New York (AFP) – Sean “Diddy” Combs will be sentenced on October 3 for his conviction on prostitution-related charges, following a split verdict that saw him acquitted for crimes that carried more serious punishment. The music mogul was found not guilty of sweeping racketeering and sex trafficking charges after the marathon trial in which he was accused of harrowing abuse. But the jury found him guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. It is unlikely the judge will impose the maximum punishment.
Prosecutors have said in court filings that based on federal sentencing guidelines, a range of 51 to 63 months imprisonment potentially would be appropriate — but they could also ask for a longer punishment. His defense, also interpreting federal sentencing guidelines, has indicated they plan to propose lighter sentencing of 21 to 27 months. Combs, 55, has been incarcerated since September 2024 at a notorious Brooklyn prison, and all of the time he has already spent behind bars will count towards his ultimate sentence.
The jury delivered its dramatic verdict on July 2 following just 13 hours of deliberation that came after eight weeks of intense testimony and arguments. Over the two-month proceedings, prosecutors accused Combs of being the boss of a decades-long criminal enterprise, directing loyal employees and bodyguards to commit myriad offenses at his behest. But Combs was acquitted of that accusation of racketeering, as well as two counts related to sex trafficking women with whom he was in long-term relationships. That acquittal led his jubilant defense team to propose the producer and entrepreneur be released on bail, a request Judge Arun Subramanian denied.
Subramanian cited Combs’s confessed history of domestic violence in the decision — a defense that proved vital in the artist’s acquittal on key charges, but came with a price. Still, the counts on which Combs was convicted are significantly less severe than racketeering and sex trafficking, as a guilty verdict on those charges could have sent him to prison for life.
In determining sentencing, the judge will consider arguments from both sides. The government will seek a longer sentence based on Combs’s documented violence as well as drug use, as well as committing instances of the violations for which he was convicted while he knew he was under investigation by federal agents. Combs’s defense has argued that Combs deserves a lighter sentence given that he was using prostitution services, rather than turning a profit through hired sex.
© 2024 AFP
