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A federal judge in New York has imposed a sentence on Sean "Diddy" Combs to four years and two months following his July jury decision on federal counts involving prostitution.

The Sentencing Details

The Friday decision in a Manhattan courtroom came after a July federal jury cleared the music industry veteran aged 55 of the most serious charges against him – racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking – but convicted him of two charges of transporting for prostitution. Each offense bears a up to a decade incarceration.

Combs, who has been held at the Brooklyn metropolitan detention center since his 2024 September arrest, had pleaded not guilty to every accusation leveled against him. He has received credit for the 13 months already spent incarcerated.

Legal Arguments and Sentencing Requests

Last week, the defense attorneys petitioned the judge to limit incarceration to 14 months, which, given time already served, would permit his release before the end of the year.

Government lawyers, conversely, advocated for a much lengthier term, asking the court to issue a penalty of no less than 135 months (11 years and three months) and a $500,000 fine. In their submission, the prosecutors labeled Combs as remorseless and said that his record shows extensive abuse and violent behavior.

Case History and Accusations

Since the jury delivered its verdict in July, Judge Subramanian has denied two bail requests from the defense counsel and also rejected a motion to set aside the guilty verdicts.

During the legal case, which began 12 May, federal prosecutors accused the music label founder of using his power, fame, wealth and influence, as well as physical force, intimidation and coercion, to compel two previous romantic partners into participating in what were described as drug-fueled sexual marathons with male escorts, referred to as “freak-offs” or “hotel nights”, which they said he arranged, observed, gratified himself to and occasionally recorded.

Prosecutors alleged that for more than two decades, he headed a criminal organization – supported by workers and partners – that was involved in and tried to hide a range of crimes including sex trafficking, kidnapping, forced labor, narcotics distribution, fire-setting and graft, enticement to engage in prostitution and obstruction of justice.

Trial Testimonies

The jurors received testimony from 30-plus individuals called by the state, including two of Combs's former girlfriends, multiple ex-staff members and aides, male escorts, hotel staff, investigative personnel and public figures including musician Kid Cudi and vocalist Dawn Richard and others. The defendant offered no testimony.

And after 13 hours of deliberation across three days, the jury returned the mixed verdict and found him not guilty on racketeering and trafficking allegations, which could have led to a incarceration for life, but determined he was guilty of the prostitution offenses stemming from the Mann Act federal statute.

Key Witness Accounts

Core to the state's position were the statements from the two previous companions: artist Cassie and a female witness using the alias “Jane”. Both women provided explicit accounts of the “freak offs” and alleged that he forced them into participating.

Ventura testified that during her and their on-again, off-again 11-year involvement, he exposed her to physical, intimate and mental harm and blackmail. The panel was frequently shown the 2016 hotel surveillance footage of him assaulting Cassie in a hotel corridor.

““Jane” likewise testified was pressured and threatened by Combs into sex acts, and also described a violent incident with Combs that caused swelling on her head.

Legal Defense and Context

Across the case, his attorneys conceded prior incidents of domestic violence, but rejected claims of coercion or trafficking and asserted that all intimacy was voluntary, describing them as aspects of a “swinging” way of life.

In their sentencing memo, Combs's lawyers cited his opioid addiction as a component affecting his actions.

Final Appeals and Victim Impact

On the Thursday preceding his penalty hearing, he sent a letter to the judge making a request for compassion.

“Above all, I need to say sorry and say how sincerely sorry I am for the entire harm and anguish that I have caused others by my conduct. I accept complete responsibility for my previous misdeeds,” he wrote.

“This has been the hardest 2 years of my life, and I have no one to blame for my current reality and situation but myself. In my life, I have made many mistakes, but I am no longer running from them” he added. “I am so sorry for the hurt that I caused, but I understand that the mere words ‘I’m sorry’ will always be insufficient as these words alone cannot remove the historical suffering.”

Later in the letter, he added, “I strayed from my path. I wandered off my route. Lost in the drugs and the excess. My collapse originated from self-centeredness. I have been humbled and broken to my core.”

Prior to the sentencing this week, Ventura offered an impact account, asking the judge to impose the prosecution's recommended penalty.

“While the jury did not seem to understand or believe that I participated in those events due to compulsion and pressure the defendant used against me, I know that is the truth, and his penalty ought to mirror the factual evidence and my actual suffering as a survivor” Ventura wrote.

She said that she still has “frequent nightmares and recollections every day, and still need mental health treatment to cope with my past”.

“My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality,” she wrote to the court. “I am fearful that if he gains freedom, his primary moves will be prompt retaliation towards me and others who testified about his misconduct in court.

Ongoing Legal Challenges

Outside of his criminal case, there are 50-plus civil suits against him alleging sexual misconduct and other wrongdoings. He has rejected every claim in those cases.