Sean “Diddy” Combs will be sentenced Friday for his conviction on two prostitution-related counts, crimes prosecutors say deserve more than a decade behind bars as the music mogul seeks “mercy” and a swift release.
Following two months of often searing testimony and arguments in the New York federal case, jurors in July rejected the most serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, sparing the 55-year-old the prospect of life in prison.
But the hip-hop innovator who was once the toast of entertainment’s elite could still serve significant jail time.
The two prostitution-related counts each carry a maximum penalty of a decade in prison.
Prosecutors are urging Judge Arun Subramanian to sentence Combs to at least 11 years, calling him “unrepentant” and a public threat.
Combs’s lawyers meanwhile have asked that the judge grant him 14 months, which would effectively be time served.
Ahead of his decision, Subramanian is weighing materials including victim impact statements. At least one witness, a former assistant who testified under the name Mia, is expected to read her statement in court.
The judge also has reference letters supporting Combs — in addition to a lengthy plea for leniency from the artist himself.
Combs is also expected to speak directly to the judge, and the letter submitted late Thursday offered a preview.