A New York judge will on Friday sentence music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs after his conviction on two prostitution-related charges. Each charge carries up to 10 years in prison, and prosecutors are asking for at least 11 years behind bars.
Combs, 55, was cleared in July of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, which could have meant life in prison. But he still faces the possibility of a long sentence.
Prosecutors called Combs “unrepentant” and a danger to the public. His lawyers, however, are asking for leniency, saying he should be sentenced to just 14 months — effectively the time he has already spent in jail.
Judge Arun Subramanian will consider federal sentencing guidelines, victim statements, and letters of support before making his decision. At least one victim, a former assistant identified as Mia, is expected to address the court.
Combs himself wrote to the judge, apologising for the violence revealed during the trial.
“I am scared to death to be away from my family. I will never commit a crime again.” he said.
He is also expected to speak directly in court.
His former girlfriend, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, asked the judge to remember “the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control.”
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She testified that she suffered years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse during her decade-long relationship with Combs.
Ventura described being forced into “freak-offs” — sexual marathons with hired men — and recalled a 2016 incident where Combs beat her, footage of which was shown in court. “I have nightmares and flashbacks on a regular, everyday basis,” she wrote.
While Combs’s lawyers argued the sexual activities were consensual, jurors agreed only on the lesser prostitution-related offences.
Combs, who has been in jail in Brooklyn for more than a year, told the court that prison has left him “reborn.” His lawyers said his legacy is already “shattered” and that he has suffered enough.
There is also speculation that allies of Combs may seek a presidential pardon.