Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs received a prison sentence of four years and two months on Friday, closing a federal trial that laid bare years of abuse and misconduct. The 55-year-old music icon, convicted of transporting women and men across state lines for sexual encounters, was also ordered to pay a $500,000 fine.
With credit for the year he has already served, Combs could be released in about three years. His lawyers had urged the court to free him immediately, insisting his time behind bars had already brought remorse and sobriety.
The conviction followed a July verdict that found him guilty of orchestrating flights for girlfriends and male sex workers to take part in drug-fueled sex parties over many years. He was acquitted, however, of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that carried the possibility of life in prison.
As he delivered the sentence, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian reportedly asked, “Why did it happen so long? Because you had the power and the resources to keep it going, and because you weren’t caught.”
Combs, subdued and expressionless in court, offered an apology to his family before being led out. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he told them.
Before sentencing, he pleaded for leniency. “I ask your honor for a chance to be a father again, 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 said. He admitted to “disgusting, shameful” actions and said the domestic violence allegations would remain “a burden” he carried for life.
His defense team showed a video highlighting his philanthropy, career, and family ties, bringing the rapper to tears. But prosecutors urged the judge not to overlook years of abuse. “It’s a case about a man who did horrible things to real people to satisfy his own sexual gratification,” prosecutor Christy Slavik told the court. “He didn’t need the money. His currency was control.”
Jurors had heard disturbing testimony from multiple women. Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, a longtime girlfriend, testified that Combs forced her into sex with strangers “hundreds of times.” A video of him dragging and hitting her in a Los Angeles hotel hallway was played in court. “While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs,” her attorneys, Douglas Wigdor and Meredith Firetog, said in a statement, “the sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed.”
Another woman, identified only as “Jane,” testified she was coerced into sex with male workers while Combs watched or recorded the encounters. A former assistant, known as “Mia,” who has accused Combs of rape in 2010, withdrew from testifying Friday but wrote that she wanted a sentence that reflected “the ongoing danger my abuser poses.”
Combs’ children also spoke in his defense. His twin daughter, D’Lila, wept as she pleaded with the judge. “Please, your honor, please, give our family the chance to heal together, to rebuild, to change, to move forward, not as a headline, but as human beings.” Six of his seven children addressed the court.
Outside, the courthouse was packed with reporters and onlookers, echoing the spectacle of his trial. For some fans, the outcome was bittersweet. Sade Bess of Brooklyn said after leaving the courtroom, “It’s devastating to see a pioneer of the Black community’s legacy nearly diminished. But the judge showed mercy by giving him a second chance, while still honoring the victims.”
