Sean 'Diddy' Combs sentencing set for October
A hearing scheduled for Tuesday afternoon to hear arguments for Sean "Diddy" Combs to receive an earlier sentencing date was adjourned without any arguments being presented or a new date being set.
Defense attorneys and federal prosecutors initially agreed to a Sept. 22 sentencing date for Combs, according to a joint letter filed Tuesday ahead of a remote hearing set for 2 p.m. ET. Then, shortly before the hearing, attorneys for both sides sent another joint letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, saying that they had agreed to the judge's original proposed sentencing date of Oct. 3.
Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo and prosecutor Christy Slavik were on the scheduled teleconference when the courtroom deputy interrupted to see if the attorneys had anything to discuss beyond a sentencing date. When Agnifilo and Slavik answered they had nothing further, the deputy adjourned the conference and informed them that Subramanian would respond to the parties in writing.
Subramanian has now set sentencing for Sean Combs for Oct. 3, according to a post on the court docket.
It was not immediately clear why the defense apparently abandoned – at least for now – their attempt to secure expedited sentencing for Combs.
Subramanian had agreed to hear arguments for expedited sentencing following a split verdict on July 2 that acquitted Combs of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking but convicted him on the two counts of prostitution-related charges he faced.
The defense argued in court last week that “exceptional circumstances” warranted expedited sentencing, including the 2018 death of Combs’ romantic partner, Kim Porter.
“The mother of some of his children had passed away many years ago. These kids, the two daughters here sitting in the middle of your honor's second row, don't have a parent,” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said in court last week.
Federal prosecutors appeared to oppose anything other than the usual course, including a pre-sentence report from probation officials that would require Combs to sit for an interview.
“The only things exceptional about this defendant are his wealth, his violence and his brazenness,” prosecutor Maurene Comey said. She also said that the government plans to pursue “significant incarceration” for Combs on the prostitution charges.
Combs faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison on the two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, though it's possible that he will receive less than that for a first-time conviction. Any sentence would include credit for time served, which so far totals roughly 10 months.
Combs' split verdict last week followed six weeks of testimony that saw the prosecution present 34 witnesses and the defense present none. The jury of eight men and four women deliberated just over two days before reaching their decision.
