Latest news with #MarcAgnifilo
Bloomberg
a day ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Sean Combs Was Just an Escort Client Like Eliot Spitzer, Lawyer Argues
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' is planning an appeal arguing the federal prostitution statute he was convicted under wasn't meant to apply to run-of-the-mill clients of adult escorts like himself, Combs' lead attorney told Bloomberg Law. For example: Eliot Spitzer. The former New York governor was 'a regular client of the Emperor's Club"—the escort ring Spitzer patronized—"and they didn't prosecute Spitzer at all, who was arguably in the exact same position as Combs,' Combs lawyer Marc Agnifilo said in an interview Tuesday. 'So it makes the point with a tangible example that they don't typically prosecute these kinds of cases.'
CNA
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sentencing set for Oct 3 after split verdict in federal sex crimes case
Sean 'Diddy' Combs will be sentenced in his federal criminal case on Oct 3, a judge said Tuesday (Jul 8) after probation officials rejected the defence 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 asked 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 possible after jurors acquitted him last week on racketeering and sex trafficking but convicted him on two prostitution-related charges. Combs, 55, 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 Sep 22 sentencing date, subject to the consent of the US 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 3 date Subramanian originally proposed. Combs got a standing ovation from fellow inmates when he returned to jail after the verdict last week, Agnifilo said. 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 behaviour that were exposed at his eight-week trial. Combs' lawyers want less than the 21 to 27 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.
The Sun
08-07-2025
- The Sun
Major update in Diddy sentencing just days after rapper found guilty of prostitution but cleared of more serious charges
A SENTENCING date for Sean "Diddy" Combs has been set after the music mogul was convicted of two prostitution-related charges at his high-profile trial. Combs, who was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, will be sentenced on October 3. 3 3 3 Combs faces a maximum 20-year prison sentence - 10 years for each count of transportation to engage in prostitution. However, federal prosecutors have said they would seek a 5 to 3 year sentence. The time Combs has already served in jail, which will be over a year since his arrest in September 2024, would be credited to the ultimate sentence the judge imposes. Combs' defense team initially sought to expedite Combs' sentencing after Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over the seven-week trial, denied to release the Bad Boy Records founder, 55, on bail. In a letter to Judge Subramanian, Marc Agnifilo, Combs' lead attorney, requested a September 22 sentencing date before eventually agreeing to October 3 - the date the judge initially set for sentencing. It's unclear why the defense abandoned its efforts to expedite Combs' sentencing. Combs will remain housed in the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn while he awaits sentencing. SHOCKING VERDICT A jury acquitted Combs of the most serious charges he faced - racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking in regards to Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura and " Jane," a pseudonym used for one of Combs' ex-girlfriends. The music executive fell to his knees in prayer after the jury foreperson read the stunning verdict to the courtroom on July 2. In their blistering closing arguments, prosecutors described Combs as the "leader of a criminal enterprise" who used his expansive "wealth, power, violence, and fear to get what he wanted." Diddy trial witness 'The Punisher' reveals battle against 'storm of negativity' after taking part in freak-offs "He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law," Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik said, adding, "It was his kingdom. Everyone was there to serve him." The core evidence of the prosecution's case was the disturbing and graphic nature of the drug-fueled "freak-offs" that at times Combs allegedly coerced his ex-girlfriends to participate in with male escorts. Slavik described to jurors how Combs forced his former lovers Ventura and "Jane" into participating in the punishing sex marathons and with the help of an inner circle of "loyal lieutenants" covered up the alleged crimes. Ventura and Jane were sometimes required to perform the lewd acts, which were also called "hotel nights and wild king nights," while they were hurting from urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to prosecutors. On the other hand, Combs' defense team slammed the prosecution's case as an attack on "your bedroom" and one's sex life. Agnifilo, Combs' lead attorney, summarized the seven-week trial as a "tale of two trials," arguing one side is the one told by the evidence of the case, by witnesses, videos, and text messages, and the other was a "badly, badly, exaggerated" story told by prosecutors. The defense attorney argued the sexual encounters involving Combs, Ventura, "Jane," and male escorts were consensual, and called the "freak-offs," which were sometimes video recorded, "homemade porn." "You want to call it swingers, you want to call it threesomes, whatever you want to call it, that is what it is - that's what the evidence shows," Agnifilo told the jury. "He did what he did. But he's going to fight to the death to defend himself from what he didn't do.'
CTV News
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' sentencing set for Oct. 3 after split verdict in federal sex crimes case
Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, on June 26, 2022. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP File) NEW YORK — Sean 'Diddy' Combs will be sentenced in his federal criminal case on Oct. 3, a judge said Tuesday after probation officials rejected the defence 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 asked 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 possible after jurors acquitted him last week on racketeering and sex trafficking but convicted him on two prostitution-related charges. Combs, 55, 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. 22 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. 3 date Subramanian originally proposed. Combs got a standing ovation from fellow inmates when he returned to jail after the verdict last week, Agnifilo said. 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 21 to 27 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 investigation report that will aid the judge in determining the proper punishment. Michael R. Sisak And Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sentencing set for Oct. 3 after split verdict in federal sex crimes case
Sean 'Diddy' Combs will be sentenced in his federal criminal case on Oct. 3, a judge said Tuesday after probation officials 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 asked 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 possible after jurors acquitted him last week on racketeering and sex trafficking but convicted him on two prostitution-related charges. Combs, 55, 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. 22 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. 3 date Subramanian originally proposed. Combs got a standing ovation from fellow inmates when he returned to jail after the verdict last week, Agnifilo said. 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 21 to 27 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 investigation report that will aid the judge in determining the proper punishment.
