**Sean “Diddy” Combs Declares Himself a ‘New Man’ Ahead of Sentencing in Prostitution Case**

*NEW YORK (AP)* — On the eve of his sentencing, Sean “Diddy” Combs wrote a heartfelt letter to a federal judge Thursday, proclaiming himself to be a new man after confronting the depths to which he had fallen.

Combs, 55, told Judge Arun Subramanian that with his mind now clear of drugs and alcohol after spending a year in jail, he can clearly see how “rotten” he had become before his arrest in September 2024. The case led to his conviction on two prostitution-related counts, with his sentencing hearing set to begin Friday morning.

“Over the past year, there have been so many times that I wanted to give up. There have been some days I thought I would be better off dead,” Combs wrote. “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.”

A jury in July acquitted Combs of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, but he still faces the possibility of years behind bars. His lawyers argue that the year he has already spent in jail constitutes sufficient punishment, while prosecutors are seeking at least an 11-year prison sentence.

In his letter, Combs took responsibility for his actions, writing, “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.”

He continued, “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.”

**Apology for Abuse of Former Girlfriend**

Combs also addressed a violent incident involving his then-girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, from 2016. The attack, during which Combs hit, kicked, and dragged Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel, was captured on security camera footage.

“The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily,” Combs wrote. “I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved. I’m sorry for that and always will be.”

Footage of the assault was shown repeatedly during his two-month trial. Several women testified that Combs had beaten, threatened, blackmailed, or sexually assaulted them.

In a letter to the judge ahead of sentencing, Ventura dismissed Combs’ claims of remorse.

“I know that who he was to me—the manipulator, the aggressor, the abuser, the trafficker—is who he is as a human,” she wrote. “He has no interest in changing or becoming better. He will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is.”

Ventura noted that Combs had repeatedly denied the assault allegations until the security footage surfaced. She urged the judge to impose a sentence reflecting the strength it took for victims to come forward.

“I hope that your decision considers the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control,” Ventura wrote.

**Acknowledgment of Other Victims**

Combs also apologized to a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.” After hearing her testimony, he said, “I realized that I hurt her.”

Jane testified that Combs had chased her around her home, put her in a chokehold, punched her in the head, kicked her while she was curled up on the ground, dragged her by her hair, and pressured her into having sex with a male sex worker.

“I lost my way. I got lost in my journey. Lost in the drugs and the excess,” Combs wrote. “My downfall was rooted in my selfishness.”

**Seeking Mercy and a Second Chance**

During his time in jail, Combs said he has been reading, writing, attending therapy, working out, and even teaching a six-week course to fellow inmates called *Free Game with Diddy*. The course imparts his business wisdom alongside lessons learned from his mistakes and failures.

He vowed never to commit another crime, telling the judge that he has undergone a spiritual reset.

Rather than making an example of him with a lengthy sentence, Combs implored Judge Subramanian to “make me an example of what a person can do if afforded a second chance.”

“If you allow me to go home to my family, I promise I will not let you down and I will make you proud,” he concluded.

—

*Copyright 2024 Associated Press*
https://wsvn.com/entertainment/on-eve-of-sentencing-combs-tells-judge-he-has-been-reborn-asks-for-mercy/