Bill Cosby will likely spend the next three to 10 years behind bars. And at 81-years-old, it could be a death sentence for the comedian and TV legend.
The sentencing phase followed 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.
But while Cosby has become the first celebrity to do prison time in the midst of the #MeToo movement, several White male sexual predators have yet to endure similar treatment.
For instance, actor Charlie Sheen was sued in June 2017 by an ex-girlfriend for not disclosing his HIV status before the two began having unprotected sex. Sheen later told the woman that his status was “none of your f—g business,” according to court documents. But while Sheen was tied up in litigation, he was never charged with a crime.
In the state of California, knowingly exposing someone to HIV was considered a felony at the time with a punishment of eight years in prison. The law was changed at the beginning of 2018 and is now a misdemeanor with a possible sentence of six months in jail. However, Sheen has yet to be put in handcuffs for his sexual crime.
Moreover, Donald Trump has over 20 accusations of sexual assault against him, but he remains free and continues to serve as president. It’s highly unlikely that Trump will be prosecuted for his sex crimes while in the White House.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual misconduct by three women, including a woman who said he spiked punch in order to gang rape women. The FBI have yet to investigate Kavanaugh.
Another egregious sex crime that garnered national attention occurred in Anchorage, Alaska in August 2017. Justin Schneider, 34, was arrested and charged with kidnapping and assault after he kidnapped a woman, strangled her, and put his bodily fluids on her while she was unconscious. But prosecutors gave him a deal that proved White privilege remains a real issue in society. In exchange for pleading guilty to felony assault, Schneider was given two years in prison with one suspended.
Cosby’s time in jail sentence will continue to be controversial when White males who have done similar crimes remain free.
