Actor and comedian Bill Cosby was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting a woman at his home 12 years ago. The charges came after more than 50 women have said publically that Cosby drugged then assaulted them. Some of the alleged assaults date back to the early 1960s.
Here are five things we know about Cosby, the victim and the charges now:
1. Cosby was charged with aggravated indecent assault. He was arraigned Wednesday afternoon and released on $1 million bail.
2. The alleged victim is former Temple University employee Andrea Constand. According to her attorney, Constand is gay and was in a relationship with a woman at the time of the alleged assault.
>>RELATED: Bill Cosby charged in sex assault case
3. It's beleived that a deposition that Cosby gave in 2005 where he acknowledged under oath that he had sexual contact with Constand, but said it was consensual, may have been used in filing the charges. Cosby also testified that he obtained quaaludes in the 1970s to give to women with whom he wanted to have sex.
4. The aggravated indecent assault charge carries a possible 10-year prison term. The statute of limitations for the charge is 12 years and for this case was set to expire on Thursday.
5. Montgomery County District Attorney-elect Kevin Steele said Cosby was charged with assault because Constand was unable to resist his advances because he had plied her with pills and wine, then penetrated her digitally without her consent, when she was unconscious or unaware of what was happening. She was "frozen, paralyzed, unable to move," Steele said in announcing the charges.
About the Author
