In her own letter to the judge, Ventura asked him to consider “the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control”. She described her relationship with Combs as a “horrific decade of my life stained by abuse, violence, forced sex and degradation” and said that she continues to fear for her safety.
A courtroom sketch of Diddy on trial at Manhattan Federal Court in July.Credit: AP
Ventura and another woman, who took the stand under the pseudonym Jane, testified during the trial that they felt manipulated into repeated sexual encounters with hired men, whether because of physical abuse or financial pressure. After hearing Jane’s testimony, Combs wrote, “I realised that I hurt her. For this I am deeply sorry.”
The defence argued throughout the trial that the sex at issue was entirely consensual, and the jury did not find that Combs had coerced the women.
Combs is scheduled to appear in court on Friday (US time) for his sentencing on the two prostitution-related convictions, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years for each count.
In recent submissions to the court, lawyers from both sides of the case have offered their recommended sentences for Combs. His defence team has asked for no more than 14 months, which, after accounting for the year he has already served in detention, would allow Combs to walk free before the end of 2025.
“I got lost in my journey. Lost in the drugs and the excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. I have been humbled and broken to my core.”
Letter from Sean “Diddy” Combs
“A sentence of no more than 14 months,” his lawyers wrote in a recent filing, “is the only sentence that would be consistent with Congress’s instruction ‘to avoid unwarranted sentence disparities among defendants with similar records who have been found guilty of similar conduct.’”
Prosecutors, calling Combs “unrepenting” and pointing out numerous instances of his violence from the trial record, have asked the judge to sentence him to no less than 11 years and three months. Federal probation officials calculated that the guidelines called for a sentence of up to seven years and three months.
At the hearing, Combs is expected to “allocute” or speak directly to the judge, which is often an opportunity for defendants to express remorse and indicate how they will improve their lives if released.
