Sean Combs (at proper) watches his youngsters current affect statements throughout his sentencing listening to in New York. Combs was sentenced to 50 months in jail.
Jane Rosenberg/Reuters
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Jane Rosenberg/Reuters
On Friday, Sean Combs was sentenced by a federal choose to 50 months in jail. The 55-year-old music mogul was convicted in July on two counts of transportation for prostitution, however acquitted on extra critical fees of intercourse trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
After a daylong listening to that culminated in Combs himself addressing the choose, talking at size for the primary time throughout the trial, Choose Arun Subramanian mentioned {that a} vital sentence was required to “ship a message to abusers and victims alike that exploitation and violence in opposition to girls is met with actual accountability.”
Subramanian made his resolution after listening to arguments from federal prosecutors, Combs’ protection attorneys and Combs himself. His protection attorneys had argued that their consumer ought to obtain not more than 14 months behind bars. With time already served, that might have meant he’d be launched by the top of the 12 months. Federal prosecutors, however, requested that Subramanian sentence Combs to at least 11 years and three months in jail. The utmost sentence for the 2 fees is 20 years.
The listening to was a tense and critical affair, the fruits of a generally circus-like, eight-week trial outlined by emotionally-charged testimony, movie star appearances and a buzzing courthouse full of hordes of Combs’ supporters, social media influencers and reporters. Federal prosecutors spent six weeks presenting an elaborate, generally meandering case that accused Combs of working a legal group that enabled and hid intercourse crimes for many years. Their two important witnesses, the singer Cassie Ventura and a girl who testified utilizing the pseudonym “Jane,” instructed the courtroom that Combs lured them into romantic relationships after which managed most facets of their lives, repeatedly forcing them into drug-fueled intercourse marathons with male escorts.
Combs didn’t testify throughout the trial itself, however he made his case for leniency on to Choose Subramanian on the finish of the day-long sentencing listening to. In a 10-minute tackle, he apologized to Ventura and Jane in addition to to all home violence survivors who could have been triggered by the CNN video.
“My actions have been disgusting, shameful and sick,” Combs mentioned. “I’ve been humbled and damaged all the way down to my core. I hate myself proper now.”
There was a brief break after Combs spoke, earlier than Choose Subramanian returned to ship the sentence. In his remarks, he targeted first on the witnesses who testified about abuse at Combs’ palms. He quoted Jane’s testimony and skim immediately from a sufferer affect assertion Ventura submitted. Then addressed these witnesses immediately, applauding their bravery for talking out. “What you taught us right here by coming ahead is even when you have been a sufferer, you do not at all times must be,” he mentioned.
Chatting with Combs, Choose Subrmanian mentioned that “abuse isn’t one thing you may wash away.” When the choose introduced the sentence, Combs remained stoic.
In a assertion following the listening to, Ventura’s attorneys Douglas Wigdor and Meredith Firetog mentioned, “Whereas nothing can undo the trauma attributable to Combs, the sentence imposed at the moment acknowledges the affect of the intense offenses he dedicated. We’re assured that with the assist of her household and mates, Ms. Ventura will proceed therapeutic figuring out that her bravery and fortitude have been an inspiration to so many.”
Combs has been held in a Brooklyn jail since his arrest final September. With the time he has already served and a lowered sentence for good habits, he could possibly be launched in as little as two and a half years, based mostly on federal pointers. His sentence additionally features a $500,000 fantastic, the utmost allowable for his conviction, in addition to 5 years of supervised launch.
Combs’ protection group spent a lot of the trial preventing fees of intercourse trafficking by working to discredit the testimony of girls who alleged that Combs had abused them. A lot of this technique relied on introduced textual content message proof wherein Ventura and Jane every seemed to be agreeing to the encounters and serving to to plan them throughout confrontational cross-examination. After the prosecution introduced greater than two dozen witnesses — together with Combs’ former workers, federal brokers and mates of the alleged victims — the protection referred to as none, and rested its case in underneath half-hour. In the end, a jury acquitted Combs of intercourse trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, however discovered him responsible of transporting Jane and Ventura throughout state strains to interact in industrial intercourse.
Regardless of Combs’ acquittal on essentially the most critical fees, no one — not even his personal legal professionals — denied that he brought about hurt. A key piece of proof within the case was a 2016 surveillance video of Combs beating Ventura in a resort hallway. All through the trial, Combs’ protection attorneys conceded that their consumer had a historical past of home violence, however argued the federal government was not charging him for these crimes.
Throughout Friday’s sentencing listening to, a number of of Combs’ protection attorneys spoke on his behalf, detailing his self-made journey to changing into a document producer, rapper and entrepreneur, and underscoring what he represents to the Black group as a profitable businessman who broke boundaries in music, trend and media. One in every of his attorneys broke down in tears as she addressed the choose, explaining his significance to the Black group, and to her personally. The protection contended that Combs had reformed whereas in jail, getting sober and changing into a mentor to many inmates round him. In addition they argued that he wants ongoing remedy for psychological well being and substance abuse challenges.
Halfway via the arguments by Combs’ attorneys, Six of the rapper’s youngsters approached the rostrum collectively and made emotional pleas to the choose. Combs’ twin daughters mentioned how arduous it was to lose their mom — referring to the 2018 dying of Combs’ ex-girlfriend Kim Porter — and requested the choose not to remove their father, as properly. When Combs spoke later, he instructed his youngsters he was very pleased with them for talking up.
Prosecutors pointed to Combs’ violent habits as a justification for an extended sentence. Subramanian echoed that argument in his tackle to Combs as he delivered the sentence. Talking concerning the abuse suffered by Ventura and Jane, he requested, “Why did it occur so lengthy? Since you had the facility and assets to maintain it going, and since you did not get caught.”
Throughout his tackle, Combs mentioned that if launched, he hoped to work with and train different incarcerated males. “I am sorry to my group. I let y’all down,” he mentioned.
Whereas delivering his sentence, Choose Subramanian counseled Combs for his charity work and devotion to his household, in addition to his dedication to uplifting communities of colour. And he acknowledged that the sentence was longer than Combs might need anticipated, however implored him to think about the distinction he may make after serving his time.
“You and your loved ones, you’re going to get via this,” he mentioned. “There’s a gentle on the finish of this tunnel.”
This text consists of reporting by Juliana Kim.
