BREAKING @ 4:40 PM EST:
A New York federal judge sentenced Sean “Diddy” Combs to 50 months — or just over four years — for prostitution-related charges.
While handing down the sentence, Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs’ crimes warranted a substantial sentence “to send a message to abusers and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is met with real accountability.” While the judge disagreed with the defense’s request for a 14-month sentence, he also concluded that the prosecution’s recommendation of a sentence exceeding 11 years was unreasonable, according to The New York Times.
Combs was also fined $500,000, the maximum possible in this case.
The judge addressed Ventura and other “brave survivors” who testified against Combs, telling them, “I am proud of you for coming to the court to tell the world what really happened.” Before adjourning court, the judge told Combs he knows he is in a “dark place” but that he and his family will get through this.
“You will have a chance to show your children and the world what real accountability, change, and healing,” he said, according to The New York Times.
This story is developing. Previous coverage is below:
On Friday, a New York federal judge will sentence Sean “Diddy” Combs for transporting people across state lines to engage in prostitution.
Combs, who has spent nearly 13 months in jail, was convicted in July of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of federal sex trafficking and racketeering, the two most serious charges.
Prosecutors sought an 11-year sentence, while Combs’ attorneys requested 14 months — prompting his immediate release due to the time he has already served. Combs’ attorneys argued that the charges incorrectly applied the Mann Act, as federal prosecutors claimed Combs used drugs and violence to force women to participate in sex marathons.
While awaiting sentencing, Judge Subramanian denied Combs’ repeated requests for release, citing his lawyers’ own words about his violent behavior towards his former girlfriends. He also noted that Combs’ violence and illegal activity continued even as a federal investigation ensued.
During the trial, jurors heard testimony from three women who accused Combs of physical or sexual abuse. Cassie Ventura, who dated Combs from 2007 to 2018, testified that Combs “stifled” her music career while forcing her to participate in “freak offs,” which often entailed her having sex with other men in Combs’ presence.
Ventura said the drug-fueled ordeals left her sleep-deprived and dehydrated, as they would last for days on end.
Jurors also heard testimony from Kid Cudi, who testified about his Porsche being destroyed by a Molotov cocktail outside his home in 2012. Weeks earlier, Combs reportedly discovered the rapper was dating Venutra and suggested his car would be blown up. Kid Cudi claimed Combs also broke into his home with a gun weeks before the reported firebombing. Prosecutors, however, did not directly link Combs to the 2012 firebombing — and drew ire from the prosecution for insinuating Combs was involved destroying evidence in that case.
Another victim, who used the alias “Mia,” worked as Combs’ assistant for eight years. She accused Combs of forcing her to perform oral sex and sneaking into her bed to penetrate her without her consent. She also claimed Combs hurled objects at her and threw her against a wall.
A third woman, who used the pseudonym “Jane,” dated Combs from 2021 to 2024. She testified about “hotel nights,” which allegedly were sexual rendezvous arranged by Combs. Combs reportedly watched these encounters, which Jane said she had to be under the influence of drugs to participate.
The defense did not call a single witness to testify. Instead, they presented texts between Combs and the alleged victims, which they believe proved the sex encounters were consensual and non-coercive.
They compared Combs and Ventura to “swingers” — and claimed the issues in their relationship stemmed from Combs dating other women, not from the alleged “freak offs.”
Seven letters were sent to the court which addressed Combs’ impending sentencing. One of the letters was from Ventura, who urged the court to sentence Combs to 11 years and three months. She claimed she still feared for her safety, and that her relationship with Combs was a “horrific decade of my life stained by abuse, violence, forced sex and degradation.”
Combs was arrested on September 16, 2024, outside a Manhattan hotel on federal charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has been denied bail three times, as Judge Andrew L. Carter determined there was a “serious risk” of witness tampering in this case.
Federal authorities raided Combs’ homes in Holmby Hills, California, and Miami in March 2024. Reports indicated that the raids were connected to an ongoing sex trafficking investigation that resulted in his arrest months later.
The raids also occurred four months after Ventura accused him of sex trafficking and abuse. In a multimillion-dollar lawsuit, she alleged that Combs drugged her and forced her to have sex with other men. The pair settled the lawsuit a day after its filing.
However, in May 2024, CNN publicized hotel surveillance footage allegedly showing Combs assaulting Ventura at the InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles,. Two days later, Combs released a video expressing remorse for his behavior.
“I went and I sought out professional help. I got into going to therapy, going to rehab. I had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I’m so sorry. But I’m committed to be a better man each and every day. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I’m truly sorry,” he said.
Eddy Garcia, the security supervisor at the InterContinental hotel, said Combs paid him $30,000 to ensure the footage was destroyed because it would ruin his career. Garcia said his boss received $50,000, while another colleague got $20,000.
Garcia said staff also signed a nondisclosure agreement which stipulated that Combs was getting the only copy of the 2016 footage. The document also stated there was a $1 million penalty for breaching the agreement.
Ventura testified that Combs settled their lawsuit for $20 million, while the hotel paid her $10 million for allegedly covering up evidence of the 2016 assault.
Two more accusers came forward a week after Ventura sued Combs. One of the women claimed Combs drugged and raped her at Syracuse University in New York in 1991. Combs denied those allegations before a third accuser, Liza Gardner, levied similar allegations against him.
Days after footage of the Ventura assault was publicized, two more women filed lawsuits against Combs. One of those women was April Lampros, a New York Fashion Institute of Technology student who reportedly met Combs in 1994. Lampros accused Combs of sexually assaulting her on four occasions between the mid-1990s and the early 2000s.
Combs denied a plea deal days before his trial began.
This story is breaking. Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File]