Sean Combs’ sentencing date is set
Sean Combs will be sentenced on October 3, according to a letter endorsed by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian.
Last week, a federal jury in Manhattan found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison for both counts. The jury acquitted Combs on the most serious charges he faced during his eight-week trial: sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
Prosecutors accused the hip-hop tycoon of running a criminal enterprise that facilitated and concealed sexual abuse for decades, but they were unable to convince jurors Combs was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The government called dozens of witnesses and presented evidence including bank records, text messages and explicit videos of two of Combs’ ex-girlfriends — the singer Cassie Ventura and a woman who testified using the pseudonym “Jane” — engaging in sex with male escorts. Both women testified that they felt coerced to participate in these encounters; Combs’ defense presented text message and video evidence to suggest they were willing participants.
Although Combs was found not guilty of trafficking Jane or Ventura, he was convicted of flying both women — along with male escorts — across state lines to engage in commercial sex acts. After the verdict was delivered on July 2, the Associated Press reported that Judge Subramanian denied Combs bail ahead of sentencing. By October, Combs will have been in jail for over a year, which will be credited toward his final sentence.
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