Sean Diddy Combs has been Sentenced to four years in prison for his conviction on two prostitution-related offenses.
He gets credit for time served since his arrest. Combs has already spent 12 months at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Before the judge read the sentence, Combs tearfully apologized in court, saying, “I’ve been humbled and broken to my core.”
He returned to a Manhattan courtroom on Friday to be sentenced on two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution.
Federal prosecutors argued Sean Diddy Combs deserves at least 11 years in prison.
Combs’ lawyers have asked for a sentence of no more than 14 months. Sean Diddy Combs has already spent 12 months at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, so a 14-month sentence would allow his release in December.
Sean Diddy Combs entered the courtroom for his sentencing hearing Friday wearing dark pants and a light-colored sweater over a white button-down. He shook hands with some of his attorneys, hugged others and gestured toward his family crammed into the second and third rows of the gallery.
“Good morning judge,” Combs said when greeted by Judge Arun Subramanian.
Subramanian said he receive “a lot” of materials ahead of time, including the letter from Combs himself, the video the defense intends to play and an evaluation of the 6-week course Combs taught to fellow inmates at MDC-Brooklyn.
There will be no victim impact statements after a former Combs assistant who testified under the pseudonym “Mia” bowed out.
“This morning the government learned ‘Mia’ no longer wishes to address the court here today,” prosecutor Christie Slavik said, adding that a “bullying” letter from the defense was part of her reasoning.
“The tone of the defense’s letter was inappropriate,” Subramanian said. “That should not be done again.”
Sean Diddy Combs Had Early Spoke In Court.
Sean Combs plans to speak in court in the “most dignified and respectful fashion possible,” according to a court filing from his lawyers.
In a letter submitted to the judge on Thursday, Sean Diddy Combs apologized for his actions and argued he was reformed in prison, becoming sober for the first time.
“I have been putting in the work and working diligently to become the best version of myself to ensure that I never make the same mistakes again,” Combs wrote.
The letter also stated: “I want to apologize and say how sincerely sorry I am for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused others by my conduct. I take full responsibility and accountability for my past wrongs.”
Sean Combs has asked to play a 15-minute video during Friday’s sentencing hearing.
The video shows Combs playing with his children, mourning Kim Porter and giving motivational speeches at fundraisers in New York.
It is a selective compilation of a public figure who has been unceasingly photographed and videotaped at home and in professional settings and is meant to help convince the judge that Combs deserves imminent release.
The judge has seen other video that casts Combs in the reddish hue of a “freak off” or under the fluorescent hallway lights of a Los Angeles hotel punching and kicking Cassie Ventura.
Prosecutors argued Combs held all the power over the people he transported, particularly ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, who ended up “bloodied and busied,” as depicted on hotel security camera video.
Prosecutors said the sentence should reflect Combs’ “decades of unchecked violence” and “decades of psychological, emotional and physical damage he has inflicted.”
Defense asks for time served
Sean Combs’ defense is arguing for him to be sentenced to time served.
Defense attorneys called Combs — who has been in custody since September 2024 — “an extraordinary person who has made monumental professional and personal contributions throughout his 55 years” and who wants to be with his family.
“He lost many loved ones, including his father, his best friend, Christopher Wallace — professionally known as Notorious B.I.G. — as well as the love of his life and mother of four of his children, Kim Porter, and most recently, his mentor, Andre Harrell,” the filing said. “These events were devastating, and for decades Mr. Combs struggled with serious substance abuse issues, anger and anxiety, and other flaws that he did not properly or professionally address until his incarceration last year.”