NEW YORK - 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.

Key facts

• 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 apologized 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 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.” (Source: Forbes)

Story Date: October 4, 2025