Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs will learn his fate in federal court Friday as prosecutors press for an 11-year sentence tied to prostitution-related charges.
The 55-year-old was convicted in July of violating the federal Mann Act, also known as the White-Slave Traffic Act, by arranging flights for people, including girlfriends and male sex workers, to travel across state lines for sexual encounters.
Combs avoided life in prison after being acquitted of the more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. His legal team is urging leniency, requesting no more than 14 months behind bars. If the judge agrees, Combs could walk free within weeks, given the year he has already spent in a Brooklyn detention center.
In a personal letter to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs promised reform. “The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn,” he wrote, pledging never to commit another crime.
But prosecutors argue his influence and past actions still present a danger. Former girlfriend and R&B singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who testified that Combs forced her into sex with strangers on hundreds of occasions, urged the court to impose a harsh sentence.
“I still have nightmares and flashbacks on a regular, everyday basis,” Ventura wrote in a letter to the court. “My fears that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family are my reality.” Ventura added that she had moved her family out of New York and was living in hiding.
Throughout the trial, Combs’ lawyers insisted the encounters, often referred to as “freak offs” or “hotel nights”, were consensual and financially unrelated to his businesses. Their attempts to secure bail, including a $50 million bond request, were rejected by Judge Subramanian, who ruled that Combs failed to show he did not pose a threat to the community.
At Friday’s hearing, Combs is expected to address the court directly. His defense team also plans to present an 11-minute video as part of their plea for leniency.
The sentencing decision will determine whether one of the most prominent figures in hip-hop spends years in prison or walks out a free man before the end of the year.
