Bill Cosby's Sentencing For His Indecent Assault Conviction Is Set For September
By Eric Levenson, CNN
(CNN) -- Bill Cosby's sentencing hearing is set for September 24 and 25, according to a court order from Judge Steven O'Neill.
Cosby was found guilty last month of three counts of aggravated indecent assault for drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand at his home in a Philadelphia suburb in 2004.
The 80-year-old comedian faces up to 10 years in prison on each count, although the actual sentence is likely to be much shorter.
"He was convicted of three counts of (indecent assault), so technically that would be up to 30 years," Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said after the verdict. "However, we have to look at a merger of those counts to determine what the final maximum will be."
Some legal experts have said they do not think Cosby will spend any time behind bars. His defense team has said it will appeal the guilty verdict, and it is possible that O'Neill will allow Cosby to remain on house arrest until that appeal is resolved.
For now, Cosby is not permitted to leave his Pennsylvania home. If he does leave the state for another home, it would have to be arranged ahead of time, and he would have to wear a GPS monitoring device, the judge ruled.
Janice Baker-Kinney, who testified that Cosby drugged and raped her in 1982, said he should spend time in prison.
"I believe that it's essential he spend time in jail, and it wouldn't break my heart to see him spend the rest of his life in jail," Baker-Kinney said after the verdict.
In general, judges can take any number of factors into account when issuing a sentence. Cosby's age, his health, the philanthropic work he's done over the last several decades and his lack of prior criminal convictions are all likely to be considered in deciding the sentence.
Cosby's guilty verdict was the first criminal conviction of a high-profile celebrity since the rise of the #MeToo movement, which has forced a public reckoning with influential men accused of abusing their power.
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