Puff Daddy Cops a Plea
Sean “Puffy” Combs yesterday pleaded guilty to second-degree
harassment in connection to his alleged attack on record executive
Steve Stoute. Combs had originally been charged with assault after
Stoute accused the rapper of attacking him in his office, hitting
him with a chair and a champagne bottle. Had Combs been found
guilty of that weightier offense, he would have faced up to seven
years in prison.
Stoute and Combs have both said that the dispute, which occurred in
April, was the result of their disagreement about a video for Nas’s
“Hate Me Now,” in which Puffy is depicted nailed to a cross.
Combs was sentenced to one day in a court-designated anger
management program, which he is compelled to attend within
sixty-one days of his conviction, according to a spokesperson for
the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
“I am happy that the court decided favorably,” Combs said in a
statement. “I am glad to get this whole incident behind me and its
now time for me to do what I do best — concentrate on my album and
give back to my fans.”