Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - DIDDY SKATES HARD JAIL TIME WITH SLAP ON WRIST, HELL REJOICES

Episode Date: October 5, 2025

Sean 'Diddy' Combs, disgraced music mogul, 55, was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution over the summer and sentenced today to 50 months, 4 years, and 2 months in prison for those convictions. Judge Arun Subramanian tells Diddy there is “light at the end of the tunnel” for him and his family. He acknowledges the mogul is in a “dark place” right now, but he will pull through with the support of his loved ones.  “This is a hard time in prison, away from your family, friends, and community, but you will have a life afterward,” Subramanian states.   Joining Nancy Grace today: Philip Dubé - Former Court-Appointed Counsel, Los Angeles County Public Defenders: Criminal & Constitutional Law, Forensics & Mental Health Advocacy; X: PhilipCDube, IG: PhilipDube, YouTube: PhilipDube3922 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: @LynnsWarrior 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. I saw it. You saw it. You heard the evidence. You heard the women on the stand. What they recounted had been done to them, the beatings, the bruises, the and more. But I guess there was one person that wasn't listening.

The judge. That's right. In the last hours, the judge has sentenced Sean Combs to a slap on the wrist, 50, not years, 50 months, M-O-N-T-H-S, 50 months behind bars. After a grueling eight-week trial with women on the stand recounting the worst moments of their lives, showing photos of their bruises, their cuts, their bleeding, their infathing. affections. You name it. 50 months. Okay, what does that boil down to? 50 months minus 14 months he's already served while awaiting trial. That brings us down to 36 months. So track from that, like the feds love to do for, quote, good behavior behind bars. He is going to walk in about what would you say? Two years? Joining me in All-Star panel, but first straight out to San Crupin joining us, investigative journalists inside the courtroom for this sentencing.

He's been on the case from the very, very beginning. And he is the star of Samson's World on YouTube. What happened? What happened to this judge? I don't know, Nancy. I mean, like I said, his tone seemed like everybody in the courtroom was like, oh, wow, Diddy is going away for a long time. and then it's almost as if like, you know, you're punishing your kid

and you're like, I am so angry you did that. And I can't believe you stole my car and you took it out and I'm going to ground you for one month, you know, like instead of years. I mean, it felt like he was going to lay the hammer down on ditty. Everybody, the family was literally heads down praying. They thought worst case scenario. But then, like you said, with good be. behavior with his free ditty game program, he's looking like it's going to, people are saying

a year and a half tops that he would serve out of that 50 months sentence. 50 months, 50. The max he's looking at is 36 months because he's getting time off for good, for time served, straight out to Lynn Shaw joining us. She is the founder and director of Lynn's warriors, which is a non-profit dedicated to stopping sex trafficking and abuse of women and girls. Response. I am so sick and tired of, number one, the justice system not understanding about victims of crimes of abuse, rape, sexual exploitation. I am sick and tired all the time of going to court and seeing this over and over again, victim blaming. I am sick and tired of dirty ditty.

That's exactly what he is. He's a pimp. He's a trafficker. He's a sexual offender. We have seen the pictures. We have heard from the women and some men. And I'm tired of having to explain to vulnerable people. Listen, just be a warrior.

Listen, just keep speaking your truth. Listen, it's going to get better because it's not getting better. So until we really address this. Keep speaking your truth. You know what? Why bother? That's what victim. and abuse victims are thinking tonight, why bother? Why go through all the hassle of even

calling the police, trying the case, reliving all the pain, being cross-examined, like you're nothing but dirt on the stand for a judge to then give a light sentence. Straight out to Troy Slayton, veteran defense attorney, joining us out of the LA jurisdiction. He's been on Diddy's side since date one. I guess you're happy tonight, right? Nancy, I've never been on the side of Diddy, but what I am on the side of is justice and the rule of law. And what the judge did here was follow the sentencing guidelines. Although he could have been sentenced up to 20 years in a perfect world for you, he was sentenced based on what he was convicted of, which was just

the transportation for the purposes of prostitution. You can stop right there. You can stop right there because you are contorting the law. That is not the law. Sam, Crupin, joining me outside the courthouse. Sam, just a yes or no from you, please. Sam, isn't it

true that on each count, he could have gotten 10 years and run consecutively that would have been a 20-year sentence? Yes, you are correct, Nancy. Yes. So he was looking at 20 years behind bars, but the judge in his wisdom gave him 55-0 months. Isn't it true that in court, the defense was that Diddy, Sean Combs, was actually the victim.

That he had been, what, high for 24 years? And that's why he did the things he did? Voluntary use with drugs or alcohol is not a defense, Sam. No, it never is, Nancy. And I felt that the defense was using that, saying that because he had been a drug addict for over 25 years, that somehow that made beating women okay. You know, I know a lot of people have done drugs in their life, and they've never raised a hand to a male or a female. So me personally hearing that excuse, the defense using it, I mean, and again, he was doing Molly. Molly's supposed to make you loving and positive and all this stuff anyway.

