Music
Music American music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been sentenced to over four years in prison after being convicted on charges linked to prostitution.
Prosecutors had pushed for an 11-year term, but Judge Arun Subramanian ruled on a 50-month sentence after an emotional hearing on Friday, October 3, 2025.
Diddy’s defense team had argued for a shorter punishment of about 14 months, pointing out that the 55-year-old has already spent more than a year behind bars in Brooklyn.
Before the ruling, Combs spoke directly to the court, apologizing and asking for leniency, saying, “I am truly sorry. I beg your honor for mercy and for another chance.”
Although a jury cleared him in July of the most serious charges, like sex trafficking and racketeering, he was still found guilty of transporting people across state lines for prostitution.
His former partner, singer Casandra Ventura (known professionally as Cassie), submitted a powerful statement to the court, urging the judge to consider “the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control.”
She accused Combs of years of abuse and manipulation, recalling being forced into disturbing sexual encounters that he arranged and sometimes filmed.
Ventura said the trauma continues to affect her daily life, with constant nightmares and flashbacks.
Her testimony was supported by another woman, identified only as Jane, who also described being coerced into these situations.
Ventura added that video evidence shown in court revealed Combs assaulting her during one of the incidents in 2016.
“The entire courtroom watched actual footage of Combs kicking and beating me as I tried to run away from a freak off in 2016,” Ventura wrote.
Prosecutor Christy Slavik argued that Combs has not taken full responsibility, describing his apology as hollow.
“His remorse was qualified. It’s as though he thinks the law doesn’t apply to him,” she told the court.
She also criticized him for lining up future speaking engagements as if he were confident of a lighter outcome.
On the other side, defense lawyer Nicole Westmoreland portrayed Combs as a role model within the Black community and an advocate for social justice.
“No, Combs is not larger than life. He’s just a human being. He’s made mistakes,” she told the judge, insisting that keeping him in prison longer would serve no real purpose.
Diddy’s children also pleaded for compassion. His son Quincy Brown called him “a changed man,” while his daughter D’Lila urged the court to let their family “heal together, not as headlines but as human beings.”
The sentencing comes months after Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was cleared of racketeering and sex trafficking charges but found guilty of a lesser offence related to prostitution following a seven-week trial in New York.