On Friday, the high-profile trial of Sean Combs, which was marked by explosive allegations against the mogul, crowds of his supporters and weeks of painstakingly graphic testimony and evidence, will reach its final stage. Combs, who has been in custody since his arrest in 2024, will appear at a sentencing hearing in New York City to advocate for his imminent release. Federal prosecutors are expected to request that Judge Arun Subramanian sentence Combs to more than a decade behind bars.
Combs' trial began in May and ended in a split verdict on July 2. He was convicted on two counts of transportation for prostitution; each carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. But he was acquitted of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. The investigation, which started in November 2023, centered on the allegations of two women: the singer Cassie Ventura and "Jane," who testified using a pseudonym to protect her privacy. Both women told the court that throughout their relationships with Combs, he used violence, manipulation and coercion to get them to participate in drug-fueled encounters with male sex workers.
Combs, who is 55 years old, was found guilty of transporting Ventura and Jane — along with hired escorts — across state lines for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex. This is a violation of the Mann Act, a 1910 statute that Combs' attorneys have argued has "racist and sexist origins." Earlier this week, Judge Arun Subramanian denied a motion filed by the defense to overturn Combs' conviction. Several government witnesses filed victim impact statements to Judge Subramanian ahead of Friday's sentencing hearing, including Ventura, who expressed disappointment over Combs' acquittal.
"For four days in May, while nine months pregnant with my son, I testified in front of a packed
courtroom about the most traumatic and horrifying chapter in my life," Ventura wrote. "I testified that from age 19, Sean Combs used violence, threats, substances, and control over my career to trap me in over a decade of abuse."
Combs' attorneys requested a sentence of no more than 14 months; Combs has been held in a Brooklyn jail since last September and has been denied bail multiple times. With time already served, that means he could be freed before the end of the year. Although the mogul opted not to testify during his trial, documents filed by his attorneys indicate that he intends to address the court on Friday in order to "allocute in the most dignified and respectful fashion possible." Allocution statements are typically an opportunity for defendants to express remorse in an effort to mitigate their sentences.
In documents filed this week, federal prosecutors requested that Combs receive no less than 11 years and 3 months, along with a financial penalty of $500,000 (the maximum legal amount). They cited Combs' extensive history of violence and control towards his girlfriends and his employees, several of whom took the witness stand.
One of the key pieces of evidence during the trial was a 2016 hotel security video of Combs kicking, punching and knocking Ventura to the ground; prosecutors also showed photos of bruising and other injuries that Ventura alleged were inflicted by Combs throughout their decade-long relationship. During the trial, Combs' defense attorneys repeatedly admitted that their client had a history of domestic violence and physical assault, but argued that these crimes did not amount to trafficking or racketeering. In her letter to the judge, Ventura said she continues to grapple with the trauma caused by Combs.
"I still have nightmares and flashbacks on a regular, everyday basis, and continue to require
psychological care to cope with my past. My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will
come after me and my family is my reality," Ventura wrote. "As much progress as I have made in recovering from his abuse, I remain very much afraid of what he is capable of and the malice he undoubtedly harbors towards me for having the bravery to tell the truth."
Ventura's parents also filed a letter to the judge; so did Combs' former employees Deonte Nash, Capricorn Clark and a woman who testified using the pseudonym "Mia."
During the trial, Mia testified that she worked as Combs' personal assistant from 2009 to 2017. Throughout that time, she said, he physically and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. Mia spent three days on the witness stand, much of which was spent looking down, speaking softly and often crying. Combs' defense attorneys approached her cross-examination with some of their most aggressive tactics of the trial, repeatedly accusing her of lying about the abuse and calling her allegations part of a "#MeToo money grab against Sean Combs."
"As a result of the defense team's tactics during my testimony (and despite my use of a
pseudonym), my identity has been publicized, and my name is no longer my own — it is forever
linked to my abuser's violence," Mia wrote in a letter to Judge Subramanian. "What he stole from me cannot be returned — it cannot be reduced to years or money. He stole my freedom, my sense of safety, my ability to trust myself and others, and my confidence."
Although Mia is not a victim of the crimes Combs was ultimately convicted of, prosecutors have requested that she be allowed to provide a victim impact statement during Friday's hearing. Combs' attorneys have opposed the government's motion, claiming Mia repeatedly lied during her testimony. The bulk of the defense's case relied on attempts to discredit Combs' alleged victims during cross-examination. Whereas the prosecution spent more than six weeks presenting its case against Combs, the mogul's defense did not call any witnesses to the stand and rested its case in under 30 minutes. On Friday, the defense will have to make its case to Judge Subramanian — not the jury.
Ahead of sentencing, Combs' attorneys submitted several letters on his behalf, including one from an ex-girlfriend originally identified as Victim #3 in the government's indictment. Virginia Huynh ultimately did not testify. In her letter, she described meeting with prosecutors ahead of the trial.
"During those meetings, I felt pressured to feel like a victim," Huynh wrote. "I told them I was not but they insisted that I was, even when I expressed my truth otherwise."
The rapper Caresha Brownlee, who performs as Yung Miami and was romantically and professionally involved with Combs in the years leading up to his arrest, wrote a letter defending his character. Former colleagues, family friends and a fellow inmate at Metropolitan Detention Center also submitted statements, calling Combs a positive impact on those around him and requesting that he be allowed to return home to his family.
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