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| Bill Cosby (booking photo via Montgomery County Board of Commissioners) |
Bill Cosby, formerly “America’s Dad,” has been sentenced to three to ten years in prison for three counts of sexual assault.
After years of scandal and accusations, Cosby was found guilty of three counts of felony aggravated indecent assault in April.
While state guidelines recommend between one and four years for each count, a single count has the potential to carry 10 years in prison meaning Cosby could have faced a 30-year prison sentence.
According to Yahoo News, Judge Steven O’Neill told the court during sentencing, "I'm not permitted to treat him any differently based on who he is or who he was.”
The District Attorney had asked for the maximum sentence but the defense team requested leniency in regard to Cosby’s age and frailty (Cosby is now legally blind).
Cosby will now serve at least three years in prison with the possibility of supervised release at that point, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be released then.
Andrea Constand, his victim, was in the courtroom as well as more than half a dozen of Cosby’s other accusers (he had nearly 60 in total).
In her victim impact letter, which was shared in court on Monday, Constand wrote that the “psychological, emotional, and financial bullying included a slander campaign in the media that left my entire family reeling in shock and disbelief.”
“Now, almost 15 years later, I’m a middle aged woman who’s been stuck in a holding pattern for most of her adult life, unable to heal fully or move forward,” she added.
In addition to the prison sentence, Cosby was denied bail; has been ordered to pay a $25,000 fine; undergo counseling for the rest of his life; and register as a sex offender.
In the era of the #MeToo movement, it’s notable that in order to deliver justice for the victim, it took two trials and dozens of accusers to come forward.
And people wonder why sexual assault victims don’t come forward immediately.
