Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - DIDDY ESCAPES JUSTICE?

Episode Date: October 4, 2025

Sean 'Diddy' Combs, disgraced music mogul, convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, now sentenced to 50 months, 4 years, and 2 months in prison along with a $500,000 fine.  Judge Arun Subramanian tells Diddy, “This is a hard time in prison, away from your family, friends, and community, but you will have a life afterward.”  Domestic violence advocates disagree saying the sentence is light.  With time served and possibility of good behavior time earned, Diddy could serve just another 28. Joining Nancy Grace today: Troy Slaten - Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney, Slaten Lawyers; Twitter @TroySlaten Dr. Bethany Marshall - Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker: When to work on a relationship and when to walk away," and featured in hit show: "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, Twitter: @DrBethanyLive  Lynn Shaw - Founder and Executive Director of Lynn's Warriors - an organization committed to ending human trafficking and sexual exploitation,  Host of Lynn's Warriors on YouTube;  X: @lynns_warriors, YouTube: @LynnsWarriors Rob Shuter - Host: Naughty But Nice Podcast; Former Publicist of Sean Combs; IG: @naughtygossip Sam Crouppen - Journalist (inside the courthouse during sentencing) “Samson’s World” Host on YouTube at SecretServiceSam  Sydney Sumner - CRIME STORIES Investigative Reporter  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Breaking news tonight, a dark day for crime victims and women all over the world. Sean Combs, aka Diddy, has been sentenced in a court of law to a measly 50, months with time served. That leaves just 36 months behind bars. Factor in good behavior. He'll be out in no time. Judge, what were you thinking? I'm Nancy Grace. This is crime stories. And I want to thank you for being with us. Well, we've seen it now. In the last moments, The judge has sentenced Sean Combs, a.k.a. Diddy, aka. Puffy, aka Puff Daddy,

aka. Love, on and on and on it. It goes to a whopping three years. Why? Because he's getting credit for time served. With me, an all-star panel, I'm sure that the victims all across the country, victims of rape, victims of abuse are taking to their beds. or angry at this hour. Straight out to Lynn Shaw, founder and director of Lynn's Warriors, committed to fighting exploitation of women and girls. I feel like taking my bed, too. I can't believe it. I can't believe it either, and I've been getting so many text messages just in the last five minutes about this. I was getting phone calls even last night. What do I think what happened? Here's the thing. I want everybody to take a breath, though. Of course, we at the Warriors want

at the maximum sentence. We're not lawyers, but anything, anytime women, girls, boys and men are exploited, we want that person held accountable. So here's what I have to say about everything. At least he got something. Is it enough? It'll never be enough in our Warriors book. But you know what? It's better than nothing because we have a lot of people walking around that there is no accountability. As far as we're concerned, though, this was not just about this case of Diddy. This was about more than one man. It was really for victims and survivors of any kind of sexual assault and abuse, exploitation, really about would somebody of power, wealth, all this opportunity, would he be held accountable? So we're going to have a lot of cleanup we'll be

doing tonight and all weekend about this. But at least everybody should remember right now, he's still in jail. He's not doing speaking engagements and getting on his airplane and leaving town, laughing in everybody's faces. So we have to remember, there's still more to come with this story. You know, now that you put it like that, Lynn Shaw, I think you've got a really good point. Many people thought Sean Combs would walk free. And you know what? He's not. He's already done going on two years behind bars and he's got three more to look at. The actual sentence is 50 months behind bars. But when you subtract the 14 months he's already got, That's where we're getting 36 months left to serve.

And you know what? She's got a point. Straight out to Dr. Bethany Marshall, psychoanalyst, joining us from the L.A. jurisdiction author. You can see her on Peacock now. And you can find her at Dr. Bethanymarshal.com. Dr. Bethany, what do you think about it? I'm shocked.

Nancy, I am gravely concerned that this short sentence is going to have what we call a kindling effect, like using kindling to make a fire. He's in just long enough to contemplate his next move. As we already know, he's probably probably putting out big feelers to start his empire. So what is he going to think about in three years? How to wreak vengeance on the victims, how to regain control over everybody in his kingdom, how to reassemble, how to reassemble his company. This kind of a sentence is unfortunate because I do consider him a sex offender. and sex offenders, when they're in jail, they have nothing but their sexual fantasies. So when they get out, they're more likely to offend.

