William C. Cosby Gets 15 Years for Gun, Drug Crimes

William C. Cosby, 33, of East St. Louis, Illinois, is headed to federal prison for 15 years after being convicted on charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a felon. The sentence, handed down today in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, includes an additional six years of supervised release.

The bust went down on September 27, 2016, when East St. Louis police pulled over Cosby’s vehicle for lacking a front license plate. A records check revealed his driver’s license was suspended—leading to his arrest. During a search of his person, officers found two grams of crack cocaine stashed in the pocket of his jacket. That was just the beginning.

When cops searched the car, they uncovered a .45 caliber pistol hidden beneath the driver’s seat—loaded with a 15-round extended magazine and fitted with a laser sight. Worse, the weapon had been reported stolen. The discovery triggered federal charges, stacking years onto what might have been a routine traffic stop.

At sentencing, prosecutors laid bare Cosby’s violent past. In April 2013, he was convicted of first-degree murder in St. Clair County Circuit Court—though later granted a new trial and acquitted in December 2014. During that second trial, Cosby admitted under oath he carried a firearm ‘all the time’—a damning statement given his status as a convicted felon prohibited from possessing any weapon.

U.S. District Judge Nancy J. Rosenstengel didn’t mince words. Citing Cosby’s criminal history—residential burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and prior firearm violations—she declared, ‘The public needs to see that these crimes are taken seriously.’ The 15-year sentence reflects the federal crackdown on repeat offenders and gun-related drug activity.

The case was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a federal initiative revived in October 2017 under then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions to combat rising violent crime. Jointly investigated by the East St. Louis Police Department, ATF, and Illinois State Police, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Reppert, the conviction underscores the reach of coordinated law enforcement in high-crime urban zones.