Sean “Diddy” Combs’ ex-girlfriend Virginia Huynh, who was set to testify in the hip-hop mogul’s federal trial but dropped out before the proceedings started, has written a letter to a New York judge urging his release on bail.
Huynh was identified as “Victim-3” in the federal government’s sprawling indictment against Combs, 55, who was acquitted in early July of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges but convicted on two counts of interstate prostitution.
In the letter, Huynh — publicly identifying herself by name for the first time — wrote that she wanted to “share my observations about [Combs’] character and to respectfully request that the Court permit his release on bond while the case proceeds.”
“I believe it is important for the Court to have a full picture of who he is beyond the allegations,” Huynh said in the one-page letter, which was filed by Combs’ legal team Sunday.
Huynh wrote that her relationship with Combs was “not always perfect,” beset by “ups and downs” and “mistakes.” But in time, she wrote, he “made visible efforts to become a better person and to address the harm he had caused.”
By the end of their relationship, she added, “he embodied an energy of love, patience and gentleness that was markedly different from his past behavior.”
“To my knowledge,” Huynh told Judge Arun Subramanian, “he has not been violent for many years, and he has been committed to being a father first.”
She said that she does not view Combs as “a danger to me or to this community,” and that his children “depend on him for emotional and financial support.”
“Allowing him to be at home will also support the healing process for all involved,” Huynh wrote in closing. “I respectfully ask that you consider these factors when deciding his eligibility for release.”
In the days before Combs’ trial started, U.S. government prosecutors said they were struggling to get in touch with “Victim-3” and her attorney. She ultimately did not testify in the blockbuster seven-week trial.
The jurors in the case heard testimony from two of Combs’ other ex-girlfriends: R&B singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a woman referred to by the pseudonym “Jane.” The prosecution called more than 30 other witnesses, including former assistants.
Ventura testified about the alleged abuse she experienced during her 10-year on-and-off relationship with Combs. She accused him of physical and sexual assault, and jurors were shown hotel security video of Combs beating her in a hallway in 2016.
Combs, who pleaded not guilty, faced five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Subramanian denied Combs’ bail request on the day the jury’s verdict came in, saying it would be impossible for the Bad Boy Records founder to prove that he does not pose a danger.
Combs is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 3. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
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