Fallen music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to 4 years in prison at his sentencing Friday after jurors found him guilty of prostitution charges — but acquitted of sex trafficking — in a salacious sex crimes trial this summer.
He spoke to the court to plead his case before the judge announced he’d spend 50 months in prison for his crimes. Here is his speech.
I want to thank you for giving me the chance to finally speak up for myself.
One of the hardest things that I’ve had to handle is having to be quiet, not being able to express how sorry I am for my actions.
I want to personally apologize again to Cassie Ventura for any harm or hurt that I’ve caused to her emotionally or physically. I don’t take that lightly. I would like to apologize to her family. I’m so sorry.
I would like to apologize to Jane. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m sorry that I brought you into my mess.
I also want to personally apologize to all the victims of domestic violence, because I know that that video, that disgusting, despicable video, triggered a lot of people all around the world.
Domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry. My actions were disgusting, shameful, and sick.I was sick. Sick from the drugs. I was out of control.I needed help, but I didn’t get the help. Because of that, I can make no excuse.
I could really make no excuse because, because I knew better. My mother raised me better. I was taught better. My faith taught me better. I got lost in my journey of life. I’m not this larger than life person. I’m just a human being. And I be trying my best. I got lost in the excess. I got lost in my ego.
And because of my decisions, I lost my freedom. I lost the opportunity to effectively raise my children and be there for my mother. I lost all my businesses. I lost my career. I totally destroyed my reputation. But most of all, I lost my self-respect.I been humbled and broken to my core. I hate myself right now. I been stripped down to nothing. I really am truly sorry for it all, no matter what they say.
I want to apologize to my seven children, Quincy, Justin, Christian, Jessie, D’Lila, Chance, Love, I failed as a father. I’m so sorry. Y’all deserve better.
To my mother, mommy, I failed you as a son. I’m sorry. You taught me better. You raised me better.
I know to whom much is given, so much is expected. I know I failed my community.
Growing up as a kid, I just wanted to be a shining example of what we could do. When I say we, we as people of color, that we could own our own businesses, take care of our own communities, raise our own children, solve our own problems, create our own wealth, take care of our own problems.
And that was my mission. And I got lost. I’m not this bad person. I’m sorry to my community for letting y’all down.I want your Honor to know that if given a chance, people can change.
I know I’ve changed. I know this because there’s events — there’s sometimes something can happen in your life that no matter who you were before, what you were going through, you get so shaken that it just changes your trajectory.
It just changes you. And it changes you for the better. Sometimes you have to go through life experiences. These are not excuses.
I know that I’ve been changed for the better. I can’t change the past, but I can change the future.
I ask your Honor for mercy. I beg your Honor for mercy.I ask your Honor for a chance to be a father again. I ask your Honor a chance to be a son again.
I ask your Honor for a chance to be a leader in my community again. I ask your Honor for a chance to get the help that I desperately need to become a better person. Because I don’t want to let God down. I don’t want to let my family down. They need me. I let them down. They don’t have no other parent. They’re scared. I’m scared. And I have nobody to blame but myself.
I know I’ll never put my hands on another person again. I know that I’ve learned my lesson. I’m willing to comply with any conditions the Court puts upon me. Given a chance, when we talk about the possibility of me sharing my story, it’s not for a scheme to try to get less time. It’s that this story is real. This story is tragic. And if there’s any way, I don’t have nothing else. I have my family, and that’s all I need. I don’t care about the fame or the money or making records or performing.
If there’s a chance for me to go into, and touch some kids and touch some inmates that have lost hope. I feel like if your Honor gives me a chance by sharing that story, that this will have a positive outcome. This will have a healing effect. So that at least I could help one person for not ending up like this.
I want to say thank you to the jury. And, your Honor, your Honor gave me the confidence to believe in the jury and to believe that I didn’t have to testify. And the jury came and they sacrificed their time, eight weeks in the summer.Sacrificed time with their children. And they weighed the evidence. And I thank them for the not guilty verdicts.
And I don’t take lightly my Mann Act conviction. I understand the severity of it, and I’m having to deal with the consequences. And I take full accountability and responsibility.
Your Honor, I know that the prosecution wants you to make an example of me. I just want you to think about making an example of what a person can do if they get another chance. If you give me another chance, I won’t let you down.
And the evidence of that are those beautiful children that got up there and spoke for me.Thank y’all. I love y’all so much. Proud of y’all.
I would never, ever, ever jeopardize being in this situation again, being away from my family that needs me.That’s my deterrence. I don’t think nobody wants to come and be in this position.
No matter what anybody says, I know that I’m truly sorry for it all.
Thank you.
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