Graduation Amid College Admission Scandal

William H. Macy got into the graduation spirit on Wednesday afternoon as he picked up some congratulatory balloons at a local grocery store in Los Angeles.

The balloons and other graduation memorabilia are likely for his 18-year-old daughter, Sofia Grace, who is graduating from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts in a few weeks. According to the high school’s website, there are “Senior Awards” on Friday night, so there is a chance that Macy and his wife Felicity Huffman are planning some sort of graduation get together for their daughter.

Although Sofia’s high school graduation is a momentous occasion that deserves to be celebrated, the happiness will likely be overshadowed by the fact that Huffman was arrested and indicted in a sweeping college admissions scandal and has since pleaded guilty. The news of the admissions scandal first broke on March 12 and since then, over 50 people have been charged, including fellow celebrity Lori Loughlin.

The scandal centers around William “Rick” Singer, who was paid hefty sums of money to help children of wealthy families get accepted into elite colleges and universities. USC, UCLA, Georgetown and Stanford are among the schools that Singer allegedly used his pull to facilitate acceptance letters for students. Much of the time, Singer allegedly had his clients fake athletic abilities to get them recruited to some athletic teams, such as the crew or water polo team. Coaches at some of these universities have already pleaded guilty to a number of charges, including racketeering.

Singer has pleaded guilty to money laundering, racketeering, obstruction of justice and fraud.

Both Loughlin and Huffman were charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. Huffman’s bond was set at $250,000 and she has since appeared a few times in federal court in Boston. Loughlin and her husband Massimo Giannulli have pleaded not guilty.

Macy, however, was not charged with any crimes.

Huffman said in April that she paid Singer $15,000 to help boost Sofia’s SAT scores. She announced on April 8 that she would plead guilty to the charges and likely faces some prison time. According to the plea agreement, which was obtained by E! News at the time, the attorney will recommend a sentence on the “low end” as well as a “fine or other financial penalty of $20,000.” The attorney also recommended 12 months of supervised release and restitution payments.

She admitted her guilt in a statement at the time and said she felt “ashamed” about what happened.

“I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney’s Office. 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 wrote in the statement. “I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community.”

The Desperate Housewives star apologized to students and parents alike and clarified that Sofia allegedly knew nothing about the score inflation. 

“My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her. This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life,” she continued. “My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty.”

Huffman officially pleaded guilty on May 13. That same day, Huffman explained that the blame should be pinned on her and not a doctor for allowing extra testing time.

“My daughter has been seeing a neuro-psychologist since she was 8 years old,” she said according to the Los Angeles Times. “I just didn’t want to create the impression that the neuropsychiatrist had anything to do with this.”