Bill Cosby: America’s Dad convicted of drugging, sex assault

NORRISTOWN, Pa. – Bill Cosby could be headed to prison at age 80 for sexual assault for the rest of his life, vindicating a multitude of women who doubted anyone would ever believe their word against that of America’s Dad.

The comedian was convicted Thursday of drugging and molesting Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in January 2004.

Women’s advocates called the verdict a turning point in the #MeToo movement that proved what Cosby’s accusers had been saying: His nice-guy image was a sham.

The verdict in the first big celebrity trial of the #MeToo era sealed the spectacular late-in-life downfall of an entertainer who broke racial barriers in Hollywood on his way to TV superstardom as Dr. Cliff Huxtable.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission. Constand has done so.