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Lawyers working for Sean "Diddy" Combs have asked for "fairness" from the judge that will sentence him for his two felony convictions for transportation to engage in prostitution next month. Combs was found not guilty of sex-trafficking and racketeering charges in July but still faces a maximum 10 years in prison for the crimes he was found guilty of. Per Rolling Stone, Combs' legal team have asked for a 14-month prison term with time served ahead of his October 3 sentencing.
Combs' team argued that their client has already faced severe penalties, including intense hardship in jail in a new brief submitted to the court on Monday, September 22. Included in the reasons for the lesser sentence are the 13 months Combs has already served since his 2024 arrest, as well as citing drug use as a reason for the crimes he was convicted of.
“For decades, Mr. Combs struggled with serious substance abuse issues, anger and anxiety, and other flaws that he did not properly or professionally address until his incarceration last year,” the filing states. “Like every addict, his behavior while on painkillers was erratic and unpredictable, and often the reason behind any assaults discussed at the trial.”
Combs’ lawyers claim that his drug use was a result of a "profound form of trauma" he experienced following the murder of his father when he was just three years old.
His lawyers accompanied their memo with more than 75 letters of support from family and friends, including Combs’ mother Janice and Caresha Brownlee, better known as City Girls rapper Yung Miami.
“I’m writing this letter because I believe it’s important for the court to know the side of Sean that
isn’t always seen or spoken about—the man who poured into others, who gave opportunities …” Brownlee wrote in her letter, which also acknowledged that she and "good man" Combs were in a romantic relationship for three years but have subsequently separated.
She wrote about attending the 2023 Met Gala with Combs as evidence that he encouraged her, and Black people generally, to "dream bigger."
Judge Arun Subramanian previously rejected a $50 million bail deal from Combs’ lawyers after the conclusion of the trial in July. Assosicated Press reports that Combs’ lawyers told the judge this week that their client has had his reputation destroyed and that he is under threat in prison, where they claim his food in unsanitary and he has been threatened with violence by fellow inmates.
“It is time for Mr. Combs to go home to his family, so he can continue his treatment and try to make the most of the next chapter of his extraordinary life,” they wrote.