This kind of a sentence is not a deterrent at all. It is an accelerant. It is an accelerant on his capacity to wield his power and engage in sexual abuse. But Dr. Bethany, what about what Lynn Shaw just said? because of his fame, his money, his high-powered lawyers, many people thought he would walk free. So is this a symbolic victory? Okay, I think I know what Troy Slayton, a veteran defense attorney, is about to say joining us out of L.A., what about it, Slayton? This was fair based on what he was convicted of.

You've got to understand and remember that the government lost the most serious of the charges here, the charges that would have kept him in jail for decades. So the judge here is limited to the sentencing guidelines based on what he was convicted of, which is only prostitution. One thing that his one thing that his attorney is pointed out. Troy Sleighton, you don't need to school me and the sentencing guidelines. He, Sean Combs, could have gotten, oh, I'm still hearing him, up to 10 years on each count. run consecutively, that could have been a 20-year sentence.

That's, are you telling me, that's not what the official code says, because it is. 20 years was a possible sentence. Well, the prosecutors here were asking for 11 years, and the judge said to them, did I just ask you? You're trying to tell me what's an appropriate sentence under the Mann Act. But the sentence is up to 10 years on each case. out. But nobody gets that. That might be what is possible under the crowd. You're avoiding the question. Okay, you know what? Joining me right now is Sam Kruppin, who was in the courtroom

throughout. He's an investigative journalist and he is the star of Samson's World on YouTube. Sam Kruppin, let me just start with a yes, no from you. Isn't it true that sentencing could have been up to 10 years on each of the two counts, which could have run consecutively? Isn't that true? That was the maximum sentence. You could have gotten. Yes, that is correct. That was like pulling a tooth. And Sam, I got to tell you something. I'm a JD, not a DDS. I don't know how to pull teeth, but give me a set of pliers and I will be happy to try. I want to hear what exactly happened in court today because we're told that Diddy and his defense team made him out to be the victim about how much he has suffered, even bringing up a knee element.

in his professional video. Really? A knee ailment? Yeah, to be honest with you, they showed him running his marathon, barely making it across the finish line, and a little bit what felt like a wedding video, and most people inside the courtroom felt that Ditty's defense team

was kind of, once the kids had gone up and spoken, it was so emotional, there was not a dry eye in the room of the children begging for their father back. But it still, it was just not enough to sway Judge Subramanian at all because, you know, he spoke up for women and victims all throughout the world and said these were heinous crimes. The probation had suggested 60 months. They gave him 50 months. But with, you know, his time served and good behavior, people are saying he might only get about a year and a half to two years. Oh, you know what?

I wish you hadn't told me that. But I heard you saying that the judge was talking about sticking up for rape victims and assault victims. Did you just say that? And he cared so much about all these victims that he gave combs a slap on the wrist. I really did not think that's what we were going to be reporting tonight. I'm sorry. Did you just say he could walk in a little over a year? I mean, that is what people inside the courtroom are saying that at first 50 months,

It sounds like five years. That is half of what the government would have liked. Like you said, it could have been 20 years. And I think this is a little bit of a slap in the face of the victims. Like you're saying, Nancy, that with good behavior, his free ditty game classes, he does, time served, he's looking at only a year and a half potentially. You know, we in the victim's rights community had hoped for a serious sentence. instead, Combs is going to be out in no time rubbing our noses in it. And according to many of the victims, they're afraid.

They are actually afraid of him seeking vengeance when he gets out. And they should be. Did I just hear you? Sam Kruppin state that the defense video looked like a wedding video. Why did you say that? I mean, it just, it looked like a wedding video. It looked like somebody who'd play it like somebody's 70th birthday. beautiful music well edited but the problem was is and i was surprised at the defense every every lawyer

got up and spoke and it's like let's give them the light a little bit some people went on miss westmoreland cried some people viewed that is a little odd because as a defense attorney we should remain the you know keep our composure um so it was just after the kids spoke and it was very emotional a lot of people said they should have gotten out you know what i mean like that's the light, closed the show, but they kept going and they were beating a dead horse, in my opinion. And I don't think it helped the sentencing. I think the judge knew all along, how long he was going to give. He did say this is a severe crime that deserves a severe sentence. And to your point, Nancy, it's not that severe of a sentence, even though he told us

