Actor Bill Cosby’s conviction on three counts of sexual assault shows that famous people aren’t immune to being convicted of sex crimes and punished accordingly under the law, although not all Hollywood sex crimes end with convictions.
But even when convictions don’t occur and a person’s innocence is proven, their reputation and livelihood can be ruined.
Cosby’s case concerned an alleged sexual assault in 2004 of Andrea Constand, who was on the athletics staff of Temple University in Philadelphia. That’s where Cosby lived in retirement from show business, after decades of popularity as a standup comedian and actor — including the long-running sitcom hit The Cosby Show.
Bill Cosby, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsDozens of women had accused Cosby of sexual assault, often from many years earlier, but Constand was the only one who brought criminal charges.
At trial, Cosby was convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting her and was sentenced to 3 to 10 years in prison. That was in 2018. Three years later, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction on technicalities and Cosby was released.
Celeb convictions are rising
Cosby is hardly the first celebrity to be accused of a sex crime. However, he is among the few who have actually been convicted. Even so, this number has risen in recent years.
Mark Salling, a Dallas native and star of the 2009-2015 Fox TV series Glee, pleaded guilty on Sept. 30, 2017 to one count of possession of child pornography involving a prepubescent minor.
Even with that plea bargain, he faced four to seven years in federal prison, 20 years of supervised release, registration as a sex offender, and a fine of $250,000. However, prior to sentencing, Salling hung himself on Jan. 30, 2018.
Earlier in his Hollywood career, Salling had been accused of sexual battery by a former girlfriend. He later paid her a $2.7 million settlement.
Mark Salling Glee Premiere by Kristin Dos Santos, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsVincent Margara of the hit MTV reality show Viva La Bam was convicted in 2007 of two counts of sexual assault of a child, charges stemming from his alleged groping of young girls aged 12 and 14. He was sentenced to 10 years of probation and required to register as a sex offender.
Actor and film director Roman Polanski, best known for directing Rosemary’s Baby and the Oscar-winning Chinatown, pleaded guilty to unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor after spending 42 days in prison.
This followed a plea bargain which dropped five of six charges. The incident involved a 13-year-old female model and occurred in 1977 at the home of actor Jack Nicholson, who was out of town at the time.
Fearing even greater punishment, Polanski fled the country for Europe, where he has long fought extradition. He has never returned to the United States.
Roman Polanski by Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsJohn Heely, director of music publishing for Disney, was charged with three felony counts of child sexual abuse. He pleaded not guilty.
The music world has its share of sex charges
British glam rock musician Gary Glitter, best known for such hits as Rock ‘n’ Roll (Part 1) and Do You Want to Touch Me, was convicted in 1999 of possession of child pornography and sentenced to three years in prison.
In 2015 he was sentenced to another 16 years in prison for sexually assaulting three young girls.
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Gary Glitter by Andy Thornley from London, UK, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsLos Angeles-based musician Jim Morrison, lead singer of the acclaimed rock group The Doors, was convicted of indecent exposure after an incident on stage at a 1969 concert in Miami. Morrison paid a bond of $50,000 to avoid jail.
Rapper Tupac Shakur was convicted of two counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in 1993 and sentenced to four and a half years in prison. He spent nine months in prison before his record label paid $1.4 million bail. He was later sentenced to 120 days in jail for violating the terms of his release. In 1996, Tupac was shot and killed in Las Vegas after attending a Mike Tyson fight.
Speaking of boxer Mike Tyson, he was convicted of rape in 1992 and sentenced to six years in prison and four years of probation. Tyson wound up serving three years in prison before his eventual release.
Child sex crimes have harsh punishments
Child sex crime and child porn charges have hit people in all walks of life, and for the latter charges, punishments for child porn can be harsh and severe.
Among celebrities, Rapper R. Kelly was charged with statutory rape and possessing child porn in 2002. Reportedly, a video seemed to show Kelly having sex with an underage girl. In 2008, however, he was found not guilty.
Actor and comedian Paul Reubens, known for his screen and stage persona as oddball man-boy Pee-Wee Herman, was charged with possessing child porn in 2003.
He’d previously been arrested for indecent exposure at an adult movie theater in 1991. The child porn charge later was reduced to a misdemeanor obscenity charge.
Reubens pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years probation, fined $100, and ordered to register as a sex offender.
Paul Reubens by Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia CommonsJeffrey Jones, an actor in such films as Beetlejuice and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, was arrested for possession of child porn in 2002. The misdemeanor charge later was dropped, but Jones was also accused of soliciting a boy, age 14, to pose for nude photos.
In 2003, Jones pleaded no contest to the felony charge of soliciting a minor and was sentenced to five years probation. He then became a registered sex offender and twice was arrested for failing to update his sex offender status.
Victor Salva, a director whose films include the 1995 Houston-made movie Powder, was convicted in 1988 on charges pertaining to sexual abuse of a male actor, videotaping the act, and possessing magazines and commercial videos with child porn.
Salva pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious conduct, oral sex with a person under age 14, and procuring a child for pornography. He served 15 months in prison after being sentenced to three years. In 1992, he completed his parole.
Victor Salva by Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsJared Fogle, a former TV-ad pitchman for Subway restaurants, was arrested and pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing child porn and sex acts with minors. He was sentenced to 15 years and eight months in prison, and entered prison in late 2015. He also was fined $175,000.
British rocker Pete Townshend, a founder of legendary band The Who, was charged with possessing child porn, but then cleared of the charge in 2003. He’d used a credit card on a child porn website, but said he did it to prove that credit card companies were accepting payments from such websites.
British actor and writer Chris Langham, known for his work on The Muppet Show, was imprisoned for 10 months in 2007 after being found guilty of 15 counts of downloading child porn. He claimed he’d done so to prepare for a role as a pedophile character.
These are just a few of many famous individuals who have been convicted or charged with sex crimes. Many more have been accused recently, if not yet convicted.
Numbers of the accused are rising
Indeed, the numbers have risen dramatically in recent months as the #MeToo movement has spurred more women to accuse men in power of sexual assault and sexual abuse. The New York Times noted more than 70 high-profile firings and resignations that have come in this wave of sex crime accusations.
Clearly, whether you’re a celebrity or a regular citizen, being accused of a sex crime, including possession or distribution of child porn, is a serious and potentially life-changing matter.
But while the momentum to finally get victimized women justice is a positive social trend, some sex crime claims are false. If you face such a false charge or accusation in Houston, Harris County, Montgomery County or Fort Bend County, then it’s time to contact a lawyer immediately.
Contact us at the Neal Davis Law Firm today. We’ll provide you with a confidential legal review of your case.
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