Sean "Diddy" Combs, the 55-year-old music mogul once celebrated as a titan of hip-hop and business, is set to learn his fate Friday in a Manhattan federal courtroom. Convicted in July on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution, Combs faces a sentence that prosecutors argue should exceed 11 years in prison, while his defense team insists he should be freed within months.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian will hand down the sentence after a two-month trial that revealed harrowing allegations of violence and coercion. Though the jury acquitted Combs of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy-charges that carried potential life sentences-the proceedings included testimony from former girlfriends, employees and celebrities describing years of unchecked abuse.
Among the most damning evidence was hotel surveillance footage showing Combs physically assaulting singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, who testified that she was forced into "freak-offs," or multiday sessions of coerced sex with strangers. "He will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is," Ventura wrote in a letter urging the court to impose a severe sentence.
Other accusers detailed abuse in stark terms. A former personal assistant, identified in court as "Mia," testified that Combs raped her and pleaded with the judge to impose a sentence that "takes into account the ongoing danger my abuser poses to me, and to others." Prosecutors also submitted letters from Ventura's parents and three former employees, underscoring what they described as "decades of unchecked violence."
Prosecutors argue that Combs' conviction reflects only a fraction of his misconduct. "Incredibly, while the defendant conceded his acts of violence and abuse throughout trial, he now argues that his victims should shoulder the blame," federal attorneys wrote, pushing for a term exceeding 11 years.
Defense attorneys counter that the punishment should not extend beyond the jury's verdict. They are asking for a 14-month sentence, which, with time already served, would allow Combs to go home by year's end. "Mr. Combs should be sentenced for what he was convicted of-transporting consenting adults interstate to have sex-and nothing more," his lawyers said.
The defense has filed more than 75 letters of support, including statements from Combs' family, friends, former employees, and inmates who participated in his business classes at the Brooklyn detention center where he has been held for over a year. "Please let my father out of prison! He does not deserve to be there and has already been in jail for a year!" his son Christian wrote.
Combs himself sent a letter to Judge Subramanian declaring, "The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn." In another statement he added: "I want to apologize and say how sincerely sorry I am for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused others by my conduct. I take full responsibility and accountability for my past wrongs."
The court is expected to hear directly from Combs and from "Mia," who will deliver a victim impact statement, before Judge Subramanian issues a ruling that could determine whether one of the most prominent figures in music spends the next decade behind bars or returns home within months.
