Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced on Friday to 50 months in federal prison and fined $500,000 for crimes related to prostitution, following an intense, day-long court hearing. The music mogul delivered an emotional apology and plea for leniency, but Judge Arun Subramanian determined a serious sentence was warranted.
Prosecutors had pushed for an 11-year sentence, citing the severity of the charges and impact on victims, while Combs’s legal team asked for 14 months—essentially time served, since the 55-year-old artist has already spent over a year in custody in Brooklyn.
Combs had previously been acquitted in July of the most severe charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, but a jury found him guilty on two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution under the federal Mann Act.
During Friday’s proceedings, the defense was allowed to speak at length on Combs’s behalf. The artist himself addressed the court with a tearful apology, calling his actions “shameful” and “disgusting,” and attributing them in part to substance abuse issues.
“I was sick,” Combs said. “Sick from drugs. I was out of control. I needed help and didn’t get it. I’m truly sorry.”
Judge Subramanian, in delivering his sentence, acknowledged the profound impact on the victims who testified in painful detail about the abuse they endured.
“To the survivors, we heard you,” the judge said. “You stood up to power. That’s not easy.”
He added that Combs’s actions had “irreparably harmed two women” and expressed concern about the potential for reoffending, saying, “The court is not assured that if released, these crimes will not be committed again.”
Still, the sentence handed down was significantly shorter than the 70 to 87 months recommended by probation officials.
As Combs’s children arrived at Manhattan Federal Court to support him, Judge Subramanian told the disgraced mogul, “Make the most of your second chance.”
