Entertainment
Prosecutors want Sean “Diddy” Combs to get more than 11 years in prison
New York — Prosecutors urged a New York federal judge Tuesday to send Sean “Diddy” Combs to prison for over 11 years following his conviction on prostitution-related charges, citing one of his accusers who said she lives in fear of the music mogul’s release from detention.
“His crimes of conviction are serious and have warranted sentences over ten years in multiple cases for defendants who, like Sean Combs, engaged in violence and put others in fear,” they wrote in a presentence submission requesting at least 11 years and three months in prison.
They filed their sentencing recommendation shortly after midnight, including letters from some of his accusers describing how his violence and demands had impacted their lives.
Prosecutors called Combs “unrepentant” and said Combs had conceded his acts of violence and abuse throughout his trial but “incredibly … he now argues that his victims should shoulder the blame.”
Combs, 55, has remained jailed since his July conviction on charges related to arranging male sex workers to travel to hotels or residences where he directed them to have sex with his girlfriends.
The elaborate dayslong, drug-fueled sexual events were often filmed by Combs. Defense attorneys have asked that he be sentenced to no more than 14 months in prison. Sentencing is set for Friday. The music mogul had pleaded not guilty to all of the charges brought against him.
In July, Combs was convicted of two charges for violating the Mann Act, which outlaws interstate commerce related to prostitution, for arranging the paid sexual encounters between his girlfriends and male sex workers. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The same jury acquitted the Bad Boy Records founder of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that could have resulted in a life sentence.
Last week, the defense submitted its presentence arguments, saying Combs has suffered enough during his nearly 13 months behind bars and that he should be freed soon.
Jane Rosenberg / REUTERS
They wrote that he became a changed man in a Brooklyn federal lockup, where he has been under constant suicide watch and learned to react calmly rather than violently to threats, even when a fellow inmate confronted him with a shiv.
They said Combs has realized that his overuse of drugs, including some prescribed by doctors, had contributed to violent acts he participated in.
Prosecutors said Combs was now trying to cast himself as a victim.
“He is not the victim,” they wrote. “The Court should focus on the very real effects that the defendant’s conduct had on the lives of the actual victims, his victims.”
At trial, two of Combs’ former girlfriends testified that they felt forced to participate in the drug-fueled sex marathons with male sex workers as Combs watched and sometimes filmed.
Ex-girlfriends tell court about treatment by Coombs
R&B singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura described being beaten by Combs when she displeased him during their decadelong relationship. Another ex-girlfriend, testifying under the pseudonym “Jane,” said she felt pressured to perform sexually with male sex workers. She testified that an enraged Combs once put her in a chokehold and punched her in the face.
In a letter accompanying the prosecutors’ submission, Cassie wrote that she testified while nine months pregnant during Combs’ trial “in front of a packed courtroom about the most traumatic and horrifying chapter in my life. I testified that from age nineteen, Sean Combs used violence, threats, substances, and control over my career to trap me in over a decade of abuse.”
Cassie wrote that Combs controlled her like a puppet.
“These events were degrading and disgusting, leaving me with infections, illnesses, and days of physical and emotional exhaustion before he demanded it all again. Sex acts became my full-time job, used as the only way to stay in his good graces,” she said.
Cassie said she still has nightmares and flashbacks on an everyday basis and requires psychological care to cope.
“My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality. I have in fact moved my family out of the New York area and am keeping as private and quiet as I possibly can because I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up about his abuse at trial,” Cassie said.
The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has.
In an indictment, prosecutors asserted that Combs used his fame, wealth and violence to force and manipulate Cassie and Jane, now-ex-girlfriends, into the sexual performances he called “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.”
Judge Arun Subramanian has signaled that he is leaning toward a substantial amount of prison time, twice refusing to grant bail since the jury returned its verdict, citing Combs’ history of violence.
Entertainment
Jon M. Chu talks journey to "Wicked: For Good," casting Colman Domingo as Cowardly Lion
“Wicked: For Good” director Jon M. Chu joins “CBS Mornings” to talk about the highly-anticipated movie, his journey to working on the films and casting. The movie takes place right before and during the events of the 1939 movie, “The Wizard of Oz.”
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Entertainment
Bottlenose dolphins spotted in Gwadar West Bay
ISLAMABAD: A large pod of bottlenose dolphins was sighted in Gwadar’s West Bay, a rare visual treat captured by observers and described by World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan (WWF) as an “encouraging sign of ocean health”.
According to WWF-Pakistan, bottlenose dolphins are commonly found in the country’s coastal waters, with schools frequently seen near the Indus Delta, Chiran Island, Ormara, Astola Island and the broader Gwadar region.
Pakistan’s waters are home to 27 species of dolphins and whales, reflecting a rich level of marine biodiversity.
WWF-Pakistan said that repeated sightings of dolphin schools point to the strong productivity of the northern Arabian Sea.
However, the organisation stressed the need to protect Pakistan’s fragile marine ecosystem through awareness and effective management measures aimed at safeguarding dolphins and other marine life.
The conservation body reiterated that rising visibility of marine fauna should prompt renewed efforts to preserve habitats and ensure sustainable use of coastal resources.
Entertainment
Here’s what’s really at stake
The Brazilian presidency of the COP30 climate summit has revealed the first draft of a crucial decision text.
Dubbed the “Mutirão” decision, the draft outlines a starkly different options on the key issues that have dominated talks in the humid Amazon city: transitioning away from fossil fuels, providing climate finance, and managing trade disputes.
On the critical issue of fossil fuels, the text reveals a deep rift.
One option encourages countries to develop “just, orderly and equitable transition roadmaps,” but stops short of endorsing a global phase-out plan backed by over 80 nations.
A weaker alternative merely invites countries to share “success stories” on moving toward low-carbon solutions. Tina Stege, climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, called the current language “weak” and insisted it “must be strengthened.”
The financial negotiations are equally divisive.
The draft includes a proposal to triple adaptation finance for developing nations to $120 billion a year by 2030, a key demand from vulnerable countries.
However, developed nations are pushing back, with alternative options that only acknowledge the need to “dramatically scale up” funding without binding targets.
In a historic first for a UN climate text, trade also features prominently, reflecting pushback from China and India against carbon border taxes.
Proposals range from establishing new dialogues to an annual UN summit on trade and climate.
As ministers arrive for the final high-level negotiations, the choices are clear. “Countries can get behind the stronger elements… or move in a weaker direction and water down what they come away with from Belém,” said David Waskow of the World Resources Institute.
The success of the entire “Belém political package” now hinges on bridging these deep divides before the conference concludes.
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