Diddy Begs Judge for Mercy Before Sentencing, Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison

Sean “Diddy” Combs has appealed to the judge overseeing his case for mercy just hours before his sentencing on Friday, attributing his past behavior to drug abuse and claiming he has turned his life around.

In a four-page letter filed Thursday, the 54-year-old hip-hop mogul apologised “for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused,” saying that after 13 months in a Brooklyn jail, he has been “humbled and broken to my core.”

Convicted in July on two prostitution-related charges, Combs faces up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors are pushing for at least 11 years, while his defense team is seeking his release later this month.

Writing to Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs acknowledged his violent past, including domestic abuse against his former girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura. “I literally lost my mind,” he admitted. “I’m sorry for that and always will be. My domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry.”

He also apologised to another woman, known as “Jane,” who testified during the trial, blaming his downfall on “drugs and excess.”

“I lost my way,” Combs wrote. “My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn. I am sober for the first time in 25 years.”

Combs stressed that he now mentors fellow inmates about business and asked for leniency “not only for my sake, but for the sake of my children and my 84-year-old mother who just had brain surgery.”

But his accusers urged the court to impose a long sentence, warning of possible retaliation if he is released. Ventura told the judge: “I’m so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution… He has no interest in changing or becoming better. He will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is.”

While Combs’s lawyers plan to present a 15-minute video in court, prosecutors argue he remains “unrepentant.” In a filing last month, they wrote: “The defendant tries to recast decades of abuse as mutually toxic relationships. But there is nothing mutual about a relationship where one person holds all the power and the other ends up bloodied and bruised.”

A jury had earlier acquitted Combs of the most severe charges — racketeering and sex trafficking — sparing him a possible life sentence. He is expected to speak in court before sentencing is delivered.

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