Diddy should spend at least 135 months behind bars, federal prosecutors argue in a newly filed sentencing memorandum.
In court documents filed Sept. 30 and viewed by Complex, prosecutors cite “extensive evidence” they argue demonstrates the Bad Boy Records founder’s “criminal conduct perpetrated across more than a decade.” Prosecutors go on to say that Diddy “largely conceded his conduct” during trial, including “violence” and “bribery.”
Included in the new filing are letters submitted to the court by former employees of Diddy, whose trial, meticulously covered with on-the-ground reporting by Complex’s Shawn Setaro, ultimately ended with a split verdict. While Diddy was found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering , he was convicted on prostitution-related charges.
“The sentence imposed on the defendant should reflect the substantial psychological, emotional, and physical damage he has inflicted,” prosecutors argued Tuesday. “Most significantly, the nature and seriousness of the offense, the need for deterrence and to promote respect for the law, and the history and characteristics of the defendant warrant a sentence of no less than 135 months’ imprisonment.”
Per prosecutors, a sentence of over 11 years “is consistent with similarly situated defendants” convicted of Mann Act violations. In Diddy’s case, such violations have been argued by his legal team as grounds for his convictions to either be overturned or for a new trial to be granted.
In a letter included in the filing, Cassie, who also testified at the trial, said she’s spent the past seven years of her life “slowly rebuilding” herself, including by “getting clean from the drug abuse Sean Combs forced and encouraged.” She also cited “the horrors I endured” as having driven her to “thoughts of suicide,” crediting her family with intervening with encouragement to seek professional help.
“[Diddy] will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is,” Cassie wrote, later adding that his sentence “should reflect the reality of the evidence and my lived experience as a victim.”
Sentencing is currently set for Oct. 3. Previously, Diddy’s legal team shared their own arguments regarding their client’s sentencing, saying he should receive no more than 14 months.