he was giving a severe sentence. Yeah, you know, I'm very, I'm very, um, perplexed by what the judge said going on and on and on about what awful crimes had been. committed. And at the very beginning, he made it clear that he, the judge, could take into account the charges for which Combs was acquitted the sex trafficking charges. But apparently he didn't. So he really just fussed out comes and then gave him a slap on the wrist. And speaking of the so-called wedding video, let's take a look at the video that the court saw where we're actually hearing comes whining about his knee injury. I mean, he's really devoted and dedicated himself to running. He's had some knee problems and a lot of people don't think he's going to finish.

He is going to finish even if he has to do it on one leg because he's raised a lot of money for kids charities and he's not going to let all those people down. His knee injury, okay, Dr. Bethany Marshall, his knee injury did not stop him from videoing women. and all sorts of sex positions while they were drugged from beating them mercilessly, from dragging them up and down the hallway of the Intercontinental Hotel. That's the video the judge should have been thinking about. Well, let's see. He had enough stamina to beat women, to rape, allegedly rape women, to throw freakoffs

that lasted 20, 30 hours to line up positions and nurses to give treatment to the victims after these parties were over. Let's see, he had the energy to call and call and call and bully and threatened his girlfriends. He had enormous amounts of energy, Nancy, and he can't run a marathon. I'm wondering if he is detoxing or this is a part of his drug addiction, which he refers to in his letter. And back to this kindling effect, if he has as severe a drug problem as I have witnessed through all of the tape you've been playing, And as he attested to in his own letter to the judge, a year and a half gives him just enough time to get the fumes out and then go right back out and start using again. Somebody with that kind of a drug addiction, that kind of a power problem, sex addiction, all the symptoms we've talked about is a menace to society.

And I think Judge Sub-Romanian really, really did not take the victims into account. It is an insult to them. They have been re-traumatized. Crime stories with Nancy Grace. Sam Kruppin, joining us from outside the courthouse, star of Samson's world on YouTube. Sam, is it true that the defense painted Sean Combs as the victim in this? scenario. And I think I've got this straight that Sean Combe stood up and said, I finally have a chance to speak. Whoa, didn't he have a chance to speak at trial, but he didn't want to be

cross-examined? So he chose to remain silent. Right. I mean, he had said, you know, it was so hard this whole time not being able to talk. And I think that kind of tells you a little bit about his ego of here's a guy who's used to going talk shows award shows even when he comes into the courtroom he gives like the love emoji signed to everybody like he's on some weird talk show and i think yeah it's it's just the whole thing was was just it's so bizarre but yeah they were painting him as the victim now he apologized he said sorry to cassie but for sure through that 11-minute wedding video, like I stated, in my opinion, the defense didn't overkill, all right? When the kids gave their testimony, did he should have gave his testimony and they should

have gotten out. In my opinion, they went too far and they did too much. Well, Sam, obviously, you and I are both wrong because it worked. The judge has driven him 50 months. Yeah. 50 months. With time served, he's going to be out. I'm checking my math because it's hard for me to believe it. 36 months with time served.

Right. I don't even know what to say, but they portrayed Sean Combs as the victim. Here is more of the so-called wedding video that Sam Crupin is describing. It's a video put together by the defense that was played for the judge. judge, and I guess the judge got his popcorn and his Diet Coke and kicked back and soaked it all in. Watch. I had to pick this trophy. I want the best person trophy. I know in order for me to get into heaven, I'm not going to get in there. Well, come on in heaven. You had 20 hit records. I don't mean nothing. And that's what this world is for. They're going to say, oh, come on in heaven.

You was a nice person. The Best Person Award. Well, okay, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I need a recap of the evidence. Joining me is Crime Stories investigative reporters. in addition to Sam Creepin at the courthouse. Sidney's been on the case from the very beginning. Sidney, can we just have a reality check? This is not the father of the year, although he used his children a lot in sentencing today about how he wants to go back to being a good dad. What, what?

