By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK(Reuters) -Lawyers for Sean “Diddy” Combs urged a U.S. judge late on Monday to impose a 14-month prison sentence on the hip-hop mogul after he was convicted of prostitution-related offenses, but acquitted on more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
Combs, 55, faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison after a Manhattan jury found him guilty in July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He pleaded not guilty and is expected to appeal his conviction.
In a court filing, the Combs legal team urged the judge to impose the lesser sentence, followed by supervised release with mandatory drug treatment, therapy, and group counseling, arguing it would be “sufficient, but not greater than necessary” under federal sentencing law.
Prosecutors have until September 29 to recommend a sentence and have said that a “substantial” prison term is warranted, but acknowledged that federal sentencing guidelines appear to recommend no more than 5-1/4 years.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian is expected to sentence Combs on October 3. Subramanian has also scheduled a hearing for Thursday to consider Combs’ motion to set the conviction aside.
Combs founded Bad Boy Records and is credited with popularizing hip-hop in American culture.
During a two-month trial, prosecutors said Combs coerced two former girlfriends into days-long, drug-fueled sex marathons known as “Freak Offs” with male prostitutes.
Both women – rhythm and blues singer Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, and a woman known by the pseudonym Jane – testified that Combs physically attacked them and threatened to cut off financial support if they resisted his sexual encounters.
Lawyers for Combs did not deny there was abuse, but argued there was no direct link between what they called domestic violence and the women’s participation in the “Freak Offs.” They argued that Ventura and Jane consented to the encounters because they loved Combs and wanted to make him happy.
Combs’ lawyers have said voyeurism, or paying to watch others have sex, does not constitute engaging in prostitution.
Prosecutors countered that Combs’ direct involvement in sexual activity wasn’t required. They said the conviction was supported by evidence that Combs masturbated during the performances and directed victims on what to do.
Combs was arrested in September 2024 and has remained in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since then.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Additional reporting by Mrinmay Dey and Rishabh Jaiswal; Editing by Howard Goller and Michael Perry)
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