3:18 PM PT -- The judge in the case said some revealing things that could determine what happens to Lori Loughlin and others. The judge gave credit to Felicity for 2 reasons -- she had "near immediate acceptance of responsibility" for her crime, and she paid one of the smallest bribes.
The judge also questioned prosecutors, who made it clear they wanted to scare the crap out of other parents who might be thinking about doing the same thing. The judge said, "I have trouble with the notion of general deterrence. It doesn't make sense to me."
And, this is fascinating. The judge said she was not swayed by prosecutors claiming the bribery scheme undermined the entire college admissions process, adding, it "has cracks in it with or without what these defendants have done."
1:20 PM PT -- In case it's not apparent, this is a spectacular loss for prosecutors, who at first were clearly gunning for years in prison for anyone involved in the scheme. Ultimately, the people who count -- the Probation Dept. and the judge -- have essentially said the case amounted to a bunch of nothing. 14 days is a huge embarrassment for prosecutors. It would be shocking if prosecutors don't try to cut a deal with Lori Loughlin ... a deal that would mimic Felicity's sentence.
1:10 PM PT -- Felicity just left court. She beelined it to a waiting SUV, without saying anything to the waiting crowd.
12:53 PM PT -- Felicity will have to turn herself in to begin her 2 weeks behind bars on Oct. 25.
12:37 PM PT -- The judge just sentenced Felicity to 14 days behind bars, a $30k fine, one year of supervised release and 250 hours of community service. She'll start her prison time at a later date.
12:19 PM PT -- Felicity now has the floor ... saying, "I am deeply sorry to the students, parents, colleges and universities impacted by my actions." She continued, "I have inflicted more damage (on her daughter) than I could've ever imagined."
Huffman also said, "I was frightened, I was stupid and I was so wrong. I am deeply ashamed of what I have done."
12:05 PM PT -- Prosecutors are not pulling any punches, demanding Felicity get a month behind bars. They've also looped Huffman's daughters into their argument, saying Felicity showed little confidence in her children's academic ability and that they should be angry at their mom.
As for the $20,000 fine and community service punishment Felicity's legal team suggested? Prosecutors say it amounts to nothing considering Huffman is worth tens of millions and enjoys doing community service.
Felicity Huffman's time to face the music has arrived ... she just showed up to court to go before the judge and learn her fate after pleading guilty in the college admissions bribery scandal.
Felicity marched into court with her husband, William H. Macy. She looked stoic, but all signs point to an extremely light sentence ... and she could get no jail time at all.
Prosecutors want the "Desperate Housewives" star to spend a month behind bars for paying $15k to rig her daughter's SAT test. The Probation Dept. has suggested no time behind bars is appropriate, because no one suffered a loss as a result of Felicity's actions.
Our bet ... 30 days house arrest.
It's interesting ... prosecutors have retreated in a big way ... they initially wanted a minimum of 4 months, but reduced it to 1 in the face of the probation report. Prosecutors explained the change by saying the amount of time doesn't matter, as long as there's a message that similar wrongdoers will get some time. Even prosecutors don't believe that -- not the way it works.
Regardless of the sentence, it doesn't change the fact Felicity pled guilty to conspiracy charges for paying $15k to give her daughter a leg up on her college entrance exam. That means she's now a felon, which means at the very least she can't own a firearm.
Lori Loughlin, on the other hand, chose to fight the charges instead of copping a plea deal. Given Felicity's soft sentence and the Probation Dept. justifying it by saying there was "no actual or intended loss" ... Loughlin may now have the edge.
Originally published -- 10:41 AM PT