Judge Arun Subramanian rejected Sean “Diddy” Combs’ request for a new trial and the rapper’s demand for an acquittal days before his scheduled sentencing.
Subramanian said the prosecution provided “overwhelming evidence” of Diddy’s guilt on the charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.
“The government proved its case many times over,” the federal judge wrote in his opinion obtained by Fox News Digital. “That by itself might be enough to dispose of Combs’s challenge. But the other factors don’t do much to help Combs either.”
The rapper’s legal team had argued the sex trafficking and racketeering evidence could have prejudiced the jury. Judge Subramanian also rejected the “spillover prejudice” argument, pointing to the split verdict. “It weighs heavily that the jury declined to convict him on any of the counts related to that conduct,” Subramanian wrote. “Had the prejudice indeed been so great, one would expect a jury to convict on the most relevant counts before it could spill over and infect the others.”
A jury convicted Diddy on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution on July 2. The “I’ll Be Missing You” rapper was acquitted of his most serious charges – racketeering and sex trafficking.
Diddy could spend a maximum of 20 years behind bars, 10 years for each count he was convicted of. The prosecution recommended 135 months (just over 11 years) for his sentencing.
The prosecution claimed Diddy deserves a “substantial” prison sentence because the rapper is “unrepentant” in the sentencing recommendation filed Tuesday.
“Incredibly, while the defendant conceded his acts of violence and abuse throughout trial, he now argues that his victims should shoulder the blame,” the filing read.
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Diddy’s legal team proposed a 14-month sentence ahead of his Oct. 3 hearing for federal charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. The “I Need A Girl” rapper has already spent 13 months behind bars.
Combs’ lawyers claimed the musician had been “sufficiently punished” for his crimes.
“Mr. Combs has suffered physically and mentally, and continued incarceration serves no positive goal. Courts do not simply punish, but must restore and rehabilitate with a goal to returning the convicted person to their community as soon as practicable,” the sentencing memorandum, obtained by Fox News Digital, stated. “Upon release, Mr. Combs fully intends to abide by every order of this Court and to renew and repair relationships that have been damaged, in a healthy, positive, and lawful manner. After embarking on this journey, Mr. Combs will devote attention to his family and community and to creating new initiatives and opportunities for others.”
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Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, along with other witnesses who testified during the eight-week trial, submitted letters to the judge ahead of the rapper’s sentencing.
Ventura told the judge she worries Diddy or one of his associates will come after her with “swift retribution” once released.
“I still have nightmares and flashbacks on a regular, everyday basis, and continue to require psychological care to cope with my past,” Ventura, who dated Diddy until 2018, wrote in the letter, obtained by Fox News Digital. “My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality. I have in fact moved my family out of the New York area and am keeping as private and quiet as I possibly can because I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up about his abuse at trial.”
