Bill Cosby sentenced to 3 to 10 years

Bill Cosby was able to hide his crimes for decades behind his fame and fortune, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said at a press conference following the sentencing.

The comedian once known as America's Dad was especially able to hide behind wholesome character on "The Cosby Show," Dr. Cliff Huxtable, Steele said.

"It was a seminal character on TV, and so was the family, but it was fiction," Steele said.

He continued:

Steele said the "real" Bill Cosby has finally been revealed.

"Finally, Bill Cosby has been unmasked, and we saw the real man as he is headed off to prison," he said.

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Gloria Allred, an attorney who represented some of Cosby's accusers, applauded the "just outcome" in a statement after the sentencing.

"This has been a long journey to justice for all of the accusers, particularly for Andrea Constand and for her family. And we respect the fact that they have undergone and endured this journey to justice," Allred said, speaking to reporters.

"This is a very important day. Judgment day has come."

"Mr. Cosby has shown no remorse, and there has been no justice for many of the accusers who were barred from a court by the arbitrary time limits imposed by the statute of limitations," she added, praising the accusers who were "brave enough to speak to law enforcement."

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Bill Cosby was just escorted out of the courtroom after being sentenced. He was seen leaving in handcuffs after Judge Steven O'Neill denied him bail.

"This is a serious crime he was convicted for. This is a sexual assault crime," the judge said. The courtroom has been cleared. 

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Andrea Constand, the woman Bill Cosby was convicted of sexually assaulting, smiled as she left the courtroom today.

She stopped to hug another woman on her way out.

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Judge O’Neill has denied bail to Bill Cosby, according to a tweet from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s office.

In handing down his ruling to Bill Cosby today, Judge O’Neill said no one is above the law. He also referenced how brave Andrea Constand, who Cosby was convicted to sexually assaulting, was through this whole process.

 Cosby would be sentenced regardless of "who he is or who he was," O'Neill said.

"I have given great weight to the victim impact testimony in this case, and it was powerful," he added.

Kathy McKee, a former actress who has accused Cosby of raping her, told CNN that listening to the news about Bill Cosby's sentencing stirs up some "very difficult and deep emotions."

Still, she said she is happy Judge Steven O'Neill sentenced Cosby accordingly and is grateful to Andrea Constand "for standing strong."

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Judge Steven O'Neill handed down Bill Cosby's sentence in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania court Tuesday afternoon at 2:10 pm.  

Cosby, who is now 81, was convicted of assaulting Constand in his Pennsylvania home 14 years ago.  

The defense earlier indicated it will appeal the conviction.  

Bill Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in state prison on Tuesday for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand.

Cosby, 81, faced a maximum of 10 years in prison after prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to merge the three counts of his conviction into one for sentencing purposes.

The DA tweeted:

Prosecutors asked for a sentence of five to 10 years in prison. However, Cosby's defense attorney asked for a sentence of house arrest, citing Cosby's advanced age and blindness.

Once a groundbreaking actor known as "America's Dad," Cosby was accused by dozens of women of drugging and sexually assaulting them over his decades as a powerful media figure.

Cosby was convicted in April of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and assaulting Constand at his home in 2004, in the first high-profile celebrity criminal trial of the #MeToo era.

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