Legal professionals 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 virtually instantly if the choose 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 movie star standing within the realms of music, style, 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 offered 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 be taught 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 Unhealthy Boy Data founder was exonerated on extra critical racketeering conspiracy and intercourse trafficking costs that might have required a minimal of 15 years in jail and the potential for a life sentence.
Of their submission, Combs’ attorneys argued {that a} jury despatched a loud message to the choose by exonerating him of probably the most critical costs.
“Put merely, the jury has spoken. Its verdict represents an ‘affirmative indication of innocence,'” the attorneys stated.
“He has served over a 12 months 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 dwelling to his household, so he can proceed his therapy and attempt to profit from the following chapter of his extraordinary life,” they added.
Prosecutors, who will submit their suggestions previous to the Oct. 3 sentencing, have already stated they’re going to 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.”
Combs’s profession and popularity are ruined, attorneys say
“Mr. Combs’s profession and popularity have been destroyed,” they wrote. “His life outdoors of jail has been systematically dismantled.”
Amongst different issues, they famous that he needed to let go over 100 workers from his companies and plenty of of them have been unable to get new jobs due to their previous affiliation with Combs.
His seven youngsters, they stated, have confronted “devastating penalties,” together with misplaced enterprise alternatives in appearing, tv, style 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 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, attorneys say
In the meantime, Combs’s life in jail has been harrowing at instances, even because it has allowed him to grow to be sober for the primary time in 25 years, his attorneys stated.
On one event, one other inmate approached Combs with a shiv, accusing Combs of sitting on a chair that the inmate wished to sit down on, earlier than Combs defused the state of affairs and calmed the person and his makeshift weapon down, the attorneys 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 nicely and is woke up from sleep in a brightly lighted cell by a guard to make sure he’s nicely.
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 toilet 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, usually strolling with a limp as a consequence of a painful knee damage that requires surgical procedure,” they stated. And the meals, they added, generally comprises maggots.
Legal professionals say Combs had no option to face trial after plea supply
Previous to trial, the attorneys stated, prosecutors supplied Combs a plea deal that might have beneficial a jail sentence of at the very 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 medication, together with some prescribed by medical doctors, 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 everything of the offense conduct and took part in a high-octane movie star way of life.”
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 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,” 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 12 months in the past.
Legal professionals say a sober Combs seems to be to new future not like his previous
There was additionally intensive testimony in the course of the trial about Combs beating his girlfriends and utilizing violence and the fears of it to manage these round him.
Protection attorneys at trial conceded there was home abuse however stated 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 discuss to the psychology division,” his attorneys stated he seems to be ahead to the longer term.
They stated he has begun educating different inmates important expertise in enterprise administration, entrepreneurship and private improvement.
The attorneys wrote that the schooling program has grow to be “probably the most impactful and essential endeavors of his life” and he hopes to broaden it to state-run amenities as soon as he’s launched.
“He’s a humbled man who understands that crucial 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.
Risk of a pardon
Combs’ lead lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, informed CBS Information in July that he has not had any conversations with the Trump administration about looking for a pardon for his shopper after one other lawyer for Combs, Nicole Westmoreland, informed CNN it was her understanding that the protection workforce “had conversations in reference to a pardon.”
However Agnifilo informed CBS Information, “I’ve nothing to do with a potential pardon.”
“I’ve had conversations with no person,” Agnifilo stated. “I’ve not spoken to the president. I’ve not spoken to anyone who speaks to the president about Sean Combs. I’ve not.”
He says he hasn’t mentioned it with Combs both, besides to inform him what’s within the information.
“He says, ‘Go inform him (Mr. Trump) that I would like a pardon,'” Agnofilo stated. “‘Go inform him I deserve a pardon.’ That is what he stated.”
