Sean “Diddy” Combs will be sentenced in October following his conviction on two counts of interstate prostitution.
On Tuesday (July 8), Judge Arun Subramanian scheduled Combs’ much-awaited sentencing hearing for Oct. 3 in New York. This gives the U.S. Probation Office two months to interview the rapper and put together a sentencing recommendation by Sept. 18, after which both the prosecution and defense teams will file written briefs outlining what Combs’ punishment should be.
Combs was found guilty on Wednesday (July 2) of transporting girlfriends and male escorts across state lines for drug-fueled sex marathons called “freak-offs.” But a jury was not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that this conduct occurred as part of a criminal enterprise, or that Combs’ alleged victims — singer Cassie Ventura and an anonymous woman known as “Jane” — were coerced into the sex parties, leading to his acquittal on more serious sex-trafficking and racketeering charges.
The partial acquittal lowers Combs’ expected prison sentence significantly, as he would have been subject to a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum life sentence if convicted on all counts. The rapper instead faces between zero and 20 years behind bars, and federal sentencing guidelines will likely yield a suggested prison term of between two and five years.
Those guidelines, which the Probation Office will officially calculate as part of its pre-sentence investigation, are not binding on Judge Subramanian. That means the judge has the discretion to award as little or as much prison time as he sees fit, as long as it’s below the 20-year cap.
Assuming Combs does receive a prison sentence, he’ll get time deducted for what will by October be more than a year already spent in jail since being arrested on the federal charges.
The rap mogul sought release on bail following his partial acquittal last week, but Judge Subramanian said he must stay in jail due to his admitted history of domestic violence. The judge’s belief that Combs is a danger to society might be a hint that he’ll impose a sentence in the higher range come October.
In the meantime, Combs’ lawyers have until July 30 to file any post-verdict motions. This could include a motion to wipe the rapper’s conviction on the interstate prostitution charges, which the defense has previously criticized as racially motivated.