So obviously his violent, traumatic upbringing is what is really to blame for his disgusting behavior towards women. Right. You're acting like you actually believe that. His violent upbringing, he's a multi-millionaire. He's living in the lap of luxury. Yet he chose to use all of his advantage to hurt other people. And speaking of hurting other people, I want you to listen to what we've learned about the

letter Cassie Ventura wrote the. judge which he totally ignored. Cassie pens an emotional three-page letter to Judge Subramanium recalling that the entire world watched footage of Combs kicking and beating her as she tried to run away from a freak off. Though defense attorneys called her relationship with Combs a great modern love story, nothing could be further from the truth. It was a horrific decade stained by abuse, violence, forced sex and degradation from which she still suffers horrific nightmares and flashbacks that require psychological care. Cassie Ventura actually moved out of the state of New York, out of fear, to a location

where she's keeping her family and her children. She's not the only one in fear. Listen. Several of Combs' victims have written to the court urging against leniency for the rat mogul. Cassie and her parents, assistants Mia and Capricorn Clark, stylist Deontay Nash, and personal chef Jordan Atkinson have all. implored the judge to consider their safety, the full measure of Combs' harm, and Combs' troubling lack of accountability as he hands down a sentence. There was a warm and fuzzy video created by

the defense team that was played in court. You brought up earlier, Sam, there was nothing like that for any of the victims. What about the video created by Sean Combs' defense team? What was it? I mean, it felt like I said, like a wedding video or a Nike video or something that you play at a tribute to somebody, a happy Father's Day, a 70th birthday party, but it felt totally inappropriate that they were even allowed to play this and think about how many of us even have this much footage, this high quality footage shot of us that we could even edit together something like this. And I think you brought up a good point, Nancy. When the cameras are on Mr. Combs, he knows how to put on that good act.

But when he didn't know the cameras were on in that intercontinental hotel, I think we were seeing a little bit more of the real Sean Combs. You know what? The dichotomy between what he did to Cassie in that video then paid about $100,000 to keep it quiet, to suppress it. That was the real Sean Combs. I guess the judge forgot about that. Speaking of the video that Sean Combs' defense team used in court to snow the judge, here's

part of it. Watch, if you dare. This is a heart because you're my heart, all right? Okay. You're my heart. Okay. May God bless you and keep you happy and keep you thinking positive. Everything's not going to be perfect at this time in life and you're good, you're a good person that understands reality.

So we're going to accentuate the positives in life. Because you're doing great, girl. Bring me the barf bag. Crime stories with Nancy Grace. The heart, because you're my heart. All right? Okay. You're my heart.

Okay. May God bless you and keep you happy and keep you thinking positive. Everything's not going to. be perfect at this time in life and you're a good person that understands reality so we're going to we're going to accentuate the positives in life because you're doing great girl bring me the barf bag did you see that you want to tell me that Sean comes to spend time with the elderly not just the elderly you know who the little little lady is that's Kim Porter's yeah Yes. Yes. That's Kim Porter's grandma.

Oh. Yeah. So he's totally using his dead ex-lover and her children to get his sorry rear-in, which is in a sling out of jail. He is using the grandma. Yeah. I mean, like I said, Nancy, the video was extremely odd. It was, it felt so inappropriate inside the courtroom. And again, the magic of editing, I think about that video without any music. It's like when we go to a movie and if you just see the actors with no music, but this video, it pulls at your heartstrings because literally the orchestrated music

is making you feel this emotion of a family man, a father, a hard worker. But again, like the judge said, it can't be overshadowed by the video of Cassie Ventura being stomped on, being kicked on being dragged by her hair. You know, we can see all the cute wedding videos and editing is amazing. They have some beautiful shots here, but it's not going to get myself or the public, Nancy, to forget what the real crimes committed here were. I don't believe Sean Combs has ever actually married anybody. Did you say wedding video?

Yeah, I mean, the wedding video for the wedding he never had. but it feels like a wedding video. It's a tribute. It's a tribute video. A tribute video. You know what? And I'm not the church lady. I don't care who marries who or who doesn't marry anybody. That's not a felony.

So I really don't care. But speaking of Cassie Ventura, to Sydney Summer, joining us, Crime Stories, Investigative Reporter, give me a little reality check about what was done to Cassie Ventura. Cassie was exploited, used, and put in a box. She had essentially no career because Sean Colmes promised to give her one and then made her have sex with him for days on end and other escorts, giving her UTIs, infections, sores, bruises, and even cut her face just before a movie premiere. Sean Combs brutally attacked Cassie on a regular basis behind closed doors in public.

