On the eve of his sentencing, Sean "Diddy" Combs wrote a federal judge Thursday proclaiming himself to be a new man after realizing that he was "broken to my core." Combs, 55, told Judge Arun Subramanian that with his mind clear of drugs and alcohol after a year in jail, he can see how rotten he had become before his September 2024 arrest in a case that led to his conviction on two prostitution-related counts. His sentencing hearing is set to begin Friday morning, the AP reports. "Over the past year there have been so many times that I wanted to give up. There have been some days I thought I would be better off dead. The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn. Prison will change you or kill you—I choose to live," he said.
A jury in July acquitted Combs of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, but he still faces the possibility of years in jail. Combs' lawyers say he should go free this month, arguing his year behind bars has been enough of a penalty, while prosecutors want at least 11 years in prison. In his letter, Combs wrote that he had "no one to blame for my current reality and situation but myself." "In my life, I have made many mistakes, but I am no longer running from them," he wrote. "I am so sorry for the hurt that I caused, but I understand that the mere words 'I'm sorry' will never be good enough as these words alone cannot erase the pain from the past."
Combs apologized for hitting, kicking and dragging then-girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016—an attack captured on security camera. "The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily," Combs wrote. "I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved. I'm sorry for that and always will be." In her letter to the judge ahead of sentencing, Ventura dismissed Combs' claims of remorse. Ventura noted that Combs had denied her allegations of assault until the footage of the beating emerged, and she urged the judge to issue a sentence that "reflects the strength it took for victims of Sean Combs to come forward."
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Combs also apologized to a woman who testified under the pseudonym "Jane," saying that "after hearing her testimony, I realized that I hurt her." "I lost my way. I got lost in my journey. Lost in the drugs and the excess," Combs wrote. "My downfall was rooted in my selfishness." In jail, Combs said, he has been reading, writing, going to therapy, working out and teaching a six-week course to other inmates, "Free Game with Diddy," imparting his business wisdom, as well as lessons learned from his mistakes and failures. He vowed to never commit a crime again, telling the judge he's gone through a "spiritual reset."
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