Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to 50 months in prison after being convicted on charges related to transporting individuals for prostitution.
Prosecutors had requested an 11-year sentence, but Judge Arun Subramanian imposed just over four years following an emotional, daylong hearing on Friday.
Combs’s lawyers had sought a much lighter penalty of 14 months — effectively the time he has already served — as the 55-year-old artist has spent more than a year in custody in Brooklyn, according to CNN.
Before the sentence was handed down, Combs addressed the court and expressed remorse.
“I am truly sorry,” he said. “I ask your honour for mercy. I beg your honour for mercy.”
In July, a jury had cleared Combs of the most serious charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, but found him guilty on two counts of transporting people across state lines for prostitution.
Combs’s former girlfriend, singer Casandra Ventura — widely known as Cassie — submitted a heartfelt letter to the court, urging Judge Subramanian to consider “the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control.”
She recounted enduring years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse in her relationship with the hip-hop star. Alongside another woman, identified only as Jane, Ventura said she was coerced into “freak-offs” — sexual marathons with hired men orchestrated by Combs and sometimes filmed.
“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. She added that she continues to suffer from nightmares and flashbacks “on a regular, everyday basis.”
Prosecutor Christy Slavik told the court that Combs has not fully taken responsibility for his actions.
“His remorse was qualified. It’s as though he thinks the law doesn’t apply to him,” she said. Slavik further criticized Combs for scheduling speaking engagements in Miami while anticipating a lighter sentence, calling it “the height of hubris.”
In his defense, attorney Nicole Westmoreland painted Combs as “an inspiration” to the Black community and a social justice advocate.
“No, Combs is not larger than life. He’s just a human being. He’s made mistakes,” she said. She maintained that he was remorseful, adding, “It’s of no benefit to anyone to warehouse him in a prison.”
Combs’s six adult children also appealed for leniency. His eldest, Quincy Brown, described him as “a changed man.” One of his daughters, D’Lila Combs, told the judge:
“Please, please give our family the chance to heal together. Not as headlines but as human beings.”
