American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, author, and convicted sex offender Bill Cosby, fell from grace after being sentenced Tuesday to three to 10 years in state prison.
The 81-year-old comedian was also fined $25,000 and will be required to cover the costs of prosecution, which amounts to at least $43,000, the district attorney said.He was convicted in April of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand, who testified that Cosby violated her at his Pennsylvania home in 2004 after she came to him for career advice.
“Nobody is above the law because of where they live, who they are, wealth, fame, celebrity or even philanthropy,” said Judge Steven O’Neill, who presided over both of Cosby’s trials, the first of which ended in a mistrial.
“The court must consider the protection of the public and the gravity of the offense and the rehabilitation of the defendant,” O’Neill said. “Thirty-four months this has gone on. Your time has come,” he told Cosby.
Cosby, who is the first star of his caliber to be convicted of sexual assault in the age of #MeToo, have been accused of sexual misconduct by dozens of women, but was only criminally charged in Constand’s case.
Constand and Cosby did not react openly when the judge was handing down the sentence, but later, Cosby was seen removing his jacket and tie, while laughing with his spokesman and attorney. Former model Janice Dickinson, who has accused Cosby of rape, began laughing uncontrollably until a sheriff orderedher to stop.
“I am victorious,” Dickinson said after the sentencing.
