Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to 50 months in prison and pay a fine of $500,000, the maximum possible, after being found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. (That sentence adds up to just over four years, but the 14 months he has already served in prison will be deducted.) Today in Manhattan’s Federal District Court, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian outlined his reasoning behind the substantial length, citing the need “to send a message to abusers and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is met with real accountability.”
“The Court has to consider all of your history here. A history of good works can’t wash away the record in this case, which shows that you abused the power and control over the lives of women who you professed to love,” said Judge Subramanian. “The court is not assured that if released these crimes will not be committed again.”
Before the sentencing was determined, Diddy rose at the defense table to give a 12-minute statement, reports The New York Times. “One of the hardest things I’ve had to handle is having to be quiet, not being able to express how sorry I am for my actions,” said Diddy. He apologized to Cassie Ventura and her family “for any harm or hurt that I’ve caused her, emotionally or physically.” He also apologized to former girlfriend Jane, saying, “I brought you into my mess.” Diddy then apologized to all victims of domestic violence, his family, and his children, and referred to his conduct “disgusting, shameful, and sick.” “No matter what anybody says, I know that I’m truly sorry for it all,” he concluded.
Diddy’s hearing opened with Judge Subramanian setting a sentencing guideline of 70 to 87 months—nearly six to just over seven years—which far exceeded the maximum of 14 months that Diddy’s lawyers requested, and stated that the law allowed him to consider all relevant testimony and evidence from the trial in making his final decision. “Combs has challenged his factual guilt full-throatedly, and has even done so after trial,” said Judge Subramanian, according to CNN. He added that Diddy “has expressed remorse for some things,” but not for his actual convictions of transporting people to engage in prostitution.
Back on July 2, Diddy was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, but cleared of racketeering and sex trafficking, after less than 48 hours of deliberation by the jury. He was denied bail. It ended a trial that began back in May, with the jury determining that Diddy was not guilty of three of the five charges, including racketeering, which carried the heaviest sentence. Each count of transportation to engage in prostitution carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Diddy, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, still faces numerous civil lawsuits accusing him of various sex crimes.
Before the sentencing decision was finalized today, both the prosecution and Diddy’s legal team made their final statements to Judge Subramanian. “This is not just a case about freak-offs and hotel rooms,” U.S. prosecutor Christy Slavik said today before the judge, arguing for a more severe sentence. “[It’s] about a man who did horrible things to other people. His currency was control. He weaponized it.” Slavik continued: “The defendant tries to argue this is just a sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle. But this is a case about transportation for prostitution and violence. The defendant admitted to the violence at trial. The defendant’s respect for the law is lip service.”
Slavik also claimed that Diddy is still acting with extreme arrogance in the wake of his charges because the rapper booked multiple speaking engagements in Miami “for next week,” implying Diddy expected a light sentence, reports The New York Times. “That is the height of hubris,” said Slavik. Giovanni Sairras—founder of Re-entry One, a nonprofit that helps incarcerated people re-enter society upon their release—elaborated on why his nonprofit booked Diddy as “an instructor teaching both virtually and in person” about entrepreneurship, mentorship, life skills, and more.
Diddy’s lawyers, Marc Agnifilo, Jason Driscoll, Teny Geragos, Alexandra Shapiro, and Brian Steel, were present for the decision, as were the disgraced rapper and his family. Diddy’s lawyers argued for a more lenient sentence of no more than 14 months in prison, including his time already served, by pointing to the sentences of similar cases. Diddy’s lawyers also submitted numerous letters written by those who can speak to the hip-hop mogul’s character—including a letter by Diddy himself, which Judge Subramanian criticized as “inappropriate” in tone—as well as a 12-minute video to play in court, which compiled various footage of Diddy hosting charity events, interacting with his children at home, and taking part in other moments meant to emphasize his generosity.
Casandra Elizabeth “Cassie” Ventura, Diddy’s former girlfriend, set off a chain of litigation when she filed her bombshell lawsuit against Diddy in November 2023. Although she quickly settled the case, she spoke openly and graphically in testimony for this trial. This week, Cassie also submitted a letter to Judge Subramanian, in which she pleaded for a tougher sentencing. “I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up about his abuse at trial,” she wrote. The two counts on which Diddy was convicted relate to the transportation of Cassie and Jane Doe to engage in prostitution.
The federal indictment alleged that Diddy has run a criminal enterprise since at least 2008, under which he “abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct,” largely during marathon multi-partner sex sessions the rapper calls “freak-offs.” Diddy and his associates have been accused of drugging women and forcing them to have sex with male sex workers while filming them.
The prosecution, an all-women legal team led by Maurene Comey, questioned 34 witnesses during the trial, presenting photos, videos, pages of text messages and email transcripts, and financial records as evidence against Diddy. Among the central testimonies were those of Diddy’s former girlfriends Cassie and a woman identified only as “Jane,” both of whom accused Diddy of forcing them to participate in “freak-offs.” During her four-day testimony, Cassie also accused Diddy of rape and physical abuse. Diddy declined to testify during the trial, and the defense presented no other witnesses.
Key testimony in the trial came from singer, songwriter, and former Diddy collaborator Dawn Richard. Richard alleged that, during that period, Diddy physically and verbally assaulted her during years spent working together on the reality show Making the Band and in the groups Danity Kane and Diddy – Dirty Money. (She brought the same allegations in a lawsuit filed last year.) During the trial, Richard also testified to witnessing Diddy physically abuse Cassie on numerous occasions, including an alleged 2009 incident during which she watched Diddy “beat [Cassie] on the ground in front of us.” Richard added, “I was scared that if I intervened, I might get [it] worse. I had never seen anything like that before.”
During the second week of the trial, rapper Kid Cudi took the witness stand. Cudi testified that his brief relationship with Cassie infuriated Diddy to the point that he arranged for a Molotov cocktail to be thrown into Cudi’s car. Cudi claims that Diddy had his Porsche 911 convertible blown up as a form of retaliation for dating Cassie.
The prosecution also presented numerous former employees of Diddy, who claimed to have witnessed the rapper engaging in physical abuse and drug use; former escorts who testified about getting paid by Diddy for the alleged “freak-offs”; Cassie’s mother, who recalled that Cassie informed her, in 2011, that Diddy was threatening to release sex tapes of her; and several others.
The defense focused on framing Diddy’s alleged victims as willing participants. Diddy’s attorneys depicted Jane as a consenting sex partner and showed text messages intended to present her as an enthusiastic participant in sex acts with Diddy and male escorts. The rapper’s legal team also emphasized text messages between Cassie and Diddy during the lead-up to a 2016 “freak-off,” claiming that Cassie planned the event, and pointing out texts that suggested she consented to participation. Additionally, the defense presented drugs (or withdrawal from them) and jealousy as pretexts for Diddy’s alleged violence.
If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual assault or domestic abuse, we encourage you to reach out for support:
RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline
https://www.rainn.org
1 800 656 HOPE (4673)
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HELLO” or “HOLA” to 741-741
The National Domestic Violence Hotline

1-800-799-SAFE (7233)