NEW YORK (AP) — Attorneys for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs urged a New York federal choose Monday to condemn him early subsequent month to not more than 14 months in jail for his conviction on two prostitution-related costs, which means he’d go free nearly instantly if the choose agreed.
The legal professionals made their arguments in a written submission to Choose Arun Subramanian, who has already rejected a proposed $50 million bail package deal, signaling that he does not imagine the Grammy-winning artist is near being launched.
“Mr. Combs’s celeb standing within the realms of music, trend, spirits, media, and finance has been shattered and Mr. Combs’s legacy has been destroyed,” the legal professionals 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 provide 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 costs 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 critical racketeering conspiracy and intercourse trafficking costs that may have required a minimal of 15 years in jail and the potential of a life sentence.
Of their submission, Combs’ legal professionals argued {that a} jury despatched a loud message to the choose by exonerating him of essentially the most critical costs.
“Put merely, the jury has spoken. Its verdict represents an ‘affirmative indication of innocence,’” the legal professionals stated.
“He has served over a yr in one of the vital infamous jails in America — but has made essentially the most of that punishment. It’s time for Mr. Combs to go dwelling to his household, so he can proceed his remedy and attempt to take advantage of the subsequent chapter of his extraordinary life,” they added.
Prosecutors, who will submit their suggestions previous to the Oct. 3 sentencing, have already stated they’ll urge Combs keep imprisoned considerably longer than the 4 to 5 years they initially thought.
Protection legal professionals, although, wrote of their submission Monday that prosecutors “have misplaced all perspective.”
Attorneys say Combs’s profession and status are ruined
“Mr. Combs’s profession and status 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 plenty of of them have been unable to get new jobs due to their previous affiliation with Combs.
His seven kids, they stated, have confronted “devastating penalties,” together with misplaced enterprise alternatives in appearing, tv, trend 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 legal professionals additionally famous that Combs and his household had 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 grew to become public.
Combs was faraway from the boards at three constitution colleges 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 stated.
Inmate approached Combs with a shiv, legal professionals say
In the meantime, Combs’s life in jail has been harrowing at instances, even because it has allowed him to develop into sober for the primary time in 25 years, his legal professionals stated.
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 scenario and calmed the person and his makeshift weapon down, the legal professionals stated.
They stated he has been beneath fixed suicide watch, which means each two hours he should current his identification card to guards to point out he’s alive and effectively and is woke up from sleep in a brightly lighted cell by a guard to make sure he’s effectively.
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 toes of different inmates in a dorm-style room containing a rest room and no door, the legal professionals wrote.
“Mr. Combs has not breathed contemporary air in practically 13 months, or felt daylight on his pores and skin, usually strolling with a limp as a result of a painful knee harm that requires surgical procedure,” they stated. And the meals, they added, generally incorporates maggots.
Attorneys say Combs had no option to face trial after plea provide
Previous to trial, the legal professionals stated, prosecutors provided Combs a plea deal that may have really helpful a jail sentence of at the least 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 stated. “Mr. Combs had extreme substance abuse issues all through the whole lot 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 stated they felt compelled to take part in drug-fueled intercourse marathons with male intercourse employees as Combs watched and generally filmed the dayslong encounters.
R&B singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura testified that she participated in a whole lot of the meetups that had 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,” stated she additionally felt pressured to carry out sexually with male intercourse employees whereas she dated Combs from 2021 till his arrest at a New York resort a yr in the past.
Attorneys say a sober Combs appears to a brand new future not like his previous
There was additionally intensive testimony throughout the trial about Combs beating his girlfriends and utilizing violence and the fears of it to regulate these round him.
Protection legal professionals at trial conceded there was home abuse however stated the fees 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 discuss to the psychology division,” his legal professionals stated he appears ahead to the longer term.
They stated he has begun instructing different inmates important expertise in enterprise administration, entrepreneurship and private improvement.
The legal professionals wrote that the training program has develop into “one of the vital impactful and necessary endeavors of his life” and he hopes to increase it to state-run services as soon as he’s launched.
“He’s a humbled man who understands that a very powerful issues in life are his devotion to and high quality time together with his household and his contributions for the advantage of others,” they stated.
