By Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Lawyers for Sean "Diddy" Combs urged a U.S. judge to sentence the hip-hop mogul to little more time behind bars, after he was convicted of prostitution-related offences but acquitted on more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
In a court filing late on Monday night, Combs' lawyers said a sentence of no more than 14 months was sufficient, and there was no need to keep him incarcerated and away from his seven children and 84-year-old mother.
Combs, 55, has been jailed at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his September 16, 2024 arrest, and would be credited for that time.
A 14-month sentence means he would be free before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday. Combs' lawyers said their client has been "incident free" in jail, and became sober for the first time in a quarter-century.
"Mr. Combs is an extraordinary person who has made monumental professional and personal contributions throughout his 55 years," and "recognizes the consequences his actions have had for himself and his family," the lawyers said. "It is time for Mr. Combs to go home."
The U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
PROSECUTORS EXPECTED TO SEEK 'SUBSTANTIAL' TERM
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian is scheduled to sentence Combs on October 3 in Manhattan federal court.
Prosecutors are expected to recommend a sentence by September 29, and have said a "substantial" prison term is warranted.
Lawyers for Combs said federal probation officers, who help judges craft sentences, believe federal guidelines recommend a 5-3/4-year to 7-1/4-year sentence.
Combs founded Bad Boy Records and is credited with popularizing hip-hop in American culture.
Jurors found him guilty in July on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under a law known as the Mann Act. Combs had pleaded not guilty and is expected to appeal his conviction.
During the two-month trial, prosecutors said Combs coerced two former girlfriends into days-long, drug-fueled sex marathons known as "Freak Offs" with male prostitutes.
Both women - rhythm and blues singer Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, and a woman known by the pseudonym Jane - testified that Combs physically attacked them and threatened to cut off financial support if they resisted his sexual encounters.
COMBS WANTS CONVICTION SET ASIDE
Lawyers for Combs argued there was no direct link between what they called domestic violence and the women's participation in the Freak Offs.
They also said Ventura and Jane consented to the encounters because they loved Combs and wanted to make him happy.
In Monday's filing, Combs' lawyers said most people like Combs who have no criminal histories and violate the Mann Act are sentenced to between 12 and 15 months.
They said Subramanian should not consider evidence of Combs' physical abuse of former girlfriends, because jurors acquitted Combs of coercing them into sex.
"Even if there was some evidence of violence or threats of violence in the record, no such evidence was 'in connection with' the Mann Act counts," Combs' lawyers wrote.
Subramanian scheduled a Thursday hearing to consider Combs' motion to set aside the conviction.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jonathan Stempel in New York; Additional reporting by Mrinmay Dey, Rishabh Jaiswal; Editing by Howard Goller, Michael Perry and Bill Berkrot)
