3 weeks ago
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Sean "Diddy" Combs faces sentencing Friday successful a sordid transgression lawsuit that could support him locked up for years.
The hip-hop mogul was convicted successful July of flying radical astir the state for intersexual encounters, including his girlfriends and antheral enactment workers, successful usurpation of the national Mann Act.
A assemblage acquitted Combs, 55, of much superior racketeering conspiracy and enactment trafficking charges that could person enactment him distant for life.
Prosecutors accidental helium should walk much than 11 years successful situation for his condemnation connected 2 counts of proscription to prosecute successful prostitution. Combs' lawyers privation him freed now, saying the agelong condemnation sought by prosecutors is "wildly retired of proportion" to the crime.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who volition determine the sentence, has signaled that Combs is improbable to beryllium freed soon. He doubly rejected bail for the rapper, who has been jailed astatine a national detention halfway successful Brooklyn since his apprehension a twelvemonth ago.
The sentencing comes aft a astir two-month proceedings featuring grounds from women who described being beaten, threatened, sexually assaulted and blackmailed by Combs.
A erstwhile girlfriend, R&B vocalist Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, said Combs ordered her to person "disgusting" enactment with strangers hundreds of times during their decade-long relationship.
The assemblage was repeatedly shown video clips of Combs dragging and beating Cassie successful a Los Angeles edifice hallway aft 1 of those multiday intersexual marathons, which she referred to arsenic "freak-offs" during her 4 days of testimony.
A pistillate who testified nether the pseudonym "Jane" told jurors she excessively was subjected to unit and felt obligated to execute sexually with antheral enactment workers astatine drug-fueled "hotel nights" portion Combs watched and sometimes filmed.
To enactment their racketeering case, prosecutors besides brought connected witnesses who testified astir different convulsive acts. A erstwhile idiosyncratic adjunct testified that Combs raped her. One of Cassie's friends told the assemblage Combs dangled her from a 17th level balcony. The rapper Kid Cudi testified that Combs broke into his location aft learning helium and Cassie were dating.
Although the assemblage acquitted Combs of racketeering, the justice tin inactive see that grounds arsenic helium decides the sentence.
Subramanian is besides considering letters submitted by Combs and immoderate of his accusers.
In his missive to the justice Thursday, Combs promised helium would ne'er perpetrate different transgression if released, saying, "The aged maine died successful jailhouse and a caller mentation of maine was reborn."
In her letter, Cassie called Combs a manipulative abuser who has "no involvement successful changing oregon becoming better."
"He volition ever beryllium the aforesaid cruel, power-hungry, manipulative antheral that helium is," she wrote.
A erstwhile idiosyncratic adjunct who said Combs raped her successful 2010 asked Subramanian to present a condemnation "that takes into relationship the ongoing information my abuser poses to me, and to others." The erstwhile assistant, who testified nether the pseudonym "Mia," is expected to talk astatine Friday's sentencing.
Combs volition code the court, according to tribunal filings. His defence squad is besides readying to play a 15-minute video.
Combs' lawyers accidental the intersexual encounters were consensual and that being successful jailhouse has hastened Combs' sobriety and forced him to larn from his misbehavior. They person said determination is nary request for him to stay down bars due to the fact that helium has already been punished enough.
At a tribunal proceeding past week, Combs seemed buoyant, arsenic helium told his parent and children that helium is "getting person to going home."
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