Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking in July but found guilty on two charges of transportation of former girlfriends for prostitution
President Donald Trump has revealed Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has asked him for a pardon after the rapper’s sentence was handed down by a judge in a New York court earlier this month.
“‘Puff Daddy has asked me for a pardon,’ Trump just said in the Oval,” journalist Jake Sherman reports Trump as saying inside the White House this evening.
Speaking earlier this month about the possibility of pardoning Combs, Trump said: “Probably — hmm. You know, I was very friendly with him. I get along with him great. Seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”
The controversial music producer was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking in July but found guilty on two charges of transportation of former girlfriends for prostitution.
The guilty verdict was delivered after 13 hours of deliberation by the jury. As the verdict came down, Diddy was seen kneeling in front of his chair and praying. The music mogul then turned to the gallery and clapped in front of his children and family, who had turned out to to support him.
During the trial earlier this year, details emerged about his sex life and ‘freak off parties’ that involved ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura – who released an impact statement before his sentencing.
The music mogul was denied bail and has remained in custody until today’s sentencing. Federal prosecutors have argued the disgraced star should serve more than 11 years in prison for his conviction, claiming he is “unrepentant”.
On Thursday, Diddy made a plea to the judge in a lengthy letter. He said he ‘lost his way and got lost in his journey’.
“Lost in the drugs and the excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. I have been humbled and broken to my core. 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 asked Judge Arun Subramanian to allow him to be an “example of what a person can do if afforded a second chance”.
He also said: “This has been the hardest 2 years of my life, and I have 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.
“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.”
The star claimed he had time to ‘look in the mirror like never before’ as he referenced the footage of him assaulting Cassie as well as the pain he caused ex-partner, “Jane”.
He begged the judge: “I ask you for mercy today, not only for my sake, but for the sake of my children.”
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