Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sentencing set for Oct. 3 after split verdict in federal sex crimes case

By MICHAEL R SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press NEW YORK AP Sean Diddy Combs will be sentenced in his federal criminal affair on Oct a judge reported Tuesday after probation agents rejected the defense and prosecution s plan to move the date up by about two weeks Combs who remains jailed after a split verdict last week spoke briefly to his lawyer Marc Agnifilo during a virtual hearing on the scheduling issue that lasted all of two minutes At one point he requested the lawyer to turn on his camera so they could see each other s faces The hip-hop mogul s lawyers had been urging Judge Arun Subramanian to sentence him as soon as manageable after jurors acquitted him last week on racketeering and sex trafficking but convicted him on two prostitution-related charges Related Articles Minnesota state Sen John Hoffman shot times by a man posing as an officer leaves the hospital Noem says first responders in Texas still looking for a lot of little girls missing after flood Bird flu urgency response ends in US as infections decline After Texas floods that killed campers here s what to consider when sending your kids to camp held in Texas immigration detention center shooting that was planned ambush US attorney says Combs faces up to a decade in prison for each of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution for flying people around the country including his girlfriends and male sex workers for sexual encounters A conviction on racketeering conspiracy or sex trafficking could have put him in prison for life Prior to Tuesday s hearing Combs lawyers and prosecutors filed a joint letter proposing a Sept sentencing date subject to the consent of the U S Probation Office A short time later they filed a second letter stating that all parties including the probation office were on board with the Oct date Subramanian originally proposed Combs got a standing ovation from fellow inmates when he returned to jail after the verdict last week Agnifilo explained The Bad Boy Records founder will remain at the federal lockup in Brooklyn where he s been held since his arrest last September after Subramanian last week rejected his request for bail The judge citing a now-infamous video of Combs beating a former girlfriend and photographs showing injuries to another ex-girlfriend made clear that he plans to hold Combs accountable for the years of violence and bullying behavior that were exposed at his eight-week trial Combs lawyers want less than the to months in prison that they believe the sentencing guidelines recommend Prosecutors contend that the guidelines when properly calculated to include Combs crimes and violent history call for at least four to five years in prison Combs punishment is Subramanian s decision alone and the judge will have wide latitude in determining a sentence While judges often adhere to the federal judiciary s formulaic guidelines meant to prevent disparity in sentences for the same crimes they are not mandatory As part of the sentencing process Combs must give an interview to probation officers for a pre-sentence review review that will aid the judge in determining the proper punishment