Sean “Diddy” Combs sentencing live updates as hearing for prostitution-related charges is held today

A former stylist for Combs says he was frightened throughout his roughly decade-long experience working for the music magnate. Deonte’ Nash is suing Combs for alleged sexual abuse and violence — allegations that Combs has denied, with his legal team calling them “falsehoods.”

In an exclusive interview with “CBS Mornings,” Nash accused Combs of sexually, physically and emotionally abusing him after he started working for Combs and his label, Bad Boy Entertainment. He’s seeking general and compensatory damages as well as punitive damages in the case, although he would not give a specific dollar amount.

Combs’ attorney Erica Wolff slammed Nash’s 37-page complaint against Combs, suggesting he’s “another opportunist looking for profit off of his proximity to celebrity.” But Nash says his lawsuit is “absolutely not” about money.

Nash testified against Combs at his federal criminal trial earlier this year.

Read more here.

Combs plans to speak at the sentencing hearing Friday, his attorney said in a letter to Judge Subramanian.

“The sentencing proceeding holds significant importance for Mr. Combs. He wishes to appear before the Court, address Your Honor, and allocute in the most dignified and respectful fashion possible,” attorney Teny Garagos wrote in the letter, dated Sept. 26.

At least four members of Combs’ defense team also plan to address the court, and a video will be played, according to a court filing from Combs’ legal team. 

—Katrina Kaufman, Alice Gainer

A woman who testified under the pseudonym Mia at Combs’ trial will speak at the sentencing hearing. 

Mia is Combs’ former employee who expressed being traumatized by Combs and said he sexually assaulted her multiple times.

She submitted a victim impact statement, and the prosecution asked that she be allowed to speak for about five minutes on Friday. 

There were heated filings back and forth about whether she would be allowed to speak. The defense wrote a scathing response, alleging that Mia assumed a “fake identity” on the stand “complete with a made up voice and demeanor” and that “virtually everything that came out of her mouth was a lie.”

“This was a show for her. She got to lie, she got to testify with a false identity, she got to try out her fake voice for a jury of savvy New Yorkers,” wrote Combs’ attorney Marc Agnifilo. “But, she also saw the consequences of lying to a jury: they don’t believe you. So, now that the jurors have returned to their lives, and she can testify without scrutiny, she wants to come back, still under a fake name, still with the false narrative to further sully these proceedings.”

The prosecution called the defense’s letter: “offensive, unprofessional, and on its face nothing more than a blatant attempt to smear a victim who bravely testified about years of traumatic events she experienced at the defendant’s hands. This rhetoric has no place in this Court or during these civilized proceedings.” 

Along with their presentencing submission, prosecutors filed a letter that singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura wrote to the court in which she expressed her fear of retaliation if Combs “walks free.” She asked Judge Subramanian to impose a sentence that “considered the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control.” 

“My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality,” Ventura’s letter read in part. “As much progress as I have made in recovering from his abuse, I remain very much afraid of what he is capable of and the malice he undoubtedly harbors towards me for having the bravery to tell the truth.”

Combs, 55, faced five charges at his high-profile trial over the summer. He was ultimately convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, which were the more serious charges against him.

Combs chose to not take the stand and pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, which were:

• Count 1: Racketeering conspiracy – Combs was found NOT GUILTY.
• Count 2: Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion (Casandra Ventura) – Combs was found NOT GUILTY.
• Count 3: Transportation to engage in prostitution (Casandra Ventura) – Combs was found GUILTY.
• Count 4: Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion (“Jane”) – Combs was found NOT GUILTY.
• Count 5: Transportation to engage in prostitution (“Jane”) – Combs was found GUILTY.

Combs’ two convictions carry maximum sentences of 10 years in prison each. The convictions were based on the Mann Act, a law that makes it a federal crime to transport someone across state lines for prostitution.

Jurors found Combs guilty of arranging interstate travel for commercial sex workers and his former girlfriends, the singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, and another woman who testified for the prosecution at his trial as “Jane,” with the intent that they engage in prostitution. 

Both women testified that Combs habitually orchestrated “freak offs” — prolonged, drug-fueled sexual encounters with hired participants in which he forced each of them to partake, sometimes for days. Ventura also accused Combs of repeated abuse throughout their relationship, including rape, and described lasting psychological consequences she suffered as a result.

The jury reached its verdict after nearly two months of emotional testimony from Ventura and others who described him as controlling, manipulative and violent.

His attorneys acknowledged Combs’ domestic violence record but denied accusations by Ventura and “Jane” that the Grammy winner wielded his status in the music industry to subject them to extensive emotional and physical abuse.