Prince's own security had to pull Combs off of Cassie at a house party. Everyone knew it was an open secret that Sean Combs was abusing Cassie Ventura for more than a decade and no one did anything. Cassie threatened suicide at least three times during their relationship. Deonti Nash, her stylist, hid her in a hotel room, but his efforts were dashed. When Combs' employee showed up to bring Cassie back to him, she threatened to go over the balcony. That's how afraid Cassie was of Sean Combs. This was a waking nightmare for her for nearly 10 years. To Troy Slayton, a defense attorney joining us out of L.A., who seems to stand by the judge's decision,

the limp-wristed judge who sentenced cones to just 50 months, now 36 months behind bars. Troy, this is a yes-no answer. You know what a UTI is, a urinary tract infection? Do you know what that is?

Okay, so Cassie Ventura had so many urinary tract infections, mouth infections, ulcers all over her body, that regular antibiotics, and this is because of all the freakoffs, the sex acts she was forced to perform by combs on video at freakoffs that she didn't want to do. And yes, I know the jury did not come back guilty on sex trafficking, but no one ever cross-examined her or impugned her.

credibility on those issues. So the judge ignored everything that was done to Cassie Ventura. Everything. It didn't amount to a hill of beans to him. UTIs, ulcers. Nancy, when a jury doesn't convict somebody, that means not that they're innocent, but that they're not guilty of those things. If even one juror determines that, then it's a hung jury.

but in this case, they found him not guilty. All 12 jurors agreed that the government failed to meet their burden. But also what you're not talking about here, the judge also imposed another part of the sentence. Not what I asked you. The judge sentenced him to a fine of a half a million dollars. $500,000. He's already made that two times over from behind bars,

renting out his private jet, man, get with it. you know nancy that means nothing to him despite all the parade of horribles that you and all your guests have outlined why are you calling it a parade of horribles it was the evidence i didn't bring it on the victims brought it on they testified even the pre-sentence report that doesn't favor the prosecution that doesn't favor the defendants came in at about six years so the judge ask you that? No, I didn't. And you're answering that question. You're giving an answer because you don't like the answer to the question. I asked you. Bethany Marshall, let me ask you. Do you remember all the UTIs and the busted lips and the video of her getting dragged up and down the hall of Sean

Combs and nothing but a towel? He didn't care what anybody thought. The beatings, the stomach ulcers, the mouth ulcers, the urinary tract infections. the judge forgot about all that? It just happened a few weeks ago. You know what happened in court today, Nancy? Is there is a parallel process between how pedity treated his victims and how the court treated the victims. What you have are materialistic, educated, older, powerful people who do not think that the victims deserve anything. Brutality was sanctioned today. Just like during wars and other things like that, where there's brutality, and then all of a sudden it's rationalized or dissociated from as if brutality is okay, Nancy, the one thing you missed

off the list is he actually smashed her head against, was it a bed or a table, and busted her lip right open. He tried to stop her career. He gave her things. He took them away. I mean, maybe what if we just use the word assault, blackmail, and kidnapping with the victim hiding in plain sight? that make it easier for people to digest the reality of what happened? Well, here's what's also confounding. Sam Kruppin joining us, I Star of Samson's World on YouTube. At the very beginning, I had faith that there would be a substantial sentence because the judge said, hey, hey, I get to take into account everything I know about you, even the charges, the claims in the charges on which you were acquitted. But he didn't. He didn't do that.

Sam, I want you to see in that video the way Combs used his own children. 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. Go to the family rich. We'll get the family together, make some girls watching church. There is a definition of grace. What? A full-time dad? No. He was all over the world practically every week doing free calls for two or three days, even the night he got arrested. He knew he was surrendering himself. He was having a freak off and a five-star hotel in New York. Yeah, I mean, Nancy, I think this is kind of illustrates

almost the problem with social media. You know, we see people that are able to act like a good parent because you might see an Instagram post or a video of them being a good dad. But to me, the mark of a good father or mother is, are you in that child's life every single day? You know, this wedding video we saw. It's a beautiful montage of his moments. I wish somebody could create a video like me to show how great of a father I am like this. But the facts remain. If you want to be a good parent, it's about every single day showing up. It's not about showing up in a video that is nicely put together with high production and great producers and editors. If you're going to be, you have to show up if you're going to be a parent.

