NEWYORK CITY: Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced on Friday to more than four years in federal prison, closing a stunning chapter in the downfall of one of the most powerful figures in American entertainment.
Prosecutors had pressed for an 11-year term, but U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian imposed a lighter punishment of 50 months in prison and a $500,000 fine, following an emotional day-long hearing at Manhattan Federal Court.
Combs, 55, stood before the court in tears, apologising to his family and his victims. I ask your honour for mercy, he said, voice breaking. I was sick sick from the drugs, sick from the lifestyle. I lost control. I am truly sorry.”
The former Bad Boy Records boss had faced a raft of explosive allegations, but a July jury cleared him of sex trafficking and racketeering — charges that carried potentially decades behind bars.
Instead, he was convicted of two counts under the federal Mann Act: transporting women across state lines for prostitution.
The sentencing marked the climax of a scandal that has engulfed Combs for nearly two years, tarnishing his reputation as a hip-hop pioneer, fashion mogul, and business icon.
Judge Subramanian balanced the gravity of the convictions with Combs’s high-profile career and family circumstances.
Addressing the courtroom, he spoke directly to the women who had testified about abuse and coercion at the hands of the music star. We heard you. You stood up to power. It is not easy,” Subramanian said. “The number of lives affected by your actions is incalculable.
The judge noted that while probation officials had recommended a sentence of up to seven years, he opted for a lesser term stressing, however, that the crimes had caused “irreparable harm” and warning Combs against reoffending. The court is not assured that if released, these crimes will not be committed again,” he said firmly.
Central to Friday’s proceedings were harrowing accounts from women who accused Combs of orchestrating a hidden world of coercion, abuse, and sexual exploitation.
Singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, Combs’s former longtime girlfriend, submitted a powerful victim-impact letter. She described enduring over a decade of emotional manipulation, physical violence, and forced participation in so-called freak offs sexual encounters Combs allegedly arranged, sometimes filming them.
Ventura wrote of flashbacks and nightmares that continue to haunt her, adding that she and her family relocated out of fear of retribution.
Another survivor, identified as Jane, echoed those claims, describing the devastating psychological toll of being controlled by Combs.
Her lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, commended her courage, saying: While nothing can undo the trauma caused, today’s sentence recognises the weight of these serious offenses.
In stark contrast to the victims’ accounts, Combs’s children filled the courtroom with pleas for leniency.
His daughters and sons, including Justin, Christian, and twins Jessie James and D’Lila Star, described him as a reformed man seeking redemption. Please give our family the chance to heal together not as headlines, but as human beings,pleaded 18-year-old D’Lila Combs.
Combs’s mother, Janice Combs, was also present, visibly emotional as the family closed ranks around the fallen star.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik insisted the court impose a longer term, saying Combs had shown only qualified remorse” and continued to believe the law did not apply to him.
By contrast, defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland urged leniency, portraying Combs as an “inspiration to the Black community and a businessman whose contributions to music and culture were immense.
The judge acknowledged Combs’s professional achievements but underscored that fame and influence could not excuse criminal conduct.
For decades, Sean Combs epitomised hip-hop’s rise from the streets to global boardrooms. He was a chart-topping producer, fashion entrepreneur, and philanthropist who built an empire.
But Friday’s sentencing confirmed what many had come to see as the inevitable collapse of that empire.
Judge Subramanian, in closing, told Combs his punishment did not mean the end: This is not a life sentence. You are going to get through this. You have a universe of people who love you. Let them lift you up now.
For his victims, however, the scars remain. For Combs, the countdown to 50 months behind bars has already begun.
