Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Awaits Sentencing for Prostitution-Related Crimes

The fate of hip-hop pioneer Sean “Diddy” Combs will be decided Friday as a New York judge is set to sentence him following his conviction on two prostitution-related counts. While a jury cleared the 55-year-old of the more severe charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, sparing him from life imprisonment, prosecutors are demanding a significant custodial sentence of over ten years.

The two prostitution-related counts each carry a maximum penalty of a decade behind bars. Dependable NG reports that prosecutors are urging Judge Arun Subramanian to sentence Combs to at least 11 years, branding him as “unrepentant” and a clear threat to the public. Conversely, Combs’s legal team is seeking 14 months, a punishment that would effectively mean time served, allowing him to walk free before the end of the year.

The judge’s decision hinges on materials including compelling victim impact statements. A former assistant who testified under the name Mia is expected to read her statement in court. Judge Subramanian is also weighing numerous character reference letters supporting Combs, alongside a personal, lengthy plea for leniency from the artist himself.

Combs, who is expected to speak in court, expressed his remorse in a letter late Thursday, apologizing for the evidence of violence he committed. He told the judge he was “scared to death” to be away from his family, vowing he “will never commit a crime again.” Having been incarcerated in Brooklyn for over a year, his lawyers argue he has suffered enough, with his legacy already “shattered,” and claim his time in prison has left him “reborn.”

The prosecution’s case leaned heavily on the testimony of Combs’s former long-term girlfriend, singer Casandra Ventura (Cassie). In a wrenching letter to the court, Ventura described years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. She explicitly asked the judge for a decision that “reflects the strength it took for victims of Sean Combs to come forward.”

Ventura recalled being coerced into “freak-offs,” sexual marathons with hired men that Combs directed and sometimes filmed. She noted the footage shown in court, which captured Combs “kicking and beating me as I tried to run away,” leaving her with nightmares and flashbacks. Due to fears of “retribution” if Combs is released, Ventura and her family have left the New York area.

The conviction on the lesser counts stems from a federal statute that criminalizes transporting people across state lines for prostitution. While the defense is seeking to minimize these offenses, no matter the judge’s sentence on Friday, people in Combs’s circle have reportedly been approaching the White House seeking the possibility of a presidential pardon.