Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs urged a U.S. judge late on Monday to impose a 14-month prison sentence on the hip-hop mogul after he was convicted of prostitution-related offenses, but acquitted on more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
Combs, 55, faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison after a Manhattan jury found him guilty in July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty and is expected to appeal his conviction.
In a court filing, the Combs legal team urged the judge to impose the lesser sentence, followed by supervised release with mandatory drug treatment, therapy, and group counselling, arguing it would be "sufficient, but not greater than necessary" under federal sentencing law.
Prosecutors have until 29 September to recommend a sentence and have said that a "substantial" prison term is warranted, but acknowledged that federal sentencing guidelines appear to recommend no more than 5-1/4 years.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian is expected to sentence Combs on 3 October. Subramanian has also scheduled a hearing for Thursday to consider Combs' motion to set the conviction aside.
Combs founded Bad Boy Records and is credited with popularising hip-hop in American culture.
During a two-month trial, prosecutors said Combs coerced two former girlfriends into days-long, drug-fuelled sex marathons known as "Freak Offs" with male prostitutes.
Both women: rhythm and blues singer Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, and a woman known by the pseudonym Jane, testified that Combs physically attacked them and threatened to cut off financial support if they resisted his sexual encounters.
Lawyers for Combs did not deny there was abuse, but argued there was no direct link between what they called domestic violence and the women's participation in the "Freak Offs."
They argued that Ventura and Jane consented to the encounters because they loved Combs and wanted to make him happy.
Combs' lawyers have said voyeurism, or paying to watch others have sex, does not constitute engaging in prostitution.
Prosecutors countered that Combs' direct involvement in sexual activity wasn't required.
Combs was arrested in September 2024 and has remained in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since then.
Russia’s special presidential envoy for Afghanistan has warned that any return by the United States to Afghan soil would end in “disaster” for W...
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is currently on a working visit to New York, where he has held a series of bilateral meetings with repre...
Semiconductor shares from Asia to Europe rose sharply on Tuesday after Nvidia unveiled a $100 billion partnership with OpenAI to build massive AI syst...
Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili delivered two sharply contrasting messages to Europe on the same day — accusing the European Union...
Russia has launched a series of attacks on Ukraine's railways since the summer, using long-range drones to target key points, but the network is still...
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is currently on a working visit to New York, where he has held a series of bilateral meetings with representatives of major businesses and international organisations.
Semiconductor shares from Asia to Europe rose sharply on Tuesday after Nvidia unveiled a $100 billion partnership with OpenAI to build massive AI systems requiring millions of processors.
Georgia’s Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili delivered two sharply contrasting messages to Europe on the same day — accusing the European Union of interfering in domestic politics, while voicing optimism about resetting relations with France.
Russia has launched a series of attacks on Ukraine's railways since the summer, using long-range drones to target key points, but the network is still functioning, the state railway CEO of Ukrzaliznytsia told Reuters.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Semiconductor shares from Asia to Europe rose sharply on Tuesday after Nvidia unveiled a $100 billion partnership with OpenAI to build massive AI systems requiring millions of processors.
Russia has launched a series of attacks on Ukraine's railways since the summer, using long-range drones to target key points, but the network is still functioning, the state railway CEO of Ukrzaliznytsia told Reuters.
Danish police said on Tuesday that drones that shut the country's main airport a day earlier appeared to have been flown by "a capable operator" seeking to demonstrate certain abilities, adding that no suspects had been identified.
French international football player Ousmane Dembélé of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) said that despite not having a personal goal of winning the Ballon d’Or, he could not hold back tears when he spoke about his family after being named the world’s best player on Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will seek more support from allies when he addresses the United Nations and meets Donald Trump this week, but behind the scenes Kyiv is quietly preparing for a new phase of the war in which it relies more on itself.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment