Judge Arun Subramanian has given music mogul Sean Combs 50 months (a little more than 4 years) in prison for two counts of transporting people across state lines for the purposes of prostitution—a crime known as the Mann Act.
Combs will also have to pay a fine of $500,000 with five years of supervised release and a forfeit of houses “used or intended to be used to commit or facilitate the commission of the offenses” on which he was convicted.
Several faces were missing from court Friday. Cassie Ventura wasn’t there. Victim 2, known as Jane Doe wasn’t there. Another victim who testified under the pseudonym of “Mia” who was supposed to be present and giving a statement decided at the last minute not to come.
But perhaps most noticeably, lead prosecutor for the case, Maurene Comey was fired shortly after the trial concluded in July—though her termination was not directly related to her performance in this case. Prosecutor Christy Slavik handled the prosecution in her place.
“Today the court has the opportunity to send a message to the victims in this case, to all victims of abuse and exploitation, and to the public, that the defendant’s crimes are serious, that victims matter, and that people who abuse, exploit, and manipulate will be punished,” Slavik said in her opening.
Last week, both teams revealed their sentence requests to the judge along with corresponding case law. The defense essentially asked for time served—14 months. The prosecution asked for 11 years and three months.
All but one of Combs’ attorneys took to the podium to speak on his behalf—but when the mogul’s only Black female counsel spoke on his behalf and began to cry, recounting a years-ago first-time meeting with the Bad Boy founder, the judge thanked her.
“Your honor, it goes so much deeper,” Nicole Westmoreland said. While at an event where he was a speaker, the attorney recalled hearing what she called a life-changing speech. Notably, she recalled him saying, “don’t be afraid to dream, just don’t forget to wake up.”
While incarcerated, Combs taught “Free Game with Diddy,” a course that covered business. According to his legal team, the class was wildly popular.
As a spinoff, Combs would have partnered with Giovanni Sairras, executive director of Re-Entry One a nonprofit that helps convicted felons with reentry into society. Through his partnership, he would speak about his experience in jail, the mistakes that got him there, and recommendations for how to avoid—if those in the audience are repeat offenders, going back to prison.
Sairras spoke on behalf of Combs Friday and shed light on the effectiveness of his organization and its ability to prevent recidivism.
The defense’s list of “on behalf of’s” were strategic—including The Reverend Dr. Gary Johnson, who is head of the Southern Baptist Convention—a position once held by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who also spoke for Combs.
“If you give him the opportunity under us to work for us, he won’t be back in here because he made a mistake. He’ll be back in here to tell you thank you,” the Pastor said. “I’m asking you to give him to us, and we won’t let you down,” he added.
Combs’ children were his strongest character witness.
At least two of their mothers were present, but 90s IT girl Kim Porter even in death, captivated the gallery through her children, and an 11 minute and 30-second montage of video clips that were put together by the defense in the hopes of pushing for leniency from Subramanian.
Porter, a former model and precursor to what is now being considered an influencer—was the mother of Quincy (who Combs adopted), Justin, and twins Jessie and D’Lila.
In order of oldest to youngest, they spoke—most weeping.
“This time has saved my father’s life,” Christian Combs said.
Breathing heavily into the mic, Jessie Combs’ voice elevated pushed through the tears, “We know he isn’t perfect, and he has made many mistakes, and we aren’t here to excuse any of those mistakes. But, your honor, he is still our dad,” she declared boldly. “When my mother died, I was just a little girl trying to understand a loss way too big for words. I remember my dad sitting us down that day, holding us close, even though his own heart was breaking and promising that he would always be there to keep us safe, that he would always walk beside us in life.”
“We are still just daughters who need our fathers,” Chance said.
But when D’Lila said, “Please, your honor, please, give our family the chance to heal together, to rebuild, to change, to move forward, not as a headline but as human beings who are trying to do better,” there was a wave of empathy that swept the courtroom, even if not for Combs, certainly for his children.
Victim 3 who had been widely discussed throughout the trial, later to be revealed as Gina Huynh, wrote a letter in support of Combs and was present during the sentencing hearing.
In her letter she wrote, “I felt pressured to feel like a victim. I told them I was not, but they insisted that I was, even when I expressed my truth otherwise. I understand they concluded that I had been sex trafficked and involved in “forced prostitution.” I did not agree with that conclusion. I was not trafficked. I did not engage in prostitution with him or others. That would have been my testimony if called to the stand.”
Combs was given the last word.
“I’m not this larger-than-life person,” a teary-eyed Combs said. “I’m just a human being.”
He apologized during his remarks to each of his children by name. He turned to them—and his mother before saying, “Y’all deserve better.”
Combs said he lost everything, in an emotional plea to the judge. “I’ve been humbled and broken to my core. I hate myself right now. I got stripped down to nothing.”
The mogul said he needed help, but didn’t get the help—and for that, he can’t make an excuse. However, he did dispute Slavik’s claim that he wasn’t repentant.
To Cassie, Combs said, “I want to personally apologize again to Cassie Ventura for any harm or hurt that I’ve caused her – emotionally or physically.”
To Jane, “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry that I brought you into my mess.”
In his closing remarks, the judge thanked Cassie and Jane Doe, “I am proud of you for coming to the court to tell the world what really happened,” he said. “You told those women and the world that violence behind closed doors doesn’t have to stay hidden forever.”
The defense team held a conference outside of the courthouse. Though short, they expressed their frustration with the sentence.
“A jury verdict should mean more than our jury’s verdict seems to mean, so we are planning to appeal,” Agnifilo said during the conference. “The judge acted as a 13th juror, one that we did not choose, and he second guessed the jury’s verdict.”
