After Diddy’s prison sentence was announced, the legal team of the woman whose lawsuit and testimony helped bring him down is speaking out.
As previously reported, the disgraced music mogul was convicted in July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and on Frirday, Judge Arun Subramanian handed down the sentence, which includes a $500,000 fine and five years of supervised release. Diddy was credited for time served and will ultimately spend about three years behind bars.
Now PEOPLE reports that Cassie Ventura’s attorneys, Douglas Wigdor and Meredith Firetog, expressed appreciation to the court for sending a message to Combs and men like him that their abuse would not go unpunished.
“While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs, the sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed,”the statement read. “We are confident that with the support of her family and friends, Ms. Ventura will continue healing knowing that her bravery and fortitude have been an inspiration to so many.”
Prior to Diddy’s sentencing, Cassie was among the few victims who wrote letters to the judge seeking a long sentence for his crimes despite his team wanting him to be handed down a mere 14-month punishment.
“I have been to rehab and have taken part in dozens of types of therapy modalities to confront, compartmentalize, and cope with the horrific memories of sexual and emotional abuse I endured for nearly ten years,” Cassie wrote in her lettter. “I still have nightmares and flashbacks on a regular, everyday basis, and continue to require psychological care to cope with my past.”
She continued by refuting the image of a changed man that the defense had been building via letters from Diddy’s children and friends.
“I know that who he was to me — the manipulator, the aggressor, the abuser, the trafficker — is who he is as a human. He has no interest in changing or becoming better. He will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is.”
PEOPLE reports that despite escaping a long sentence, Diddy‘s legal team is still planning to appeal, claiming that the judge “acted as a 13th juror in his ruling, emphasizing that the jury had already cleared him of the most serious charges.
“The jury made it very clear in their verdict that they acquitted him of the sex trafficking and the RICO counts,” said Diddy’s lead attorney, Tony Geragos. “Not guilty means not guilty.”
Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over the case, noted in his closing remarks before handing down the sentence that he was not factoring in the RICO charges. Diddy’s attorneys, however, disagreed.
“That was totally inconsistent with the jury verdict. The Judge acted as a 13th juror,” argued attorney Alexandra Shapiro. “The sentence was driven by the conduct the jury rejected. The jury acquitted Mr. Combs of any coercion.”
Shapiro is expected to lead Diddy’s appeal using the judge’s mention of the crimes he committed against his former partners as a point of contention.
His team also believes that Diddy is a changed man who should be allowed to start living out his second chance at life outside of the prison walls.
“What is the point of more incarceration for a person like Mr. Combs? He really should be on a path to rehabilitation. He should be able to get treatment,” said Shapiro per PEOPLE. “He should be able to start giving back in a way that I think he is uniquely positioned to do, and it seems just senseless to keep him in prison for years more.”
If the original sentencing holds, Diddy will spend a little over three years in prison, taking into consideration the 13 months he’s already spent behind bars awaiting the outcome of his trial.
