Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison following his July conviction on federal prostitution-related charges, the Associated Press reports.
On Friday, Judge Arun Subramanian handed down the music mogul’s sentence after Combs, 55, was previously found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and acquitted on the most serious charges against him, racketeering conspiracy and se
Combs spoke on his own behalf ahead of his sentencing, saying that “one of the hardest things I’ve had to handle was having to be quiet and not being able to express how sorry I am for my actions.”
Combs then blamed himself and drugs for his “disgusting, shameful and sick” behavior. “I was sick, sick from the drugs. I was out of control, I needed help and I didn’t get the help and I cannot make no excuse because my mother taught me,” he said, as per NBC News. “I got lost in my dream of life. I am not this larger-than-life person. I am just a human being, I was trying my best, I got lost in my excess.”
“I can’t change the past but can change the future,” he went on. “I ask your honor for mercy. I beg your honor for mercy, to be a father again, a son again and be a leader in my community again and get the help I desperately need.”
Prior to Friday’s hearing, Combs’s attorneys had requested a sentence of no more than 14 months in prison, which would allow for his release before the end of the year due to time already served. Prosecutors, on the other hand, requested a sentence of at least 11 years and three months and a $500,000 fine, describing Combs as “unrepentant” in court documents and saying that “his history and characteristics demonstrate years of abuse and violence.”
Ahead of his sentencing, Combs penned a four-page letter to Subramanian asking for “mercy.” The rapper wrote that he is taking “full responsibility and accountability for my past wrongs” in his letter, expressing that he was “sincerely sorry” for “all of the hurt and pain that I have caused others.”
Combs continued that his “downfall was rooted in my selfishness” and that he only has himself to blame for his “current reality and situation.”
“I ask you for mercy today, not only for my sake, but for the sake of my children. God blessed me with 7 beautiful children—3 sons and 4 daughters,” Combs wrote, saying that he has “failed my children as a father.”
“Between all of my losses and lessons, I can state for a fact that I will never be in another criminal Courtroom again and I do not believe any other person would do anything similar from fear of similar punishment,” the former producer said. “If you give me a chance, I would like the opportunity to share my story with people to prevent at least one person from making the mistakes that I’ve made.”
Combs ended his plea by asking the judge to “make me an example of what a person can do if afforded a second chance.”
Friday, Prosecutor Christy Slavik accused Combs and his defense team of “victim-blaming,” as per CNN.