A good dad? He didn't live with the children. He didn't support the, he didn't raise the children. He did pay for them. That's true. He was too busy having freakoffs that lasted two and three days at a time all over the world. He, daddy, wasn't there. but he's sure as heck used those children as props in court today.

Can we just refresh everybody about the evidence that came out in this case, including you, Judge, you need a refreshing of your recollection. What came out at trial, Sidney? Nancy, the first thing that comes to mind for me is Cassie describing her first freakoff where an escort urinated in her mouth. that is the first thing that comes to my mind when we think about the evidence that came out at trial and shocking to me columns in his letter to the judge was surprised at what jane had to say at trial he claimed that he had no idea he hurt her he thought he was supporting her and her child and it took her testifying at his federal trial about being punched in the head and vomiting after having her child sex with three escorts for him to get it through his head that he was coercive and hurt her. We heard so much vile information from many witnesses on the stand and for him to say

I'm a model person, I do charity work, my children who never needed me before need me now, it's disgusting. You know, I'm just just curious about what sticks with you the most from this trial. Lynn Shaw, I think that the Cassie Ventura video where she was being beaten and dragged up and down the halls of the intercontinental back to a freak off that she was trying to get away from. Sydney may have topped me with the moment that she was forced to allow a sex worker urinate into her mouth on video. Then there is the moment when one of the victims went and threw up in the shower after being forced to perform sex with three male sex workers. Sean Combs came back and beat her, told her to clean up and get back out there.

That's something that sticks with me. Then you've got the threatening of Cassie's parents to pay up money or he would release X-rated video and photos of their daughter, Cassie Ventura, who was just starting her singing career. And they go. take out a line of credit on their home to pay off Combs, a multimillionaire? Those are just a few things running through my line that I guess the judge forgot about, Lynn Shaw. Yeah, and I think the judge also forgot about all of the victims of one Sean Combs and everything you just described. The one thing that sticks out for me, Nancy, will always be that video of Cassie being chased and beaten in the hallway and dragged around like a rag doll. Why is everybody falling for this Sean

Combs and he is the victim. This is the playbook we see in court. It is so exhausting, Nancy, all the time. Play the victim. I'm the victim. Not the actual victim. It is time we demand justice. We need to really blow up this whole justice system and have a new understanding of what is a sex trafficking victim. When Sean Combs says, like, clean yourself up and get back out there to perform, that's the talk of a pimp. He is a pimp. So I want to know, when are we going to address the justice system itself and when are we going to say we have to have a new understanding of what a sex trafficking victim an exploited person looks like their trauma i am very worried i have so much of a heavy heart tonight about this because of the victims of this and cassie

i understand from sources of ours really believed she came forward originally because she thought he would be jailed for sex trafficking she laid out her heart she laid out her stories her years of abuse and And she thought she'd never have to see him outside of a jail again. And now everybody is living in fear. Again, power and wealth over vulnerable people. The story never changes. Sam Cropin joining us, investigative journalist. He is the star of Samson's World on YouTube.

And he's been on the case from the very beginning, joining us from the courthouse tonight. Sam, again, thank you for being with us. Is it true that after one lawyer, I'm embarrassed for her, Westmoreland breaks down? down and starts crying and snotting in court. Then you have another, wait, maybe it was with Smorland that also said there should be a light sentence for Diddy because he was awarded the menswear designer of the year award. When the sentence went down, Sam, when the sentence went down and the judge from the bench enunciated what the sentence would be, what happened in the courtroom?

Did all the defense attorneys start high-fiving? You know, no, it was, it was oddly very quiet. There wasn't a celebration. I think a lot of people heard 50 months and I assume, okay, that's five years. But no, people were not celebrating at all. And I was going to say it was interesting. The way Judge Subraman delivered it was a bit like a dating reality show where they're like, well, you know, Chad, you really had these great things like Diddy, your career, you did so much for the community and you're the clothing line and all these great things you did.

