On Tuesday, prosecutors urged a federal judge in New York to sentence Sean “Diddy” Combs to over 11 years in prison for prostitution-related charges, asserting that the “unrepentant” hip-hop icon has left his victims in a state of fear.
The 55-year-old music mogul is set to receive his sentence on Friday after being found guilty of orchestrating baby oil-fueled sexual encounters with escorts who moved across state lines, following a scandalous trial earlier this summer.
According to court documents submitted shortly after midnight, prosecutors stated, “His crimes are severe, and have resulted in sentences exceeding ten years for other defendants who, similar to Sean Combs, engaged in violence and instilled fear in others.”
Authorities also included letters from Combs’ accusers, such as his ex-girlfriend, R&B artist Cassie Ventura, detailing the lasting impact of his violence on their lives.
Ventura, who was nine months pregnant when she testified for four grueling days during the trial, revealed that she continues to suffer from nightmares and flashbacks due to the trauma from their 11-year relationship.
“The fear that Sean Combs or his associates may retaliate against me and my family is my reality,” Ventura expressed in her letter.
She added, “I have actually relocated my family out of New York and am striving to maintain a low profile because I am terrified that if he is released, he will seek retribution against me and others who testified about his abuse during the trial.”
Combs narrowly avoided a life sentence in July when jurors acquitted him of the most serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.
The trial revealed disturbing details about the Bad Boy Records founder’s mistreatment of Ventura, who he supported in her career after meeting her when she was a 19-year-old aspiring singer.
Ventura testified that Combs manipulated her career, subjected her to repeated beatings, and threatened to release intimate videos to pressure her into engaging with male escorts in disturbing events he called “freak-offs.”
“I hope your decision reflects the truths that the jury overlooked,” she wrote on Tuesday.
“I know him as the manipulator, aggressor, abuser, and trafficker. He has no desire to change or improve. He remains a cruel and power-hungry person.”
Facing a potential sentence of up to 20 years, Combs was convicted on two counts of prostitution for coordinating male sex workers to travel across state lines for the so-called “freak-offs.”
Combs maintains that these interactions were consensual.
On Tuesday, prosecutors labeled Combs as “unrepentant,” urging that his sentence should reflect “decades of unchecked violence” and the significant emotional and physical harm he has caused his victims.
“He is not the victim,” prosecutors stated in the filing.
They urged the court to focus on the genuine effects of Combs’ actions on the lives of the actual victims.
Combs’ defense team last week requested that the judge impose a 14-month sentence and release him for time served from the Brooklyn federal facility where he has been held since his arrest in September 2024.
“Over the past two years, Sean Combs’ career and reputation have been destroyed. He has spent over a year in one of America’s most notorious jails, yet he has maximized that experience,” his lawyers conveyed to Judge Arun Subramanian.
“It’s time for Mr. Combs to return to his family to continue his treatment and make the best of the next chapter in his unique life… This is the only just and fair sentence that could be imposed.”
The defense argued that testimonies highlighting abuse from Combs’ former partners shouldn’t be given weight since he was acquitted of coercing them into sexual acts.
Prosecutors countered that while “the defendant will not face punishment for any acquitted offenses, the nature of his crimes of conviction must be taken into account in sentencing.”
During the trial, two ex-girlfriends of Combs—Ventura and a woman using the alias “Jane”—testified that they felt coerced into participating in drug-fueled sexual encounters while Combs watched and often recorded.
