Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to more than four years in prison after being convicted on prostitution-related charges involving the transportation of people across the United States for sexual encounters he called ‘freak-offs.’
The court found that Combs arranged these encounters with both girlfriends and male sex workers, a pattern the judge described as ‘systematic and exploitative.’
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In sentencing him, Judge Arun Subramanian said the court had reviewed massive amounts of evidence and determined that a significant sentence was required.
Alongside the 50-month prison term, Diddy was also fined $500,000.
Before his sentencing, Combs told the court his actions were “disgusting, shameful and sick”, offering an emotional apology to his victims and children.
Once hailed as a hip-hop icon and business mogul, Combs’ fall from grace marks a stunning collapse for a man whose empire once spanned music, fashion, and spirits — with a net worth that peaked at a reported $1 billion in 2022.
Judge Subramanian delivered a powerful message to the survivors, especially Combs’ former girlfriend Cassie and another woman who testified under a pseudonym, “Jane.”
“We heard you,” the judge said. “These horrible acts were made public, and Sean Combs will never be able to wash them away.”
“You weren’t just talking to the jury — you were talking to women who feel powerless. You gave them a voice, you stood up to power. It’s not easy,” he added.
The judge praised the women for exposing the abuse and showing the world that violence doesn’t have to stay hidden forever.
With the sentencing, one of hip-hop’s most influential figures faces the consequences of what the judge called a dark and abusive legacy behind the fame.