Bill Cosby Bail Set at 1 Million Dollars

Cosby, whose legacy as a comedian has been tarnished by multiple accusations of sexual assault, faces one felony charge of aggravated indecent assault.

The powerful entertainer arrived at magistrate court Wednesday afternoon, wearing a hooded gray sweater and holding a cane. He stumbled slightly after exiting an SUV and had to be held up by two people.

Crosby came out of the court room after about six minutes, bail was set at 1 million dollars and the comedian had to turn in his passport.

This is the first criminal charge levied against Cosby since the allegations first arose. Cosby has steadfastly denied any wrongdoing.

The criminal investigation into Cosby in Montgomery County was reopened in July after new evidence came to light, Steele said.

The new evidence was court documents related to a civil suit that Constand filed against Cosby after prosecutors declined to seek charges against the comedian.

Constand settled the civil case against Cosby in 2006.

This past July — nine years after the civil case was settled — a judge decided to unseal Cosby’s deposition in that case in response to a motion by the media.

In it, Cosby admits he had sexual relationships with at least five women outside his marriage, gave prescription sedatives to women he wanted to have sex with and tried to hide affairs from his wife.

When the deposition was released and «we learned about allegations from other victims under similar circumstances, reopening this case was not a question,» Steele said. «Rather, reopening this case was our duty as law enforcement officers with a sworn obligation to uphold our constitutions and to uphold the law.»

Prosecutors re-examined the original investigation in light of the new documents, re-interviewed some witnesses and decided to pursue the criminal charge.