Diddy’s Motion to Overturn Conviction Denied by Judge

The judge ruling in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial has denied the music mogul’s motion to overturn the conviction, paving the way for his sentencing this week.

Legal documents obtained by Complex show that Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over Diddy’s eight-week trial this summer, turned down the module’s motion to throw out his convictions.

The judge believes that the government presented overwhelming evidence of Diddy’s guilt under the Mann Act on different occasions. “That evidence consisted of testimony from Ventura and Jane, testimony from the escorts involved, and evidence from text messages and emails. The government proved its case many times over,” wrote the judge in the 16-page opinion and order.

The judge’s ruling came soon after U.S. attorney Jay Clayton submitted a 189-page submission that featured letters from Diddy’s former associates and employees, pleading for the judge to give him a tough sentence. In it, Clayton wrote that Diddy is “unrepentant” and should be punished because he “engaged in violence and put others in fear.”

“Consistent with those cases and based on the corroborated evidence presented at trial, this Court should impose a sentence of no less than 135 months’ imprisonment,” reads the submission.

One of the letters in the filing comes from Cassie Ventura, who wrote that she doesn’t believe he’ll change. “He will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is,” she wrote.

On Sept. 25, Diddy attempted to get his conviction referred or get a new trial solely on the charges that he was convicted of. His legal team argued whether what he did should even be considered as prostitution since he had no financial interest in the freak-offs. They also claimed that since he frequently filmed freakoffs, he should be regarded as an amateur pornographer and be entitled to First Amendment protections.

Diddy’s attorney ended the argument by noting the “racist and sexist” origins of the Mann Act. “Many judges and juries refused to enforce it,” she said. “The whole history of the statute is an embarrassment to the United States of America.”

Diddy is set to be sentenced on Oct. 3 for his two counts of transportation for the purposes of engaging in prostitution.