However, you did all these awful things. And he made it sound in the courtroom. Everybody was shaking their head like, oh, snikes. He might get the full 10 years, the full 20 years. We thought he was going to get much more by the tone that the judge was giving out. But then, like you said, he just gave basically a year and a half sentence while telling the victims that this was their win. It was almost a slap in the face at the same time. Hey, Sam, isn't it true that Mia, one of Combs' victims, was set to testify today,

but then completely ignoring all the evidence, the defense sends a letter to the judge trashing Mia? What did the letter say? Whatever it was was enough to scare her away from the courthouse? Of course. Well, I mean, you can imagine for any of these witnesses, seeing the sentence of only basically a year and a half after you break it down, of course, would you, the fact that these women came to this court building, he wasn't convicted of the RICO, it felt, you know, I saw these women, it was gut-wrenching testimony. Cassie was nine months pregnant.

I have three children. I couldn't imagine my wife having to sit and deliver such traumatic words and experiences and relive it with a baby inside you who's also feeling, all of those emotions. So it's just, I really feel for all of the victims because these women came forward. They spoke their truth. And I think at the end of the day, our justice system potentially failed the victim. You know, and the judge had this in the palm of his hand to do the right thing. And sadly, federal judges are appointed for life. Right. Right. back out to Sydney Sumner, Crime Stories investigative reporter. Let's do another reality check.

Mia was intimidated and scared away from coming to court. She was set to testify and then backed out after a letter from the defense trashed her yet again. What was her testimony? What did she live through, Sidney Sumner? If we remember from trial, Mia was a former assistant to Sean. Combs and she spoke under a pseudonym. She was not using her real name, but the internet quickly found out her true identity. So Mia testified that Sean Combs physically assaulted her numerous times and even raped her three times while she was under his employee. Mia said that she was not allowed to leave Combs home without his express permission, like she wasn't allowed to clock out and go home. But she was not, she was also not allowed to lock doors. So when

she went to sleep on at Combs home, she wasn't allowed to lock the door behind her. And she woke up one morning to Combs on top of her, raping her. She described another situation where she was packing for Combs to go on a trip and he attacked her while she was in his closet packing his clothes. She described one more physical assault from Combs on her directly where he snatched her cell phone and ran into a men's bathroom. And she was worried that he would come across text messages where she was complaining about him. So she was trying to get her phone back. And he slammed her arm in a door so hard she thought he had broken it.

And then Combs calmly came out of the bathroom a few minutes later, gave her her phone back and said he had sent himself for new photos so that he had blackmail if she ever upset him in the future. Mia was also there when Combs attacked Cassie in a bedroom and gave her that gash on her forehead that needed stitches. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Guys, I want you to hear about the letter sent by Combs' offense, trashing the victim. Mark Agnifillo insists that Mia is not a victim of anything, and her entire testimony at trial

is an outright lie, down to her voice and demeanor on the stand. Prosecutors concede that Mia is not a victim of the crimes alleged in Combs' convictions, but Subramanian allows the statement. We've got so much more to say about the judge's weak sentence on Sean Combs, but now, straight out to Dr. Duane Hendricks, joining us from a ward. at MDC in Brooklyn, also warden and Sharon in Oregon, author of Who Are You, See It, Say It Sees it,

and he is the founder of the New Daylight Foundation. Dr. Dwayne Hendricks, what will Combs' first night be like at the MDC? I understand he's having spaghetti and meatballs, green beans, and salad tonight. Well, there's going to be some very cold green beans and spaghetti, tonight. I can say that. I'm hoping that he doesn't really end up on suicide watch this time because I understand that he has some speaking engagements that he arranged in Miami next week because I guess he thought

he was going to get that 14-month sentence and time served. So he's got to have a lot of soul searching and tomorrow I'm hoping that his family comes and visits with him because he's probably going to be feeling. I know he's feeling real defeated right now, because I honestly believe he really thought that he could out smart and justice. Yeah. I think he thought he was, I thought he could out. Defeited? He's

going to be out max 36 months. And that will probably be cut down for good behavior. Please. Defeated. No, no. He's not feeling defeated. Well, of course, you know what? Straight out to Dr. Bethany, Marshall. Let's

analyze what Henrox just said. for Sean comes not to get what he wants. Wee, we, we, and I want spaghetti. He probably does feel defeated. He doesn't understand he got a gift on a silver platter on top of the Christmas tree handed to him by the judge in the last hours. He probably is saying, poor pitiful me, because I forgot all about him. Nancy, he feels sorry for himself.

