Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sentencing hearing took place this week, and he was ordered to serve 50 months in prison, which equates to about four years. In the time since the judge revealed his decision, various individuals with connections to 55-year-old Diddy have been weighing in. One of the people who has since shared their take is an exotic dancer, who also testified during Combs’ sex-trafficking trial over the summer. The man specifically discussed why he believes this particular sentencing was the “right” decision.
The dancer in question is Sharay Hayes, who’s known as “The Punisher,” and he was on hand for Diddy’s sentencing hearing this past Friday. Afterwards, Hayes caught up with members of the press to discuss his opinion on the legal proceedings. TMZ spoke with Hayes and, during the discussion, he explained that he initially felt that Diddy should be freed on the spot for the time he’s already served in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. However, Hayes explained why he later agreed with the judge’s ruling:
I think the verdict is actually the right one, in my opinion. I always saw it as more of a domestic violence scenario. Even taking myself out of the situation and just trying to look at it from an individual [perspective], like a juror would. When you see this long-term, loving relationship with — this is his girlfriend, right? And then also multiple scenarios where the sexual lifestyle was consented. It was just hard for me to shift from this is just a domestic violence, different type of relationship to a sex-trafficking scenario.
The relationship Hayes is referring to is the one that was between Sean Combs and his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, who were together between 2007 and 2018. Combs’ legal team filed documents months ago to argue that Ventura and Combs were in a consensual relationship. However, Ventura, who testified during the trial, claimed that she was subjected to sex-trafficking amid her relationship with Combs and that he forced her to participate in his Freak Offs.
Ventura (who’s professionally known as Cassie) testified over the course of four days this past summer and shared graphic details about her time with Diddy. Some of the details were also backed up by a former male escort, who had dealings with Cassie and Diddy years ago. Sharay Hayes, during his own testimony, made several claims and even alleged (via People) that Cassie gave him a bag with $800 in it and asked him to “create a sexy scene of me and her applying baby oil on each other and create a sexy environment that her husband would come upon.”
“The Punisher” was later asked by TMZ whether he believed the comments he made while on the stand ended up benefitting Combs’ case. Faced with that question, Hayes – who’s also said in interviews that he doesn’t want to invalidate the accounts shared by Cassie and other accusers – said the following:
I do [think it helped]. I feel like if the deciding factor of this scenario, of the sex-trafficking charges, was going to be based on consent or lack thereof, I definitely feel like my testimony could’ve influenced the way it was viewed by jurors. I definitely feel like my testimony could have possibly influenced the way it was viewed by jurors, because the coercion part of it is arguably the main factor if you’re going to prove that. In regard to [Cassie’s] situation directly, with me being one of the two guys that they brought up to corroborate, obviously, my experience would not lead you to believe that somebody was sex-trafficked.
At the end of the trial in July, Diddy received a mixed verdict and was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was, however, acquitted on racketeering and sex trafficking, which were the two more serious charges. The sentencing decision ultimately came down after a lengthy hearing, which even saw Diddy speak to the judge and offer apologies to Cassie and others. In addition to the 50 month-sentence, the rapper was also ordered to pay a $500,000 fine.
Following the hearing, former Danity Kane member Aubrey O’Day reacted by sharing a “warning” to young artists and telling them to “protect” themselves from people in power. Cassie’s lawyer also shared a statement to ABC News, saying the sentence “recognizes the impact of the serious offenses [Diddy] committed.” As O’Day, Cassie and Sharay Haynes react to the sentencing, questions are still swirling around Sean Combs, including the notion of a pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump.