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.
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The U.S. has launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran, targeting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites as Tehran retaliated against U.S. positions across the region, while Iranian officials said at least five people were killed and dozens wounded at a wedding near Sirik.
The Iranian Health Ministry said at least 18 people were killed and 142 others injured in U.S. airstrikes carried out between 30 August and 2 September.
The European Union's foreign policy chief Kaia Kallas says the bloc will tighten enforcement of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine. EU foreign ministers were meeting in Ireland following renewed Russian strikes on cities across Ukraine.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 3rd of September, covering the latest developments.
Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy says envoys from the United States will be visiting Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate an end to the conflict.
The Trump administration pressured U.S. space companies not to attend a high-profile space summit in Paris organised by French President Emmanuel Macron, prompting a last-minute reshuffle and the cancellation of some planned announcements, according to sources familiar with the matter.
A Russian court on Thursday imposed restrictions on Lida Moniava, the founder of a children’s hospice, who is accused of spreading false information about the Russian military’s actions in Ukraine.
China’s state-owned shipping giant COSCO has used concealed equipment aboard some of its vessels to collect intelligence on military communications near the coastlines of countries including the U.S., according to two senior Trump administration officials.
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that would block federal funding for universities that boycott Israel, as Republicans push ahead with pro-Israel measures despite growing criticism of the Israeli government over the war in Gaza.
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