'I take full responsibility and accountability': Sean 'Diddy' Combs apologizes in letter ahead of sentencing
Spending a year in prison has changed him for the better, Combs.
A day before he is set to be sentenced for two prostitution-related convictions, Sean "Diddy" Combs is apologizing for his actions in a letter to the judge overseeing his case.
In a four-page letter, Combs said he takes "full responsibility and accountability" for his actions, apologizes to all the people he has hurt, and begged for mercy at his sentencing.
"First and foremost, I want to apologize and say how sincerely sorry I am for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused others by my conduct. I take full responsibility and accountability for my past wrongs," he wrote.
Combs directly apologized to both ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and the woman who testified under the name "Jane" at trial for hurting them.
"I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved," he said of Ventura. "I'm sorry for that and always will be. My domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry."
Regarding Jane, he said: "Your honor, I thought I was providing for Jane concerning her and her child, but after hearing her testimony, I realized that I hurt her. For this I am deeply sorry."
Combs claimed that his crimes were "rooted in [his] selfishness" and that he was "lost in the drugs and the excess." Spending a year in prison, he said, has changed him for the better.
"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," Combs wrote.
Combs asked for a light sentence so he could spend time with his family and have "another chance to be a better father, another chance to be a better son, another chance to be a better leader in my community, and another chance to live a better life."
"I ask you for mercy today, not only for my sake, but for the sake of my children," he said.
In July, a jury found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution in connection with hotel-room sexual encounters called "freak-offs" involving Ventura, and guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution in connection with encounters involving Jane.
Combs was found not guilty of racketeering conspiracy, the most serious charge.
He was also found not guilty of both charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion in connection with Ventura and "Jane."
Earlier this week, federal prosecutors asked the judge for an 11-year sentence, arguing that Combs was "unrepentant" and left his victims in fear.
His defense attorneys have asked for 14 months in prison, which amounts to time served for Combs, who has been in custody since his September 2024 arrest.
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