Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyers say he is a changed man. Will that spare him from more time behind bars?

NEW YORK AP In rejecting Sean Diddy Combs release on bail a federal judge confronted the hip-hop impresario with a disturbing aspect of his criminal matter 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 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 Combs lawyers want less than the to months in prison that they believe the sentencing guidelines recommend Prosecutors contend that the guidelines when properly calculated to include Combs crimes and violent history call for at least four to five years in prison After tentatively setting Combs sentencing for October the judge announced he is open to a defense request that it happen as soon as feasible with further discussions expected at a conference Tuesday Combs violent past keeps him locked up for now Combs his family and his defense group were overjoyed by the verdict selected of them tearing up at the consequence Combs pumped his fist in celebration and mouthed thank you to jurors He hugged his lawyers and after the jury exited fell to his knees in prayer But by the end of the day Combs was deflated his dream of going home after more than nine months in jail thwarted by a judge throwing his own lawyers words back in their faces We own the domestic violence We own it Subramanian announced reading from a transcript of Combs lawyer Marc Agnifilo s closing argument to the jury last week If he was charged with domestic violence we wouldn t all be here having a trial because he would have pled guilty because he did that The judge noted the jury had seen a video of Combs viciously attacking then-girlfriend Casandra Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel in March He also noted that another former Combs girlfriend a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane was left with visible evidence of bruises and injuries after Combs hit her repeatedly in June That was a meager months after federal agents raided two of his homes and when he should have known that he needed to stay clean The judge stated that the beating which Jane noted happened before Combs forced her to have a sexual encounter with a male sex worker was part of the prostitution-related offenses violations of the federal Mann Act that resulted in a conviction This highlights a disregard for the rule of law and the propensity for violence he declared Combs is working on himself lawyer says Agnifilo who had urged the judge to release Combs on a million bond insisted to Subramanian that Combs had changed dramatically in the last year As he pleaded with the judge Combs sat by his side and scribbled notes on small pieces of paper occasionally handing them to the lawyer The attorney reported Jane had written a supportive note to get Combs into a domestic violence intervention project At sentencing he noted the defense plans to have someone from the project tell the judge how Combs did He is a man who s in the process of working on himself the lawyer mentioned He s been a model prisoner Agnifilo revealed Combs had been given his life back by the jury and would be nothing short of a fool to do anything to spoil that The prospect of a life sentence the maximum if Combs were convicted of racketeering or sex trafficking prompted all sorts of the darkest conversations one can imagine about what your life could have been and what your life became Agnifilo explained But Subramanian was unmoved by what Agnifilo called his heart strings argument Having conceded the defendant s propensity for violence in this way it is impossible for the defendant to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he poses no danger to any other person or the group the judge stated Prosecutors also want violence factored into sentencing Agnifilo indicated the defense will argue at sentencing that Combs violent acts are not part of the charges for which he was convicted and shouldn t factor into his punishment Assistant U S Attorney Maurene Comey made it clear that prosecutors will argue the opposite Combs is an extremely violent man with an extraordinarily dangerous temper Comey narrated the judge Wednesday He has shown no remorse and no regret for his violence toward multiple casualties Subramanian noted that Combs will be credited for the time he has already served But by rejecting bail the judge indicated that he will likely reject a defense request for Combs to be freed in the next year Eyewitnesses implore judge to keep Combs locked up Deonte Nash a former stylist for Combs and Cassie who reluctantly testified during the trial narrated the judge in a letter that bail would send a dangerous message that wealth and influence can shield someone indefinitely from accountability Cassie through her lawyer also encouraged Subramanian to keep Combs in jail Ms Ventura believes that Mr Combs is likely to pose a danger to the casualties who testified in this incident including herself as well as to the group Cassie s lawyer Douglas Wigdor wrote