He thought that he was the ringleader of the circus of filth and he could get away with whatever he wanted. Do you know what one of his daughters testified to? She said that she felt she was finally going to get her dad back, something to that effect, which implies to me that daddy was never there, as you were pointing out earlier. He was not there. He was at freakoffs. You know, Nancy, I think that what I'm seeing happening in this courtroom today is evil.

There's no other word for it. I think it's a profound dissociation on the part of the judge from the reality of women and men being abused. It's a man in authority not really thinking about the victims. And we're not just talking about the mental states of the victims. We're talking about real physical safety. And in terms of just dissociating from the reality of what happened, I mean, I was just listening right now to what you were saying. I mean, you're talking about raping somebody, taking pictures of them and blackmailing them, having a woman gang raped. to the point where she has mouth sores and chronic infections, giving money, taking it away,

slamming a woman against a table. It's like, have we all lost our minds together, our judicial system, thinking that this is in any way appropriate? I worry that this judge might be what we call offender identified, meaning that there's something about the sexual crimes. I mean, I don't know this judge, but there's something about the sexual crimes that really don't seem like that big deal to him. I'm very, very worried about that. Guys, we also know, believe it or not, that Combs had arranged a speaking engagement in Miami for next week. Listen. Prosecutor Slavic tells the judge the pre-sentencing report's suggested sentence of 60 months does not adequately account for the separate harms done to Cassie and Jane, informing him her office stands by their request for

135 months. Slavic calls Combs' respect for the law lip service, revealing Combs has booked speaking engagements in Miami as early as next week. Subraman reminds the parties of the federal guidelines for the charges, saying he sees no reason to deviate from the recommended 70 to 87 months between six and seven years behind bars. Sam Croupon joining us, star of Samson's World on YouTube. He's been on the case from the very, very beginning, joining us from the courthouse tonight. Sam, he actually had a speaking engagement set for next week in Miami. Hang on, hang on, Nancy.

Let me just throw a legal term at you. That's balls the size of coconut, Sam. Now, hold on, Nancy. It is not a speaking engagement. as Brian Steele said, it is a teaching engagement. Okay, so let's get the right language here. They were very specific. It was not speaking like he was getting paid.

They had it set up for Monday. Isn't that crazy? They really thought he was coming out that he was going to be able to go to Miami and do a speaking engagement on Monday. And like I said, they called it teaching engagement. You see how carefully they choose the words. But when they had said that,

when Ms. Slavic announced that he had a speaking engagement, the whole courtroom was like, yo, I think he's getting a little too far ahead of himself. So he was so confident that he was going to walk today. He had a speaking slash teaching engagement Monday in Miami set up, and I guarantee you it'll be a big PR event about how he has changed his life. Okay, Troy Slayton joining me, L.A. criminal defense attorney. What about that, Troy, a speaking engagement on Monday? I think that was probably a little bit optimistic on behalf of Diddy and his handlers.

But I think what I'm hearing from all of your other guests about how upset you are and how upset everybody is about what you perceive to be a light sentence here based on things like rape and all these parade of horribles that everyone has mentioned. including Dr. Marshall, who I appreciate and Revere saying something about the judge. Get to the point, please. Saying something about the judge being. Please get to your point. The point is that despite the parade of horribles from all your other guests, he was sentenced for what he was convicted of. He was not convicted of rape.

He was not convicted for all these other things. Let me remind you of what the judge said at the get-go. Okay, the judge said he, the judge, could take into account all of the previous charges, whether acquittals or not, listen. Reviewing the pre-sentencing report, Judge Subramanian finds the court can consider acquitted conduct while forming a sentence, a loss for Combs. Subramanian also rules Cassie, Jane, and the numerous hired male escorts are in fact victims. Supermanian denies the defense objection to the report's finding Combs has not taken responsibility for his. his actions, highlighting that Combs still full-throatedly challenges his factual guilt. Supermonian also includes a coercion enhancement, citing Combs threats to release freak-off videos.

Even from behind bars, Sam Creepin, joining us with the courthouse. Sean Combs was reprimanded and his lawyers as well for trying to influence witnesses from behind bars. You don't think he's going to seek vengeance. now on everyone that spoke out against him? I mean, I don't know. Maybe if he had gotten that 11-year sentence or 20-year, I would say, yes, Nancy, he's going to be in like that Adam Sandler movie, Steve Bouchemmy, you know, crossing off the lift of everybody who wronged him.

