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NEW YORK (AP) — The judge on Wednesday set Sean “Diddy” Combs freely on bonds, awaiting a sentence in a sex crime case.
The bond decision came after the ju judge convicted one of the famous figures of federal prostitution-related crimes in hip-hop, but was acquitted of sex trafficking and assault.
Combs, 55, sat on his lap after hearing the decision to bond. He has been behind the bar since his arrest in September.
Grammy-winning Imprezario was convicted of two crimes (transports engaged in prostitution), a crime that sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. However, the ju-decides cleaned him up on charges that he could put behind the bar for the rest of his life.
His lawyers argued that these numbers of acquittals had changed the legal environment sufficiently, as they should be released on a million dollar bond. Prosecutors said he remains at flight risk.
Judge Arun Subramanian said the applicable law did not allow Combs’ release at this time.
“For current purposes, the defendant cannot meet his burden,” the judge said, persuading evidence that he is “a lack of danger to people and communities.” He noted trial testimony about Combs’ violent behavior towards his two ex-girlfriends.
Earlier on Wednesday, Combs fell to his knee and prayed in court after being acquitted of sex trafficking and assault.
The mixed results shattered Combs’ familiar “Puff Daddy” image and concluded the sleazy legal odyssey that derailed his career as a Grammy Award-winning artist and music executive, fashion entrepreneur, brand ambassador and reality television star.
Combs was convicted of flying people across the country, including his girlfriend and male sex workers, and engaging in sexual encounters and felony violations of the Federal Man Act.
The charges will be punished in prison for up to 10 years, but Combs’ lawyers said under the guidelines of a federal sentencing, he is likely to face him in prison for about two years. Prosecutors said the guidelines would require at least four to five years, citing Combs’ violence and other factors. He has been jailed since his arrest in September and has already served nine months behind bars.
In Combs’ victory, eight men and four female ju-deaths acquitted him on conspiracy and sex trafficking charges related to allegations that he used his money, power and horrifying physical strength to manipulate his girlfriend into hundreds of drug-fueled sex marathons.
Combs’ defense team argued that the women were willing to attend, and that none of his violence justified the harshness of the accusation.
Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo called for his client to be released immediately, as the federal Mann Act crimes were “a much different nature” than sex trafficking and assault conspiracy.
U.S. Attorney Mohren Comey said he should be jailed as a danger to the community and a threat to escape. She cited evidence of physical abuse and “prolific use and distribution of drugs” that appeared during trial.
“I believe we are seeking a considerable amount of jail time,” Comey said.
Both sides submitted written submissions extending into discussion prior to the decision of the Subramanians.
There is no date for the sentence yet when the judge decides the punishment of comb for a prostitution conviction.
The verdict follows weeks of tragic testimony
Federal officials involved in the case responded to the outcome by saying that sex offences are “too common in many aspects of our society.”
“New Yorkers and all Americans hope that the tragedy will stop and that the perpetrators will go to trial,” Manhattan-based US lawyers Jay Clayton and Ricky J. Patel will head the New York office of the federal Homeland Security Investigation in a statement.
The ju judges deliberated for approximately 13 hours over three days before announcing the verdict. After they said late Tuesday, they decided on four counts but said they were stuck on the assaulted ones. At that point, the judge told them to continue deliberation and keep the partial verdict rapping.
Combs did not testify at his trial. It featured 34 witnesses and a video of a rapper attacking R&B singer-born Casandra Ventura.
Her lawyer, Douglas Wigdoll, said in a statement after the verdict, “By moving forward with her experience, Cathy has left an indelible mark in both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice.”
He then asked the judge in a letter denying Combs’ bail, saying, “Ventura believes that Combs is likely to pose a risk to the victims and the community who testified, including himself, in the case.”
Cathy testified for four days on the 11-year turbulent relationship with Combs, which began after she signed with his bad boy record label.
Cathy said Combs was hooked on a voyeur meet arranged with the help of his sex worker and his staff with plenty of baby oil. During a sexual event called “freak-off” or “hotel night,” Combs ordered Cathy to do things with other men she felt humiliated, she testified.
She said he would beat her when things didn’t turn into comb-style.
Another ex-girlfriend testified under the pseudonym “Jane” and told the ju umpire that she repeatedly told Combs that she didn’t want to have sex with the man she was hired for their ordeal.
“I’m not an animal. I need a break,” she said. Nevertheless, she said that part of his paying her rent felt it was “obligation” to follow his demands.
The AP is not usually for anyone who says they are sexually abused unless they move forward publicly, as Cathy has.
Defense calls cases a privacy invasion
Rapper Kid Cudy, the most famous witness at the trial, said Combs broke into his home in late 2011 after learning that he and Kathy were dating. After his car was bombed a few weeks later, Coody is his real name, Scott Mescudi – said he knows that Combs has “work to do” it. The comb denied it.
Combs’ defense team acknowledged that he could be violent, but prosecutors claimed he was invading his personal life. In his closing remarks to the ju umpire, Agnifilo said it was not illegal for Combs to make “homemade porn” with his girlfriend.
Rapper, entrepreneur, criminal defendant
Combs was at the heart of the East Coast Coast hip hop battle in the 1990s, becoming one of the most influential hip hop producers and executives of the past 30 years, diversifying interests with Sean John fashion label Ciroc Vodka, cable TV channels and film and television studios.
In 2001, Combs was at the heart of one of the biggest hip-hop trials of the era, attributed to the shooting of a Manhattan nightclub that injured three people in 1999.
His career recovered quickly at that time.
Combs’ reputation could have been irreparable after Cassie sued him in November 2023, alleging years of sexual and physical abuse. He settled down at $20 million the following day, but more lawsuits continued by other women and men.
Most are still pending.
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Associated Press reporters Jennifer Peltz and Julie Walker contributed to the report.
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