Next week, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs will be sentenced for two prostitution-related convictions. On Thursday (September 25), his lawyers made their last bid to get Judge Arun Subramanian to toss out the convictions. In response, the judge said he’ll rule “very shortly.” However, late Friday afternoon, there was still no word. While we wait for Subramanian’s final ruling, here’s what to know about Combs’ upcoming sentencing and his defense’s uphill battle to get him free!
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Diddy’s Defense vs. The Prosecution
For context, Diddy is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 3 in Manhattan. He’s convicted of arranging interstate travel for people engaged in prostitution. The jury previously acquitted him of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges. Those dropped charges saved him from the potential penalty of life in prison.
During the oral arguments on Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said the prosecution against Combs showed the necessity of fighting prostitution because of the violence, drugs, and sexually transmitted diseases that often accompany it.
Prosecutors said Combs paid for and arranged hundreds of drug-fueled sexual marathon performances between male sex workers and his girlfriends. As previously reported, two women–Cassie and Jane Doe–testified about being beaten and kicked by Combs.
However, Shapiro argued that Sean Combs cannot be held responsible for financing and helping to arrange the transportation domestically and internationally for 15 years. On the other hand, Slavik said the jury verdict should stand because the charges were brought correctly.
Days before Thursday’s hearing, Diddy’s defense claimed he’s suffered enough, including a threat to his life and intense surveillance. They claimed he hasn’t had fresh air and sun on his skin in almost 13 months, and that he has a limp due to a needed knee surgery. Additionally, his defense said he is sometimes given food with maggots. Overall, the defense portrayed Sean Combs as a changed and “humbled” man, who is sober for the first time in 25 years.
How Does The Judge Plan To Rule?
Judge Subramanian listened to nearly 90 minutes of lawyers’ arguments about whether prosecutors properly brought charges against Diddy. Defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro urged the judge to toss out two violations of the Mann Act that resulted in convictions. Shapiro said the “infamous law” had “racist and sexist origins” that are “well documented and beyond dispute.”
“The whole history of the statute is really, I would submit, an embarrassment to the United States of America,” Alexandra Shapiro said.
Before the trial, Judge Arun Subramanian declined to throw out Diddy’s charges. According to the Associated Press, Subramanian sometimes sounded skeptical as Shapiro pressed her arguments that Diddy was improperly convicted.
Late Thursday, the judge seemed focused on the sentencing going forward. At one point, he explained why he forced Sean Combs to wear his prison uniform to the latest hearing. Additionally, he said defense lawyers had failed to explain why Combs would need civilian clothing in court when no jury was present. The judge also said there was no legal precedent that would allow that.
“The Court will entertain an application relating to the sentencing proceeding, but it needs to provide some explanation along these lines,” the judge wrote.
Combs will have been jailed for nearly 13 months by the time sentencing arrives. In court papers submitted this week, his lawyers argued that he should be sentenced to no more than 14 months in prison. With credit for good behavior, that would mean he would be released immediately.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have said he should spend several more years behind bars. However, they won’t submit their sentencing recommendations to the judge until next week. Judge Subramanian has suggested that he, too, is leaning toward a substantial amount of prison time. He twice refused to grant bail since July, citing Combs’ history of violence. Subramanian has denied bail for the Bad Boy Records founder twice since his conviction in July.
How Was Diddy Acting In Court?
As he entered the courtroom, a smiling Diddy waved to his supporters and touched his heart before taking his seat among several lawyers. He did not speak during the hearing except to greet the judge. At the end of the hearing, Combs blew kisses to his family, which included his mom, three daughters and three sons.
“Thank you all for coming. I love you all so much,” he said. “Every hour, every day, is me getting closer to going home.” He also told them: “I’ve got some big plans for us.”
In a presentence submission this week, defense lawyers said Sean Combs’ family has suffered since his arrest, including financially from the loss of business possibilities.
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Associated Press Writer Liseberth Guillaume contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.