But I feel because he's only getting around a year and a half, a slap on the wrist, like we said, I don't think he's going to be so vengeful because I think he's seeing light at the end of the tunnel. If he wasn't seeing light at the end of the tunnel, then I would totally agree with you that, yes, I think he would make a list and go after everybody who wronged him. Is it true, Sam Cruppin, that in court, the defense claimed, hey, the reason all this happened is because Diddy's actually been high for 24 years. That's a defense? Pretty much. They said he's been a drug addict for 25 years.

It made him erratic. It made him do all these things. Diddy even said in his testimony that he was a drug addict and that was not him. His kids testified as saying, look, he's been sober the last 14 months. The first time he's been sober off opiads and Obama, Molly and all the different stuff that he was on. But again, it's forced sobriety, Nancy, right? Do you think had that hotel video not come out, had he not get caught, as the judge said, would the drug use have stopped? This is just, look, if anybody is forced to go to jail and has a drug or alcohol problem,

you're going to have to sober up one way or the other. You know, I was looking at Sam, the video that he submitted to the court. And I'm going to play a little bit of that in just a moment. Sure. But instead of making me feel positively toward Combs, it made me feel the opposite because I saw all of the advantages, all of the advantages, all of the money, all of the opportunities that he had, but yet he squandered it in the worst way, doing unspeakable acts. You know, most people don't have the money and the advantage and the

privilege that Combs had the family to love, the beautiful mansions, the cars, the private jet. He had all of that, Sam, but instead of using it for anything good, He used it for pure evil. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, show, you know, show, you know, they always say like, give a man money and see who he really is. And I think we saw this love sick, drunk on power. I think we see as Americans in our culture, we idolize celebrities.

Just because we love a lot of the music and the entertainment he's brought us, we still need to understand that what he did to women, it's, it's, it's disgusting that the Cassie Ventura Intercontinental video is something that will stay in all of our minds and will scar us forever. Every time they play that, it took your stomach out. You know, it's just so it this, you know, it's just disgusting. Anytime a man talks down to a woman or lifts a hand to a woman, it is just something that I have no patience for. And I agree to you. You know, we, we let him get away with this because we want to. We don't, we don't want to hate our idols, you know?

This celebrity brings a whole new thing. If he wasn't a celebrity, we could probably all agree to throw the key away, you know, lock him up and throw the key away. But I think so many people are so emotionally, I mean, look at the video, kicking a woman. I mean, it's despicable behavior. And as the government was saying, this is the real Sean Combs, that 11-minute. wedding video that we've seen that was well orchestrated, well edited, looked like a Nike commercial almost. That's something you play at a Super Bowl.

To me, it felt a little inappropriate that they even let that video be played in the court because they didn't let a video be played of all of Cassie's highlights and her being a mother and all the wonderful things she did. We just got to see Sean Combe celebrated. And frankly, I thought it on the defense, it was kind of a mistake and a little bit inappropriate. I thought they should have given themselves the light and gotten out. You know, it was a comedian when they stay on stage too long. We call that a bomb.

And that's a little bit of what's starting to happen with the defense. But like you said, it worked. So maybe, you know, their tactics worked. It worked. And he really, really used his children. I want you to hear what he said. So instead of talking about the guns of the violence, I was always talking about a better life, places we didn't go before, things we never wore, cars we never drove, houses we never lived in. I think I brought an aspiration to hip-hop.

Try to take it out of just being street. Our whole stuff was a fantasy and a dream, a dream that I always felt would come true. Is anybody hearing this? Because what we hear him say right there, The aspirations, A Better Life, places, we didn't go, things we never wore, cars we never drove, houses we never lived in. All material things, that's the aspiration, is to wear nice clothes, live in mansions, dry fancy cars. I mean, I pray to God, that is not what I'm teaching my children. I want them to know how to be good people, to love the Lord, to help other people, to be kind and generous and patient, not what car I didn't drive, what mansion I didn't live in, what designer clothes I didn't wear. This is all bass backwards.