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. I do not know what happened to this judge, but I do know this. Women all over the world are crushed at this sentence. Hey, guys, I'm hearing in my ear. Joining me right now is Dr. Dwayne Hendricks, the former warden at MDC. He is the founder of the New Daylight Foundation, and he's the author of See It, Say It, Seas it. Dr. Hendricks, thank you for being with us. Tell me about Sean Combs' first night back at the MDC tonight. I understand he's having spaghetti and meatballs, salad, and green beans. But guess what,

Dr. Hendricks? Deity doesn't like spaghetti. He's still upset. He wanted to walk free. He even had a speaking engagement set up for Monday in Miami. So tonight he's like I want spaghetti. It's going to be very lonely and I can tell you he did not receive a sending ovation when he got back to and when he gets back to the jail, I'm not sure if he's back at the facility at this time right now, but I can tell you when he does get back, it's going to be a cold meal no matter how warm it is going to taste cold to him

and he's not going to have a stand in ovation. He just needs to, I think the euphoria of, you know, not having those other charges go against him, the racketeering and possibly having a life sentence. But his next plane ride, like we discussed in previous shows, his next plane ride is going to be on a con air flight with Martin chains and a black box. And it's not going to be on a private jet in the Miami this weekend to prepare for this teaching engagement for on Monday in Miami. So it's going to be lonely and it's going to be a cold, that's going to be a cold night. But hopefully his family will, if he say he's a family man, so hopefully his family will be visiting with him this weekend and preparing him mentally for what's coming next, which is a three-year sentence at a federal prison somewhere close to where he's going to release. And I want to clear something up.

I keep hearing somebody. He'll be home in a year and a half. I used to do sentence calculations for a number of years. he is going to serve at least 28 more months in prison. So if he gets his 54 days a good time, he'll get that. And he may spend about three to four months on home confinement as long as he behaves while he's at his next facility. But he will not be coming home in a year and a half.

He will be coming home in 24 months. You want me to be happy about 28 months? Why do you even say 28 months? We all know that is two years and four months. I'm supposed to be happy about that. You know how many victims I've represented? How many ag assault victims I've represented that have been beaten by pimps like shone combs more than I can even remember and it messes them up the rest of their lives?

They are never the same. If they're lucky enough to have a family after that, They raise their children in a way that makes them raise their children in a way. It never ends. That is what Combs did to these women and many, many more. They're lined up filing civil lawsuits with real evidence. Maybe they'll get a judge that actually listens to the evidence unlike this judge. And another thing, Crupin, if you're still with me, isn't it true?

Sean Combs had a speaking engagement set up for Monday. He was that arrogant to think he was walking today. Isn't it true? He had a speaking engagement, or as you keep saying, a teaching engagement, whatever, Monday in Miami. I mean, look, it's a teaching engagement, Nancy. There's a big difference between a speaking engagement and a teaching engagement. He was going to go to Miami, go to one star island, maybe, you know, pop a little. little bubbly and go to a teaching engagement. You know, what's the problem with that.

I don't care what it is, Krupen. The point is Hendricks. Can you hear me? Dr. Hendricks, you're the warden, the former warden. He was so convinced he had this judge wrapped around his little finger that he was going to walk today. So I guess tonight he is over a 36 month sentence. To him, that's probably like life behind bars. It is. And his arrogance just continue to go on and on and on. But now I think reality is going to set in, especially in about a month. They shouldn't tell him.

They're not supposed to tell him where he's going. But he'll be moving. I'm sure they're going to be moving him out of Brooklyn within the next 30 to 45 days to his designated facility. And if he doesn't get the point, I guarantee you, when he is shaffled and put on that plane, or several hours until he gets to where he's going, the reality is going to set in that all this euphoria from coming down off those other chart is not being convicted,

he's going to realize that he is now a convicted seller. So there won't be any speaking teaching engagements. I'm sorry, any time soon. And I'll tell you this, he's been teaching these entrepreneurship classes. But the truth test is going to be. Would you please stop talking about that? The classes he's, quote, teaching,

behind bars are called, it's all about me, did he? Enough about me. What do you think about me? I mean, I don't want to hear about what he's teaching behind bars. He and beat these women. He was convicted on two counts of the man act. Each one has a 10-year sentence. He could have gotten 10 on each to run consecutively. That's 20 years. Instead, he will walk, most likely in less than 36 months. 36 months, max, that's what happened in court. That is what happened in the court that tried Sean Combs. Tonight, women all over the country, victims, beating victims, sex trafficking victims,

have taken it on the chin again. Thanks, Judge. You had it all right here. You could have sent a message to abusers and rapists, but you didn't you talk the talk, Judge. Oh, yes, you did. And for a moment, I believed you, but you did not walk the walk. You probably don't want to hear it, but I'm telling you the truth, Judge, failed. You are the weak link in the judicial system.

them. You. And you had the power, just like Combs had all the power, all the advantage, and he squandered it on a life of victimizing women. I want to thank all of our guests for being with us tonight. But first, I want to remember heroes. Heroes that come forward and they fight the good fight, even knowing very well they may lose. Women against all odds that speak out. And I beg you, ladies, keep fighting the good fight. Because to me, you are the American hero. Nancy Grace, signing off for tonight. my friend.