Tanya McDowell is an American woman who served five years in prison after a plea deal related to falsifying her residence to change school districts. McDowell has received national media attention from articles and viral social media posts juxtaposing aspects of her case with

Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...

's 14 day sentence for a federal crime as part of the

2019 college admissions bribery scandal In 2019, a scandal arose over a criminal conspiracy to influence undergraduate admissions decisions at several top American universities. The investigation into the conspiracy was code named Operation Varsity Blues. The investigation and rela ...

. The misleading nature of some media attention led to a Snopes fact-checking entry which argued the Huffman and McDowell cases were not directly comparable. McDowell received a five-year sentence in a plea deal over numerous charges including felony larceny. The larceny charge was for sending her son to a school in a district they did not reside in. She was also arrested and charged for offering drugs and prostitutes to undercover police officers. McDowell was charged with seven counts in total. McDowell had a previous record of bank robbery and weapons crimes. Prosecutors from the U.S. attorney's office in Boston in

Operation Varsity Blues Varsity Blues may refer to: * Varsity Blues (film), ''Varsity Blues'' (film), a 1999 film starring James Van Der Beek * Varsity Blues (EP), ''Varsity Blues'' (EP), a 2002 EP by Murs * Toronto Varsity Blues, the sports teams of the University of Tor ...

cited McDowell's case as well as five others in their arguments for the length of prison time for convictions in the admissions scandal. Her case has also been cited in discussions of possible barriers to legitimate employment, educational zoning, university admission criteria, and increased oversight and scrutiny in public housing. In June 2011, minister and activist

Al Sharpton Alfred Charles Sharpton Jr. (born October 3, 1954) is an American civil rights activist, Baptist minister, talk show host and politician. Sharpton is the founder of the National Action Network. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic ...

spoke at a rally in support of McDowell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McDowell, Tanya American prisoners and detainees Living people Year of birth missing (living people)