Music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sentencing hearing set for Thursday

Rap entrepreneur Sean "Diddy" Combs could be out of prison this year if his defense lawyers get their way.

Or he could spend the next 5 years behind bars, as federal prosecutors and probation officials have recommended.

Manhattan District Judge Arun Subramanian scheduled a hearing for Thursday for arguments from both sides on what would be the just punishment for the hip-hop mogul.

Combs, 55, was convicted in a July jury trial of two counts of transporting his girlfriends and male strippers across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. The same Manhattan federal jury acquitted the Bad Boy Records founder of racketeering and sex-trafficking charges that carried a potential life sentence.

During the eight-week trial, prosecutors tried to prove that Combs has used his international business conglomerate to support a criminal enterprise smuggling drugs, bribing witnesses, arson, sex trafficking, kidnapping, forced labor and obstruction of justice.

Former girlfriends, male dancers and former assistants took the stand to testify how they supported or participated in marathon, drug-fueled sex binges that Combs called "freak-offs."

Federal prosecutors charged that since at least 2008, Combs held these sex sessions at least once a week, renting out luxury hotel suites for days.

Former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, who performed under the name Cassie, said she and Combs would sometimes need intravenous fluids afterward to help them recover.

The jury saw video of the freak-offs and a 2016 recording of Combs dressed only in a towel and beating Ventura in the elevator bank of a Los Angeles hotel after she left the session early.

Combs’ attorney Teny Geragos told the jury at the start of the trial that her client had been an abusive boyfriend and overly demanding boss, but was not guilty of the racketeering and sex-trafficking charges.

Ventura and a more recent girlfriend, who testified under the pseudonym Jane, admitted that they willingly participated in the sex romps because they wanted to please Combs. They returned to the relationship after his abuse because they felt economically and psychologically intimidated.

Combs’ acquittal on the most serious charges dealt a major blow to Manhattan federal prosecutors, who rarely lose a case.

They argued for his continued incarceration during his pending sentencing, arguing that he admitted to the drug use, the violence and the intimidation against his past girlfriends.

The prostitution-related charges have the potential to carry a 20-year prison term, but prosecutors have said that 5 years would be the more likely sentence.

Defense attorneys argued for leniency, saying there were no victims in this case.

"The evidence shows these men enjoyed their experiences with Ms. Ventura, Jane, and Mr. Combs, and were not motivated just by money or a need to engage in sex work for some exploitive pimp," the lawyers wrote.

Combs said in a statement to probation authorities that his jail stint and the trial have made him a sober and reformed man.

"I know I really thought that success and money gave me freedom to do whatever I wanted to do with no consequences," he said. "I had to learn the hard way. It’s unfortunate that it took me being incarcerated to learn this valuable lesson."

Defense attorneys blamed some of his behavior on the fatal shooting of his father when Combs was 3 years old. His drug dependency and celebrity lifestyle also fueled his behavior, defense lawyers said, but the women involved also were often taking drugs independent of him. Ventura and Jane also were violent toward Combs, attorneys said. The lawyers also emphasized his contributions to Black culture as a highly successful businessman, rising from a single-parent household in working-class Mount Vernon in Westchester County to become a multimillionaire, running a hugely popular record label, clothing brand and liquor company.

“The only fair and just sentence after applying all the [federal guideline] factors is a sentence of no more than 14 months’ imprisonment,” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo wrote in his brief.

In addition to discussing sentencing, the judge said the Thursday hearing will include arguments on the defense lawyers' request to set aside the jury verdict because his crimes do not meet the definitions of crimes under the law.

If those arguments don’t succeed, Combs will be sentenced on Oct. 3.