America’s favorite TV dad is going to jail.
He was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison on Tuesday.
Bill Cosby, 81, was convicted in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault in a retrial of a Pennsylvania sexual assault case of Andrea Constand, a former Temple University women’s basketball administrator, who testified he assaulted her at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004 after she came to him seeking career advice.
Cosby previously faced up to 30 years in prison, or a maximum of 10 years for each charge against him. In the five months since his conviction, Cosby had remained out on bail. He also paid out a $3.4 million settlement to Constand in 2006 as part of a civil lawsuit.
He didn’t make any statement in court, his spokesperson told the Associated Press. The Philadelphia Enquirer reported that he appeared upbeat in the courtroom even as the judge spoke firmly to him.
Cosby’s attorneys argued Monday that a lengthy jail sentence would be too harsh, and that it was unconstitutional for Cosby to be listed as lifetime registrant with state police as a “sexually violent predator.” The judge ruled Monday that it’s constitutional for such requirements to be imposed. His lawyers also asked for house arrest rather than prison time, given his age, according to Reuters.
His attorneys will appeal the decision with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
Over the last few years, nearly 60 women have stepped forward to accuse Cosby of sexual assault, but many of the allegations were past the statute of limitations. Cosby is the first male celebrity to actually be punished within the confines of the legal justice system for sexual assault in the age of #MeToo. Will his conviction set a precedent
Prosecutors had asked for five to 10 years in prison.
Reactions to his sentence were mixed on Twitter.
