Musician Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sentenced to four years in prison after apology | Courts News

The famed hip-hop mogul instructed the court docket that his actions had been ‘disgusting’ and ‘shameful’ in a plea for leniency.

Musician and producer Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to 4 years and two months in jail for transporting individuals throughout state strains for sexual encounters.

His sentencing listening to on Friday capped a federal case that featured harrowing testimony and led to a forceful reckoning for some of the well-liked figures in hip-hop. Combs, 55, was additionally fined half 1,000,000 {dollars}.

Since Combs has served a 12 months in jail already, he’s anticipated to be launched in about three years. His legal professionals needed him freed instantly and mentioned the time behind bars has already pressured him to embrace regret and sobriety.

He was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male intercourse employees across the nation to have interaction in drug-fuelled sexual encounters, a apply that occurred over a few years and in numerous areas. Nevertheless, he was acquitted of intercourse trafficking and racketeering prices that might have put him behind bars for all times.

“Why did it occur so lengthy?” US District Decide Arun Subramanian requested as he handed down the sentence. “Since you had the ability and the assets to maintain it going, and since you weren’t caught.”

Combs confirmed no seen change of emotion as he discovered his sentence, sitting in his chair and searching straight forward because the choose spoke. He remained subdued afterwards and appeared dejected, with not one of the enthusiasm and smiles that accompanied his interactions with legal professionals and his household earlier within the day.

In a last phrase earlier than sentencing, Combs instructed the choose his years of behaviour had been “disgusting, shameful” and apologised to the individuals he had damage bodily and mentally. He mentioned his acts of home violence had been a burden he must carry for the remainder of his life.

His defence legal professionals performed an 11-minute video in court docket portraying Combs’ household life, profession and philanthropy. At one level throughout the video, Combs put a hand on his face and commenced to cry.

His almost two-month trial in a federal court docket in Manhattan featured testimony from ladies who mentioned Combs had overwhelmed, threatened, sexually assaulted and blackmailed them. Prosecutor Christy Slavik instructed the choose that sparing Combs critical jail time would excuse years of violence.

“It’s a case a couple of man who did horrible issues to actual individuals to fulfill his personal sexual gratification,” she mentioned. “He didn’t want the cash. His forex was management.”

Combs was convicted below the Mann Act, which bans transporting individuals throughout state strains for prostitution. Defence lawyer Jason Driscoll argued the regulation was misapplied.

Throughout testimony on the trial, former girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura instructed jurors that Combs ordered her to have “disgusting” intercourse with strangers a whole bunch of occasions throughout their decade-long relationship. Jurors noticed video of him dragging and beating her in a Los Angeles resort hallway.

One other lady, recognized as “Jane”, testified she was pressured into intercourse with male employees throughout drug-fuelled “resort nights” whereas Combs watched and typically filmed.

The one accuser scheduled to talk Friday, a former assistant referred to as “Mia”, withdrew after defence objections. She has accused Combs of raping her in 2010 and requested the choose for a sentence that displays “the continued hazard my abuser poses”.