Bill Cosby will serve three to 10 years in prison after being convicted on three counts of aggravated indecent assault in April.
Cosby, 81, faced up to 10 years behind bars after prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to merge the three counts of his conviction. He was also fined $25,000 and ordered to pay the cost of his own prosecution.
The sentence was handed Tuesday, Sept. 25, and Cosby must begin serving his prison sentence immediately.
The sentencing phase follows Cosby’s conviction of charges stemming from a 2004 incident in which Andrea Constand claimed that he sexually assaulted her while at his home. Constand said Cosby gave her pills that made her drowsy. At some point, Constand said, Cosby grabbed her breasts and made her perform a sexual act on him. Cosby said the encounter was consensual.
The case came down to “he said, she said” as the jury searched for a legal definition of consent. However, it likely boiled down to the five other women who testified against Cosby during his trial.
