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Sean “Diddy” Combs asked for mercy prior to being sentenced Friday in his Manhattan Federal Court prostitution case, apologizing “for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused,” while claiming to be a reformed man and that “God put me here to transform me.”
“Since incarceration, I have gone through a spiritual reset. I’m on a journey
that will take time and hard work. I’m proud to say I’m working harder than I ever have before. I’m committed to the journey of remaining a drug-free, non-violent, and peaceful person,” Combs wrote in his more-than-three-page letter to Judge Arun Subramanian on October 2. “I thank God that I’m stronger, wiser, clean, clear, and sober. God makes no mistakes.”
Combs was arrested on September 16, 2024, after facing allegation after allegation of sex trafficking and sexual abuse. The claims against Combs started the year prior when his ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura filed suit against him, alleging years of abuse. The suit settled one day later, but numerous accusers have since emerged. Cassie testified against Combs at his Manhattan Federal Court trial, as did “Jane,” another former girlfriend who accused him of abuse. Both women said that Combs used physical and psychological force to coerce them into unwanted, drug-fueled sexual encounters with male escorts called “Freak Offs.” Combs was found guilty of two transportation for the purpose of prostitution counts on July 2. He was acquitted of the more serious charges, which were one count of racketeering conspiracy and two sex-trafficking counts.
Combs said he was sorry in his missive and also went into detail about the emotional toll the proceedings took on him. He said he takes “full responsibility and accountability for my past wrongs. This has been the hardest 2 years of my life, and I have no one to blame for my current reality and situation but myself. In my life, I have made many mistakes, but I am no longer running from them.”
“My pain became my teacher,” he said of his time locked up so far. “My sadness was my motivator. I have to admit, my downfall was rooted in my selfishness.”
“The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily. I literally lost my mind,” Combs wrote, seemingly referring the 2016 video showing him beating Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel that was shown in court.
“My domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry. The remorse, the sorrow, the regret, the disappointment, the shame. I honestly feel sorry for something that I couldn’t forgive someone else for: if they put their hands on one of my daughters. This is why it is so hard for me to forgive myself. It is like a deep wound that leaves an ugly scar.”
As for Jane, who told jurors she felt she had to comply with Combs’s sexual demands lest she lose the financial support she depended on, he said: “Your Honor, I thought I was providing for Jane concerning her and her child, but after hearing her testimony, I realized that I hurt her. For this I am deeply sorry.”
“I humbly ask you for another chance — another chance to be a better father, another chance to be a better son, another chance to be a better leader in my community, and another chance to live a better life,” he wrote. He also promised that he has “changed” his life and “will never commit a crime again.”
Combs’s lawyers have asked Subramanian to impose a 14-month sentence, which would effectively be time served, given that Combs has been in jail since his arrest. Prosecutors have asked for 135 months, claiming that he is unrepentant.
