In rejecting Sean "Diddy" Combs' release on bail , a federal judge confronted the hip-hop impresario with a disturbing aspect of his criminal case that his lawyers couldn't deny: his history of violence.
Combs' defense lawyers claimed he is a changed man. But Judge Arun Subramanian on Wednesday let the Bad Boy Records founder know that his hopes for freedom soon are slim - even after the jury acquitted him on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that could have put him in prison for life.
Subramanian's words signaled how he may approach sentencing Combs for his convictions on two lesser prostitution-related charges, which each carry a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison.
The judge, citing a now-infamous video of Combs beating a former girlfriend and photographs showing injuries to another ex-girlfriend, made clear that he plans to hold Combs accountable for the years of violence and bullying behavior that were exposed at his eight-week trial .
Combs' punishment is Subramanian's decision alone, and the judge will have wide latitude in determining a sentence. While judges often adhere to the federal judiciary's formulaic guidelines meant to prevent disparity in sentences for the same crimes, they are not mandatory.