Bill Cosby Sentenced to 3 to 10 Years in Prison

Bill Cosby was handed a three- to 10-year prison sentence on Tuesday for drugging and sexually assaulting a woman, Andrea Constand, at his residence 14 years ago. Ten women who had accused Mr. Cosby of sexual abuse, including Ms. Constand, were in the courthouse to witness the sentencing. And more than 60 women ultimately came forward with allegations against him in recent years.

The sentence is significantly lighter than the possible maximum sentence for his crimes, each of which carry up to 10 years in prison (and could have resulted in an over 30 year sentence). But Cosby’s defense team argued that a sentence of this lighter magnitude would even cause “excessive hardship” to the 81-year old former television star.

Cosby’s sentence comes after a lengthy trial, that resulted in one mistrial and an eventual guilty verdict, in which he faced accusations from former Temple University employee Andrea Constand. He was found to have drugged and raped Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004.  

In addition, Cosby has been classified as a “sexually violent predator” a determination that requires lifetime registration, lifetime mandatory sex offender counseling with a treatment provider and notification to the community that a “sexually violent predator” lives in the area. It does not impact the length of the actual sentence.