At this point, the sentencing hearing of Sean “Diddy” Combs is less than a week away. Combs received a mixed verdict at the conclusion of his sex-trafficking trial this past July and, since then, there’s been speculation regarding what his sentence will be. Ahead of that, though, 55-year-old Diddy as well as his lawyers were back in court this past week for another hearing. It would seem that Combs’ mother and other family members were in attendance and, apparently, he had emotional reactions upon seeing them.
This latest hearing involving Diddy was granted by Judge Arun Subramanian. Diddy’s lawyers wanted the hearing as means to argue that the two two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution charges against their client be dropped. Amid the proceedings, the “Tell Me performer” spotted his 84-year-old mother, Janice Smalls Combs. People reports that once Sean saw his mother, he blew her a kiss. Also, when Sean saw other family members, he reportedly told them he loved them.
Amid his legal issues, Sean Combs has apparently had the support of his family. The older Combs kids (of which there are six) have been particularly vocal about wanting to have their dad’s back amid his incarceration. They’ve attended court dates, penned Father’s Day tributes and found other ways to support their dad amid the situation. Meanwhile, matriarch Janice has also been in her son’s corner, while she’s also been tied up in legal drama. On that note, a racketeering lawsuit filed against Janice was just dropped, per TMZ.
When it comes to the latest chapter in Diddy’s legal saga, his recent hearing was marked by a motion from his attorneys, who argued that his prostitution convictions (brought upon by the Mann Act) should be dropped. The Grammy winner’s team contended that he should be protected from such offenses due to the First Amendment. It was the lawyers’ contention that the rapper was merely viewed sexual acts as opposed to participating. Per People, Judge Subramanian questioned whether filmed prostitution could fall under the First Amendment, though he also didn’t rule on a motion right away.
Those prostitution charges were only two of four Combs was facing earlier this year. Combs was not convicted of sex-trafficking and racketeering (or RICO) charges, which were more serious offenses. Per reports, when Combs was acquitted of those charges, he responded by mouthing “thank you” to the members of the jury.
Nevertheless, the “Victory” rapper is still facing the possibility of serving time in prison. As of right now, he remains behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. He’s apparently been spending his time helping his fellow inmates and, according to TMZ, it was recently revealed that Diddy even started a course to help MDC residents with their business skills. At the same time, Diddy’s lawyers have said he hasn’t handled being behind bars well and that one of the “horrible” things about it is not being able to go outside.
Sean Combs will, however, get to leave the facility on October 3, as that’s when his sentencing hearing is set to take place. While it’s yet to be confirmed whether his family will be in attendance, their presence at other hearings may indicate that they’ll be there. We’ll see how Combs will react to his loved ones when the judge confirms his ruling.
