Frenzy for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sentencing begins with paid line-sitters staking out spots 24 hours in advance

It’s a Diddy tent city!

A crowd of paid line-sitters camped out in tents more than 24-hours ahead of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ much-anticipated sentencing Friday in lower Manhattan to secure a coveted spot in the courtroom.

The sidewalk outside Manhattan Federal Court looked like a mini-festival Thursday with eight tents and 15 people — all of them professional line holders saving spots for members of the media and influencers. 

3

“This case has definitely been a media circus, like a big media spectacle but everything outside of it is just as crazy,” said Gigi Principe, 26, who works for the queue-sitting company Same Ole Line Dudes.

Folks in line, some of whom began setting up at around 5 a.m. Thursday, happily chatted, ate snacks and took naps Thursday afternoon as they waited for the sentencing.

The 55-year old disgraced rap mogul, who faces more than a decade in prison for his prostitution conviction, will learn his fate at the federal hearing set for 10 a.m. Friday.

Joseph Love, a line-holding subcontractor, who’s often paid around $300 per day, said he’d been camped out since Wednesday night.

3

3

“I’ve been out here since about 9:30 p.m. last night and will be here til 6:30 a.m. tomorrow,” he said Thursday. “People have my number and when I get a call I head out to wherever.” 

Lawyers for Combs argue he should be released with 14 months time served while prosecutors called the Bad Boy records founder “unrepentant” and urged the judge to hand down a sentence of more than 11 years behind bars.

In July, jurors found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution tied to his debaucherous, baby-oil-fueled  “freak off” parties. 

The music mogul was, however, acquitted of more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have landed him behind bars for life.