Yeah, no, I say, you know, Nancy, it's like the simple teachings of Jesus. I'm Jewish, but, you know, even I know, do one to others. as you want done to yourself, you reap what you sow. And I think just like you said, Nancy, I have sons and there is, then I've totally failed them as a father if they could ever talk down or lift a hand to a woman. And, you know, yeah, this is just, I mean, this is something, like you mentioned, all the material things,

the cars, the mansions. I think this is a deeper problem with American culture is we celebrate millionaires. You know, I've had a lot of... Before you go off on American culture, and reminder, Sam, you and I both have the same Lord, regardless of where we go on Fridays or Sundays. Exactly. Sam, I got a question.

The children were in court, correct? Yes, yes. I heard that they were squirming around as the prosecution was describing what was done to the victims. I mean, look, the kids, I really feel for the kids, when they gave their statements, when the twins got up there, they were begging for their, they were begging for their, father back. So as a father, you know, I mean, I didn't see them squirming around so much like you're saying. I mean, I think everybody's been pretty respectful in the courtroom. And when all the kids got up there, what I saw was honestly children who love their father and they were begging for their father to come home. And I honestly, I was tearing up. It was very emotional. But no, I didn't see

them necessarily fidgeting around or being disrespectful at all. I think people are very careful in that courtroom to watch your expressions. I mean, if you start to fall asleep, if you're chewing gum, they come right up to you and they will kick you out of the courtroom. So they don't, they don't really take a lot of, you know, hums and odds in there. I want to hear what he said in this video about his children. Listen. Today, now I'm a full-time dad. And I'm going to be there for you do everything all of y'all every Sunday I got to slow everything down there

do the family ritual get the family together make some girls watching church it looks good okay more about being a good dad to Dr. Bethany Marshall all those nights all over the world

taping free coughs with him buck naked wearing a burqa over his head you know where was he then who was taking care of his children. I mean, I just find that he's using his children to try and get a light sentence. And guess what? It worked. It did work, Nancy. You know, when I saw that video earlier today, I thought, this is just one more manipulation. But this time, the attorneys

are participating in it. And this is how he seduced his victims in the first place. He was manipulative. You know, I remember seeing a video at the beginning of all of this. One of his three cops, it was on a ship. And his sons were there. So he, he, involved and incorporated his sons into these sex parties, that is not a good dad. And the reason those kids are crying is because their dad rejected and abandoned them a long time ago. And they have been led to believe by the court, by the court, that if they just put themselves out there and speak honestly about wanting their dad back, that their wish would be granted. You know, I'm thinking about the sentence and what it means to not only the victims in this case, but rape

victims and abuse victims all over the world. Lynn Shaw, what does it mean? It means to them abject failure what happened today. Today was an opportunity for this judge. Can you imagine, Nancy, if he gave a really stiff sentence to Sean Combs to Diddy, how that would have reverberated. Finally, victims would say somebody, somebody, because it's the same words all the time. Somebody of wealth and power always wins over us. If this judge really stuck to his guns, and it seemed, you know, during the day he was going to be a little stiffer in the sentence, and he wasn't, that would have really meant so much to victims. They could finally say, we have somebody being held accountable. We are winning. I have always said this is not just

about Sean Combs this case. It was about not just this one man. It was overall. And I'm really sick and tired of our society. It's the justice system and it's also society normalizing and becoming habituated to these horrific crimes. I mean, do you hear what we're talking about, urinating in mouths, dragging, beating, sores, infections. We're talking about horrible things that's just rolling off our tongues. So society's becoming habituated. In the meantime, we are forgetting about the victims. I don't care what sentencing guides are or any of that. You're talking about a big societal problem. I'm talking about a real concrete problem, and that is this sentence. Yeah. And I'm telling you right now, wherever they are, the defense attorneys are all together

and that they're at a five-star restaurant, and they are celebrating. They're like the pigs around the table in Animal Farm, celebrating the mistreatment of others. And you know what? He may have a light sentence. He may. But when he gets out, he will be having supper with Satan. I'm telling you, what he did will never be forgotten. And I pray that he does. That he does. does come out of jail, a changed person. But when you don't know a horse, you look at his track record. Tonight, on this dark night for crime victims and women all over the world, we stop and we remember heroes, heroes that against all odds in the face of likely defeat

continue to come forward and let their voices be heard. Nancy Grace, signing off. Good night, friend.