Diddy's legal team is seeking release immediately ahead of the verdict – National

Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs urged the judge to sentence him in prison within 14 months for his conviction on two prostitution-related charges.

In written submission, Combs' legal team said he was already fully punished.

“Combs' celebrity status in the music, fashion, spirit, media and finance has been shattered and his legacy has been destroyed,” his legal team wrote to Judge Arun Subramanian, who is scheduled to decide on the ruling of the dishonourable hip-hop mogul on October 3rd.

“He has been working in one of America's most infamous prisons for over a year. Yes, he made the most of that punishment. It's time for Mr. Combs to return home to his family, so he can continue his treatment and try to make the most of the next chapter of his extraordinary life.”

In a 182-page sentence memo, his lawyer argued for Combs' release as he has already served nearly 13 months at Brooklyn Jail.

“In this case, a sentence of no more than 14 months is “sufficient, but not more than necessary,” is great for achieving the sentencing goal,” his lawyer wrote.

The court filing also provided new information on what Combs' life was like in nearly 13 months behind the bar, explaining the intense surveillance by security guards and the threat of at least one violence.

“Combs' 13-month prison is a testament to his desire to change life, be productive, return to his family and community and live the best possible life,” his lawyer wrote. “He has spent his time at the MDC (Metropolitan Detention Center) from day one to achieve the necessary rehabilitation.

Comb's life in prison is sometimes miserable, his lawyer said.

At one point, the inmate approached the combs with a makeshift blade, Shiv, and accused combs of sitting in a chair, the lawyer wrote. The comb calmed the man, the lawyer said.

Combs doesn't trust it to be clean and heats his drinking water as he has to sleep within two feet of other prisoners in a dorm-style room that includes a bathroom with no doors, the lawyer writes.

“Combs often walks limp due to painful knee injuries that require surgery for nearly 13 months, either he hasn't breathed fresh air or feel sunlight in his skin,” they said.

The prison also allowed the comb to cool down for the first time in 25 years, his lawyer wrote.

They said their client was a “changed man” and they realized that his overuse of drugs contributed to the violent acts he took part in.

“Without minimizing Combs' actions, this is in many ways a 'gender, drug, rock and roll' story,” they said.

Combs created a program with Diddy in a prison called Free Game. He “stimulates and supports other inmates,” his lawyer said in the filing.

The program is a six-week course and is “an educational program designed to help participants develop skills essential to business management, entrepreneurship and personal development,” the legal submission states.

“Despite many professional successes in Combs' life, he counts his free game course as one of the most influential and important efforts of his life. He hopes to continue, expand and improve this curriculum in the future,” his lawyer wrote. “His goal is to release this program and implement it on a large scale at the time of his release, to expand it to community youth and state operating facilities.”

A Combs lawyer cited the rapper saying he once told his probation officers that he “success and money gave me whatever I wanted to do without any real consequences.”

“I called myself the king, but I didn't act like a king. I didn't act like a man. This situation made me a man, a man who knew and understood his responsibility,” Combs said.

Letters from more than 75 Combs peers

Combs' lawyers included letters from various fellow rappers, including family and ex-girlfriend Caresha Brownlee, and Caresha Brownlee, also known as rapper Yung Miami.

“I think it's important that the courts know Sean's side, not always looking or talking. There are people who have poured out on others, giving them opportunities, leading them by example, and they love them deeply,” Brownley writes.

Brownlee shared details about his three-year relationship with Combs, which he described as “loving, authentic, supportive and always encouraged.”

“He shaped me professionally and personally. He taught me how to trust me, push me to grow and become a better businessman,” she wrote.

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Brownlee added that she truly believes Combs “belongs to his family, those who continue to be the source of his greatest purpose and strength.

“Judge… that's a good guy,” Brownlee's letter concluded.

Combs' son, Christian, 27, also submitted a letter to Subramanian, asking him to “put my father out of prison.”

“We have experienced lies, discrimination, dehumanization, loneliness, separation and extreme stress in our families,” Christian writes.

“This is my father, and he is the best father in the whole world. He taught me nothing other than treating people with the most respectfulness possible, never qualified, always working for what I wanted, and treating people with love and kindness the most important thing.”

Christian said his father was the reason he had a career in the music industry and that he trusted him for the people he is today.

“Let my dad get out of prison! He doesn't deserve to be there and has already been in prison for a year! This was the worst year anyone could experience,” he added.

Combs' ruling will be held on October 3rd

On July 2nd, Combs was found guilty of two counts of prostitution. Prosecutors said he arranged a paid sexual encounter between his girlfriend and a male sex worker.

The founder of Bad Boy Records was guilty of conspiracy and sex trafficking.

Combs' attorney Marc Agnifilo asked Combs to be released on conditional bail at his Miami home, offering him a US$1 million bond. Prosecutor Mohren Comey rebutted, telling Subramanian that Combs should remain in prison until the sentence.

Comey also said the government will seek a maximum sentence of 20 years for the comb.

Prosecutors have yet to file a final recommendation on the ruling, but in previous court filings they show that he is still a dangerous person when he tries to minimize his “wide history of violence” and his conduct.

Combs' ruling is scheduled for October 3rd.

– Use files from Associated Press

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