Music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was sentenced to just over four years in prison on Friday after being convicted on two prostitution counts, avoiding a lengthier prison sentence after he was acquitted on more serious charges.
Getty Images for Sean “Diddy” Combs
By Kirk Ogunrinde and Alison Durkee,
Key Takeaways
- U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced Combs to 50 months in prison and a $500,000 fine, with five years of supervised release once he completes his sentence.
- Combs was convicted in July on two violations of the Mann Act, which criminalizes trafficking people for the purposes of prostitution, though a jury acquitted Combs on his more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
- Combs was denied bail after his conviction, and his lawyers argued he should only be sentenced to 14 months in prison, which includes the time he’s already served—meaning Combs would be shortly released from prison—while prosecutors pushed for a harsher 11-year sentence.
- Prosecutors urged the judge to not show Combs leniency, emphasizing the defendant’s alleged abuse and telling the court Friday that Combs’ “currency was control, and he weaponized that currency to devastating effects on the victims.”
- Combs’ attorney and children testified on his behalf in court, reportedly getting emotional as they pointed to the mogul’s accomplishments and claimed he’s “remorseful” and deserves a “second chance.”
- In his speech before the judge’s sentencing, Combs apologised to all the victims of domestic violence, saying “I’ve got nobody to blame but myself,” before asking the judge for leniency and the opportunity for a second chance.
- The judge said the 11 years the prosecution sought for Combs was “not reasonable,” but the pain he had caused his victims in non-consensual “freak-off” parties was “horrible.”
Diddy’s Sentencing
Subramanian’s sentencing was directed at Combs’ engagement in prostitution by allegedly transporting women and male escorts across the U.S. to engage in drug-filled, violent sexual acts. The judge spoke about the physical, emotional, and psychological abuse his ex-girlfriends recounted during the trial and said his history of good works could not excuse the harm he had caused the women.
Combs, during his testimony, thanked the jury that acquitted him in July of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, apologised to his ex-girlfriends for domestic abuse, and pleaded with the judge for a lenient sentence. Combs also apologised to his community, pleading with the judge to give him an opportunity to “become a father again.”
Combs’ testimony came after the defendant previously submitted a letter to the court Thursday asking the judge to be lenient, in which he said he had been “humbled” by the case against him and would “never commit a crime again.” “I am so sorry for the hurt that I caused, but I understand that the mere words ‘I’m sorry’ will never be good enough as these words alone cannot erase the pain from the past,” Combs wrote.
The sentencing featured testimony from Combs’ children and other allies, though one person who did not testify as expected was Combs’ former assistant, who was referred to as “Mia” for the purposes of remaining anonymous and testified against Combs at trial.
Prosecutors said she was not speaking at the sentencing in part because of a letter Combs’ lawyer submitted to the court opposing her testimony, claiming, “Virtually everything that came out of [“Mia”’s] mouth” at trial “was a lie.” Subramanian chided the defense at Friday’s sentencing for the “inappropriate” letter.
Could Trump Pardon Diddy?
President Donald Trump has not suggested either way whether he would issue a pardon to Combs, saying after Combs’ conviction in May that he would “look at the facts.” Since Combs was convicted on federal charges, he would be eligible for a presidential pardon, or for Trump to commute his sentence.
Key Background
Combs was indicted in September 2024 on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, cause or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors alleged the famed rapper “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.” Combs manipulated women into engaging in “extended sex acts with male commercial sex workers” that the mogul described as “Freak Offs,” prosecutors alleged, also alleging Combs abused women and used his business empire to facilitate the abuse and use employees to help cover up his actions. Combs pleaded not guilty to all charges and the jury ultimately declined to convict him on the harshest charges he faced. His attorneys had argued at trial that there wasn’t evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Combs coerced or forced his ex-girlfriends into sexual acts, and that any conduct didn’t rise to the level of a criminal enterprise. Combs still faces a number of separate civil lawsuits alleging abuse.
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