'You had power to...': Indian-origin judge's big remarks during Sean Combs trial

Hip-hop moghul Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been sentenced to prison house for o'er quaternary years, months after he was convicted of his role in drug-fueled sexual urge marathons and flying people across state lines for it. The jail sentence followed a nearly two-month-long harrowing trial in a federal court in Manhattan, in which several women testified against 'Diddy'.

The popular hip-hop figure faced grave allegations from women, who said he threatened, sexually assaulted and blackmailed them.

The four-year and two-month long jail sentence was handed to him by Arun Subramanian, an Indian-origin judge who was hearing the case. He not only pronounced the jail sentence but also slapped a $500,000 fine on Combs, the maximum allowed.

"Why did it happen so long?", judge Subramanian reportedly asked Sean 'Diddy', adding: "Because you had the power and the resources to keep it going, and because you weren’t caught".

Heaping praise on those who testified against Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Subramanian said they represented many others who experienced abuse: “You gave them a voice. You stood up to power," the judge was quoted as saying by news agency AP.

Sean 'Diddy' Combs was convicted of transporting his girlfriends and male sex workers across the country for drug-fueled sexual encounters over several years, but was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

Arun Subramanian is an Indian-origin judge born to immigrant parents in Pittsburgh in 1979. He was appointed a federal judge by former President Joe Biden in 2022, and became the first South Asian face to serve on the bench.

He has a BA degree in Computer Science and English from Case Western Reserve University, and received his Juris Doctor, a professional law degree, from Columbia Law School, where he was recognised as a James Kent and Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

From beginning his career as a judicial clerk to rising to the position of a federal judge, Arun Subramanian has built a diverse legal career. Over the years, the Indian-origin attorney has championed the rights of victims of child pornography trafficking, defended consumers, and fought for individuals harmed by unfair or exploitative practices.

He has successfully recovered more than a billion dollars for public and private entities defrauded or subjected to unlawful conduct, according to the website of Susman Godfrey LLP, where he was a partner from 2007 to 2023. During his time there, Arun Subramanian specialised in commercial and insolvency law and established himself as a formidable litigator.

Arun Subramanian has been overseeing the high-profile trial of Combs for some time now. As he handed out the 50-month jail sentence to the hip-hip mogul, Diddy reportedly looked straight ahead and appeared dejected, as opposed to before the hearing started.

As a video showing Diddy's journey was shown in court, the hip-hop figure broke down and pleaded for leniency. “I ask your honor for a chance to be a father again,” Combs said, “a son again ... A leader in my community again ... For a chance to get the help that I desperately need to be a better person.”

He also apologised to his family right before leaving the courtroom.

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