Updated Wednesday, Dec. 30, 3 p.m. EST: Bill Cosby was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in an Elkins Park, Pa., courtroom, ABC News reports, to answer to charges of alleged aggravated indecent assault. According to the report, the bail for the fallen comedian was set at $1 million, and he also turned over his passport to the court. The 78-year-old did not enter a plea at that time. Cosby's next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 14.
ABC notes that after the arraignment, Cosby would be headed over to the Cheltenham, Pa., Police Department to take his mug shot and be fingerprinted. If convicted, the site reports, Cosby could face up to 10 years in jail and a $25,000 fine.
Earlier:
Disgraced entertainer Bill Cosby will be facing charges of aggravated indecent assault for a 2004 alleged rape and is expected to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon, just days before the statute of limitations in the case was set to expire, the Associated Press reports.
An arrest warrant has been issued for the embattled comedian, who faces repeated accusations of systematically drugging and/or raping women, according to an exclusive report from People. The warrant is in relation to the alleged January 2004 rape of former Temple University employee Andrea Constand.
"Obviously we appreciate the expression of confidence in her," one of Constand's attorneys, Dolores Troiani, told the magazine. "We'll have to see what happens. We hope justice will be done. We will cooperate fully."
Cosby has stated in the past that his encounter with Constand was consensual. Constand, however, has insisted that she was in a relationship with a woman at the time, slamming Cosby as a "narcissist" who didn't get the clue that she was gay, People notes.
Constand is one of more than 50 women who claim to be victims of the once well-loved comedian, best known for his pivotal role as Cliff Huxtable in The Cosby Show.
Earlier this month, Cosby, who has consistently denied all accusations, filed defamation lawsuits against seven of his accusers.
When asked about the lawsuits, Troiani told People, "I think this arrest warrant speaks for itself. I don't think I have to talk any louder than they have."
Constand and Cosby met in 2002, while she was working as operations manager of the Temple University women's basketball team. The two became friends, and over time "she considered him to be both her friend, albeit older, and a mentor," according to details from an earlier civil suit regarding the case.
In January 2004, Cosby invited Constand over to his mansion in Pennsylvania, where she agreed to meet him to discuss career paths. She arrived around 8:45 p.m. and the pair began to speak, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday. During the conversation, Constand related to Cosby that she was feeling "drained" and "emotionally occupied." Cosby allegedly told her that he wanted her to relax before offering her "three blue pills, which he told her were herbal medication, which would help her relax," the complaint notes.
Constand reported feeling dizzy and weak after taking the pills, as if she were only barely conscious. After she told Cosby that she didn't feel well, the entertainer reportedly led her to a sofa, since she could not walk on her own, and laid her down.
"Cosby did not sit on the sofa with her, but instead positioned himself behind her. Despite her impaired physical and mental condition, the victim was aware that Cosby was fondling her breasts, put his hands into her pants and penetrated her vagina with his fingers," the complaint notes.
"The victim told investigators that she did not consent to any of these acts and was unable to move or speak during the assault," reportedly feeling "frozen" and "paralyzed," the complaint continues.
Constand ended up waking up at Cosby's home around 4 a.m. to find her clothes in disarray.
"She discovered that her sweater was bunched up, and that her bra was undone and had been moved above her breasts," according to the complaint.