(NewsNation) — Sean “Diddy” Combs is set to be sentenced by a federal judge Friday, three months after being convicted on a pair of prostitution-related charges.
Combs has been in a New York City prison for the last 13 months since he was arrested at a hotel in Manhattan last year.
The charges — two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act — carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison per count. He was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.
Though a long appeals path likely remains for Combs, his sentencing will bring an end to the criminal proceedings the music mogul became entrenched in since two of his homes were raided by federal agents in March 2024.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys have presented a stark divide over how much time they believe Combs should get behind bars.
Federal prosecutors argued Combs should get a minimum of 11 years in prison, saying the music mogul is “unrepentant” and that his accusers continue to live in fear of him.
In a filing Tuesday, prosecutors said the music producer is “not the victim” and that the judge “should focus on the very real effects that the defendant’s conduct had on the lives of the actual victims, his victims.”
At trial, two of Combs’ former girlfriends testified that they felt forced to participate in the drug-fueled sex parties with male sex workers as Combs watched and sometimes filmed.
Defense attorneys have argued that Combs should be given no more than a 14-month sentence, telling Judge Arun Subramanian that the time the music producer has already served in jail has been adequate punishment.
They called the prosecution’s recommended sentence of 11 years “draconian” in a filing Thursday.
“Instead of accepting the verdict and advocating a reasonable sentence, the government has gone to extreme lengths to try to justify a draconian sentence, particularly for a 55-year-old man,” they wrote.
“Instead of addressing the conduct for which Mr. Combs was convicted, the government has devoted 161 pages to rehashing evidence rejected by the jury and concocting far-fetched legal arguments to try to jack up the guidelines range to an absurd 360-life level—as if he had been convicted not only of the acquitted charges, but also other uncharged offenses.”
Subramanian denied Combs’ motions for acquittal and a new trial earlier this week, saying prosecutors “proved their case many times over.”
Combs is expected to address the court at Friday’s sentencing.
Diddy’s accusers submit impact statements to the judge
Combs’ former partner singer, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, was the prosecution’s star witness at trial.
She submitted a victim impact statement ahead of the sentencing, asking the judge to consider her trauma and fears when making a decision.
“I still have nightmares and flashbacks on a regular, everyday basis, and continue to require psychological care to cope with my past,” she wrote. “My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality,” she wrote, adding, “as much progress as I have made in recovering from his abuse, I remain very much afraid of what he is capable of and the malice he undoubtedly harbors towards me for having the bravery to tell the truth.”
Combs’ former assistant, referred only under the pseudonym “Mia,” is expected to give a victim impact statement in court Friday. During the trial, Mia testified that she was sexually assaulted by the music producer several times.
“Although the verdict fell short of the justice I had hoped for, the defendant was still found guilty of serious crimes. What he stole from me cannot be returned—it cannot be reduced to years or money. He stole my freedom, my sense of safety, my ability to trust myself and others, and my confidence,” Mia wrote in an impact statement submitted to the court.
Diddy’s supporters submit letters asking for leniency
Virginia Huynh, who was referred to as “Victim 3” in Combs’ indictment, wrote in a letter to the judge that Combs deserves to be released. She also contends that she was never sex trafficked by Combs and was instead pressured by prosecutors.
“I felt pressured to feel like a victim. I told them I was not, but they insisted that I was, even when Iexpressed my truth otherwise,” she wrote. “I was not trafficked. I did not engage in prostitution with him or others. That would have been my testimony if called to the stand.”
Prosecutors intended to call Huynh to testify at his trial, but days before it began, they told the judge they had been unable to reach her. In her letter, she wrote that she was not asked to communicate her support for Combs.
An individual named Shamoy Allen, who said Combs was his mentor, called him “a family man at his core” in a letter requesting his release.
“His presence in their lives is irreplaceable, and I believe his best path forward is alongside them—continuing to grow, guide, and live out the values he holds dear,” he wrote. “Mr. Combs has also shown through his work and actions how deeply committed he is to his community.”
What factors go into Diddy’s sentencing?
How much time Combs gets will depend on several factors, including federal sentencing guidelines, whether he’s been rehabilitated and the nature of the crime he’s been convicted of.
The judge will start by reviewing the sentencing guidelines and then calculate the prison time from there, Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told NewsNation.
From the prosecution’s perspective, they start with the base offense level, and they start adding specific enhancements that will add time, he said.
Enhancements prosecutors can argue are that there are multiple victims, that he was the supervisor of this prostitution scheme and also that he obstructed justice when he allegedly tried to dissuade witnesses from testifying, Rahmani said.
Combs’ team will argue for less time, using mitigating factors, Tre Lovell, an entertainment attorney, said.
“Diddy’s defense team is arguing that he’s a new man, he stopped drinking after 25 years, he’s been teaching other inmates skills, he’s been a model inmate, he has a different outlook on life, and he’s a new man,” Lovell said.
They will also argue that he’s already suffered and that the crime is not the typical form of prostitution that is prosecuted.
Federal probation office compiled report for Diddy’s sentencing
Prior to sentencing, the judge will get sentencing recommendations from prosecutors, defense attorneys but also the probation office.
That office has been conducting its own investigation in order to present its report.
That report is based upon the “crime, previous offenses, the type of person he is, the facts underlying the crime and whether or not there’s any rehabilitation that’s possible,” Lovell said.
“It’s kind of a neutral reporting in the sense that neither the prosecution nor the defense are providing it to the probation offices,” he said.
Probation officers typically speak to family members, victims and others who may be involved, he said. This helps them gather information about what could happen if Combs is put on supervised release, for example, Rahmani said.
But ultimately, the judge will be the final decision-maker, and he could go whatever way he feels is appropriate, he said.
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