Convicted rap mogul Sean Diddy Combs has written a letter to the judge overseeing his criminal trial, asking for leniency during his sentencing on Friday and blaming his past behavior on drug addiction.
In the four-page letter, he apologizes for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused and says that he has been reformed after spending 13 months in a Brooklyn jail.
The letter on Thursday comes hours ahead of his sentencing hearing at 10:00 ET (15:00GMT) on Friday.
In July, he was found guilty of two prostitution charges and now faces up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of at least 11 years, but Combs' lawyers are asking that he be released later this month.
In his letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs apologizes for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, singer Casandra Ventura, writing: I literally lost my mind.
I'm sorry for that and always will be, he continues. My domestic violence will always be heavy burden that will have to forever carry.
He also apologizes to an anonymous woman who testified during the trial under the name Jane and says he became lost in the drugs and the excess.
I lost my way, he wrote. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. I have been humbled and broken to my core.
Combs' accusers have also written to the judge, detailing how he wielded his power and influence to ruin their lives, and expressing fears of potential retaliation should he be freed.
I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up, wrote Ventura, believing a long sentence is deserved for Combs.
In his letter, Combs describes teaching a class to fellow inmates on what I did to become a successful businessman, claiming he is now sober for the first time in 25 years.
The old me died in jail, and a new version of me was reborn, he writes.
He asks the judge to consider his seven kids and his 84-year-old mother, who recently had brain surgery, while deliberating his sentence.
Though acquitted of more severe charges, prosecutors labeled Combs as unrepentant and argue for a substantial prison term, emphasizing the significant power imbalance in his past relationships.
