Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been sentenced in a Manhattan court to just over four years behind bars, after being found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
The two counts each carried a maximum sentence of 10 years. Prosecutors had wanted Combs to face more than 11 years in prison, while the defence argued he should get no more than 14 months in prison, including his time already served.
In announcing his decision, presiding Judge Arun Subramanian said he wanted to make it clear Combs was being sentenced for the offences of conviction, not the sex trafficking and racketeering charges he was acquitted of.
He said he considered that Combs is a self-made artist and businessman who has “inspired and lifted up communities,” and noted his work and impact are “celebrated and iconic.”
“The drugs may have exasperated your erratic and violent behavior over the year. However, the court has to consider all of your history here.”
The judge also said there’s no question that Sean “Diddy” Combs is devoted to his family.
Subramanian added he “rejects the defence’s attempt to characterizes the ‘freak offs’ and hotel nights as intimate consensual experiences or just a ‘sex drugs and rock ‘n’ roll’ story.”
“A history of good works cannot erase the power and control you had over the women you professed to love dearly. You abused them physically, emotionally and psychologically and you used that to get your way,” he said.
He said the court was “not assured” that if Combs was released that “these crimes will not be committed again.”
He said that acts of sexual violence are unfortunately common, and “a substantial sentence must be given to send a message to abusers and victims alike that abuse against women is met with real accountability.”
In September 2024, Combs was federally indicted in Manhattan on multiple charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution in connection with alleged abuse, coercion, and exploitation of women and escorts.
The prosecutors alleged that from roughly 2008 onward, Combs led a criminal enterprise to facilitate these abuses, including threats, coercion, and concealment of wrongdoing.
Combs pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
In July, after an eight-week trial, a jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the most serious charges against him, racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, which carried the possibility of a life sentence.
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