NEW YORK (AP) — Attorneys for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs urged a New York federal decide Monday to condemn him early subsequent month to not more than 14 months in jail for his conviction on two prostitution-related prices, that means he’d go free nearly instantly if the decide agreed.
The attorneys made their arguments in a written submission to Decide Arun Subramanian, who has already rejected a proposed $50 million bail bundle, signaling that he would not consider the Grammy-winning artist is near being launched.
“Mr. Combs’s celeb standing within the realms of music, vogue, spirits, media, and finance has been shattered and Mr. Combs’s legacy has been destroyed,” the attorneys wrote, saying their shopper has been punished sufficient.
The submission supplied new details about what life behind bars for practically 13 months has been like for Combs, what’s occurred to his companies and different pursuits and explains why he turned down a plea-deal supply from prosecutors previous to his trial.
Combs will study his sentencing destiny on Oct. 3
Combs faces an Oct. 3 sentencing after his July conviction by a Manhattan jury on two Mann Act prices that outlaw interstate commerce associated to prostitution. Every cost carries a most penalty of 10 years in jail.
The Dangerous Boy Information founder was exonerated on extra severe racketeering conspiracy and intercourse trafficking prices that might have required a minimal of 15 years in jail and the opportunity of a life sentence.
Of their submission, Combs’ attorneys argued {that a} jury despatched a loud message to the decide by exonerating him of probably the most severe prices.
“Put merely, the jury has spoken. Its verdict represents an ‘affirmative indication of innocence,’” the attorneys mentioned.
“He has served over a yr in probably the most infamous jails in America — but has made probably the most of that punishment. It’s time for Mr. Combs to go house to his household, so he can proceed his remedy and attempt to take advantage of the following chapter of his extraordinary life,” they added.
Prosecutors, who will submit their suggestions previous to the Oct. 3 sentencing, have already mentioned they’ll urge Combs keep imprisoned considerably longer than the 4 to 5 years they initially thought.
Protection attorneys, although, wrote of their submission Monday that prosecutors “have misplaced all perspective.”
Attorneys say Combs’s profession and fame are ruined
“Mr. Combs’s profession and fame have been destroyed,” they wrote. “His life exterior of jail has been systematically dismantled.”
Amongst different issues, they famous that he needed to let go over 100 staff from his companies and lots of of them have been unable to get new jobs due to their previous affiliation with Combs.
His seven kids, they mentioned, have confronted “devastating penalties,” together with misplaced enterprise alternatives in appearing, tv, vogue and concert events, with a few of them being included in among the practically 100 civil lawsuits filed in opposition to Combs since his arrest.
The attorneys additionally famous that Combs and his household have been set to star in a Hulu present about their lives, however the present was cancelled as soon as the allegations in opposition to him turned public.
Combs was faraway from the boards at three constitution faculties he created in Harlem, the Bronx and Connecticut and was stripped of an honorary doctorate diploma from Howard College, which plans to return his prior donations, they mentioned.
Inmate approached Combs with a shiv, attorneys say
In the meantime, Combs’s life in jail has been harrowing at instances, even because it has allowed him to turn out to be sober for the primary time in 25 years, his attorneys mentioned.
On one event, one other inmate approached Combs with a shiv, accusing Combs of sitting on a chair that the inmate wished to take a seat on, earlier than Combs defused the state of affairs and calmed the person and his makeshift weapon down, the attorneys mentioned.
They mentioned he has been beneath fixed suicide watch, that means each two hours he should current his identification card to guards to point out he’s alive and properly and is woke up from sleep in a brightly lighted cell by a guard to make sure he’s properly.
He additionally has restricted entry to scrub water, leaving him to warmth the water that he drinks to make sure it will not make him sick and he should sleep inside two ft of different inmates in a dorm-style room containing a rest room and no door, the attorneys wrote.
“Mr. Combs has not breathed contemporary air in practically 13 months, or felt daylight on his pores and skin, typically strolling with a limp on account of a painful knee harm that requires surgical procedure,” they mentioned. And the meals, they added, typically accommodates maggots.
Attorneys say Combs had no option to face trial after plea supply
Previous to trial, the attorneys mentioned, prosecutors supplied Combs a plea deal that might have really useful a jail sentence of no less than 25 years and required him to plead responsible to crimes of which he was acquitted.
They portrayed their shopper as a modified man, who had realized that his overuse of medicine, together with some prescribed by docs, had contributed to violent acts he participated in.
“With out minimizing Mr. Combs’s conduct, that is in some ways a ‘intercourse, medicine, and rock n’ roll’ story,” they mentioned. “Mr. Combs had extreme substance abuse issues all through the whole thing of the offense conduct and took part in a high-octane celeb life-style.”
The music maven’s trial featured prolonged testimony from two former girlfriends of Combs who mentioned they felt compelled to take part in drug-fueled intercourse marathons with male intercourse staff as Combs watched and typically filmed the dayslong encounters.
R&B singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura testified that she participated in lots of of the meetups that have been known as “freak-offs” whereas she was his most frequent girlfriend from 2007 to 2018.
One other ex-girlfriend, testifying beneath the pseudonym “Jane,” mentioned she additionally felt pressured to carry out sexually with male intercourse staff whereas she dated Combs from 2021 till his arrest at a New York resort a yr in the past.
Attorneys say a sober Combs seems to a brand new future not like his previous
There was additionally intensive testimony through the trial about Combs beating his girlfriends and utilizing violence and the fears of it to regulate these round him.
Protection attorneys at trial conceded there was home abuse however mentioned the costs introduced by prosecutors weren’t confirmed.
Whereas he was as soon as so depressed in jail that “there have been days when he was unable to get out of his mattress and even speak to the psychology division,” his attorneys mentioned he seems ahead to the longer term.
They mentioned he has begun educating different inmates important expertise in enterprise administration, entrepreneurship and private growth.
The attorneys wrote that the schooling program has turn out to be “probably the most impactful and essential endeavors of his life” and he hopes to increase it to state-run amenities as soon as he’s launched.
“He’s a humbled man who understands that an important issues in life are his devotion to and high quality time together with his household and his contributions for the good thing about others,” they mentioned.
