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Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs, the hip-hop mogul convicted on interstate prostitution charges, begged a federal judge for mercy during a dramatic sentencing hearing Friday, insisting he has \u201cchanged for the better.\u201d
\u201cI can\u2019t change the past, but I can change the future,\u201d Combs told Judge Arun Subramanian inside the U.S. District Courthouse in lower Manhattan.
Combs was then sentenced to more than four years of what the judge called \u201chard time\u201d in prison.
In his prepared remarks, the rapper apologized to two former girlfriends who accused him of physical and sexual abuse: Casandra \u201cCassie\u201d Ventura, the R&B singer who dated him off-and-on for a decade, and a woman identified in court under the pseudonym \u201cJane.\u201d
\u201cMy actions were disgusting, shameful and sick. I was sick from the drugs. I was out of control. I needed help and I didn\u2019t get the help,\u201d Combs said.
\u201cI lost all of my businesses and lost my career and destroyed my reputation, and most of all, I lost my self-respect,\u201d Combs added. \u201cI have been humbled and broken to my core. I hate myself right now. I\u2019ve been stripped down to nothing.\u201d
He broke down crying as he directly addressed his mother, Janice Combs, who was seated in the courtroom\u2019s gallery. \u201cYou taught me better,\u201d he said, sobbing and placing his hands on his head. \u201cYou raised me better.\u201d
Combs addressed the packed courtroom nearly five hours into a lengthy proceeding that featured impassioned legal arguments and tearful pleas for leniency from six of the hip-hop mogul\u2019s children.
U.S. government prosecutors, who pushed for a more than 11-year prison sentence, argued that Combs is \u201cunrepentant\u201d and poses a danger to others because of his years of alleged abuse. Combs\u2019 alleged pattern of violence is \u201csomething the public must be protected from,\u201d Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said.
Combs\u2019 legal team presented their client in starkly different terms. Nicole Westmoreland, one of his attorneys, repeatedly fought back tears while praising her client as a barrier-breaking entrepreneur who advocated for social justice and the Black community. \u201cI don\u2019t think he needs any more punishment,\u201d Marc Agnifolo, the rapper\u2019s lead attorney, later told the judge.
Quincy Brown, Combs\u2019 eldest son, characterized his father as a \u201cchanged man\u201d who has \u201clearned a major lesson.\u201d Christian Combs, his third eldest son, asked the judge to \u201cplease give us grace and please give him mercy.\u201d Combs wept and held his head in his hands as each of his children walked up to a podium to deliver brief testimonials on his behalf.
In a sweeping indictment filed last year, federal prosecutors accused Combs of orchestrating a violent criminal enterprise and forcing women and male escorts to participate in drug-fueled marathon sexual encounters known as \u201cfreak offs.\u201d He pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.
Combs was convicted on the prostitution charges on July 2 at the conclusion of a seven-week criminal trial. The jury acquitted him on two more serious charges \u2014 one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking.
Combs\u2019 lawyers argued that their client never led any criminal scheme and asserted that his accusers \u2014 including his ex-girlfriend Casandra \u201cCassie\u201d Ventura and a woman pseudonymously identified as \u201cMia\u201d \u2014 willingly participated in the rapper\u2019s choreographed \u201cfreak offs.\u201d
In a letter to Subramanian submitted before the sentencing hearing, Combs apologized and expressed \u201chow sincerely sorry I am for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused.\u201d
\u201cI lost my way. I got lost in my journey. Lost in the drugs and the excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness,\u201d Combs wrote in the letter, dated Thursday. The letter marked the first time Combs, who did not testify in his defense, directly addressed Subramanian at length.
Subramanian denied bail for Combs after jurors delivered their mixed verdict. The Grammy-winning rapper has been in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Adam Reiss is a reporter and producer for NBC and MSNBC.
Daniel Arkin is a national reporter at NBC News.
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