Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs the Rapper Confronts Sentencing Following US Federal Sex Trade Finding of Guilt
The artist known as Diddy will stand before a federal judge in NYC this Friday to receive his sentence following his recent conviction on federal prostitution-related charges.
Court Verdict
Following the eight-week trial that wrapped up in the month of July, jurors acquitted Combs of the gravest allegations of sex trade and racketeering. However, the jury, though, rule against him on two counts of transporting persons for commercial sex acts.
Judge Subramanian is now tasked with the duty of determining the punishment. The hearing is scheduled to commence at 10am eastern time.
Case Details
He faced allegations of coercing two former partners into intimate meetings with substances that included paid companions. If found guilty on the most serious charges would have meant a lifetime behind bars.
After being cleared of those allegations, he reportedly knelt down in supplication. His lawyer remarked that he had “been given his life back”.
Likely Penalty
Nevertheless, the findings of guilt he was given both carry a potential of a decade incarcerated pursuant to the Mann Act, which forbids moving across state borders to enable sex work.
The government characterize the conduct as major violations, although the legal defense has dismissed the charges as “fallback” counts that should not have advanced.
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Sources indicate that he aims to talk personally to the judge before the sentence is delivered, even though not testifying throughout the legal proceedings.
In a request submitted the previous week, his lawyers requested that he be allowed to show up in “regular clothes” at the proceeding, like he had in the proceedings when he dressed in informal business attire.
“The sentencing process carries great weight for the defendant,” the letter stated. “He desires to stand before the Court, speak to the court, and allocate in the most honorable and proper fashion attainable.”
Suggested Sentences
Various sentences is on the table, as both prosecution and defense have submitted proposals based on federal penalty standards, though the ultimate ruling is up to the judge.
The government is recommending at least 135 months in prison – which equals over a decade – calling Combs “not sorry” and emphasizing violence and intimidation that witnesses recounted.
The defense team are pressing for up to 14 months, which with time already served would allow Combs to leave custody by the end of 2025. Their position is that his punishment has already served as adequate for what they claim was agreed-upon encounters with paid “entertainers”.
Sentencing officials, in the meantime, estimated that the guideline range could extend to up to 87 months.
