Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to 50 months in prison after being convicted on prostitution-related charges.
The ruling came after an intense day in court on Friday, where emotions ran high as both the prosecution and defence delivered their final arguments.
Prosecutors had pushed for an 11-year sentence, but Judge Arun Subramanian opted for a reduced term of just over four years.
Before the sentence was announced, Diddy stood before the court, visibly emotional, and expressed regret for his past actions.
“I am truly sorry,” he said, adding, “I ask your honour for mercy. I beg your honour for mercy.”
Combs’s legal team had requested a lighter 14-month sentence, arguing that the 55-year-old hip-hop icon had already spent more than a year in custody.
However, the court weighed the testimonies of his victims heavily in its final decision.
In July, a jury cleared Diddy of the more severe sex trafficking and racketeering charges but found him guilty on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution.
One of the key moments of the hearing came when Casandra Ventura, better known as Cassie, read a powerful victim statement.
She urged the court to recognise the extent of the harm Combs had caused.
“There was no such thing as consent from a 12-year-old child. I was not a young lady. I was a child,” she declared tearfully.
Ventura detailed years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, alleging that Combs forced her into disturbing encounters known as “freak-offs.”
She said, “The entire courtroom watched actual footage of Combs kicking and beating me as I tried to run away from a freak-off in 2016.”
According to Cassie, the trauma continues to affect her daily life. “I still have nightmares and flashbacks on a regular, everyday basis,” she told the court.
Prosecutor Christy Slavik argued that Combs had shown “qualified remorse” and that he continued to behave as though he was above the law.
“His remorse was qualified. It’s as though he thinks the law doesn’t apply to him,” she stated.
She revealed that Combs had even booked future speaking engagements in Miami, allegedly anticipating a light sentence, which she described as “the height of hubris.”
Meanwhile, Diddy’s attorney Nicole Westmoreland painted a different picture, calling him “an inspiration to the Black community and a social justice crusader.”
She urged the court to consider his personal growth, saying, “No, Combs is not larger than life. He’s just a human being. He’s made mistakes.”
Several members of Diddy’s family, including his six adult children, appealed to the judge for leniency.
His daughter D’Lila Combs said, “Please, please give our family the chance to heal together. Not as headlines but as human beings.”
