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Sean “Diddy” Combs received a sentence of over four years in prison on Friday for crimes related to prostitution, ending a tense day-long court session during which the music mogul expressed remorse and pleaded for leniency.
Prosecutors requested a sentence of 11 years for the 55-year-old Combs, but District Judge Arun Subramanian imposed a 50-month sentence along with a $500,000 penalty.
Combs’s attorneys had urged the judge to impose a 14-month sentence, which would effectively mean time served, as he has been in custody in Brooklyn for over a year.
In July, a jury acquitted Combs of the more serious allegations against him, including sex trafficking and racketeering, but he was found guilty of two counts related to transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution.
On Friday, the judge permitted the defence to present evidence for several hours on Combs’s behalf, during which the disgraced artist also delivered an emotional statement.
Ultimately, Judge Subramanian had stark words for Combs and heartfelt ones for the victims who testified during the trial.
“We heard you,” the judge said in his statement to the witnesses, who spoke in excruciating detail of prolonged, coercive and devastating abuse at the hands of Combs.
“The number of people who you reached is incalculable,” he said in comments for Combs’s former partners, who were not present.
“You stood up to power. It’s not easy.”
Subramanian noted that he was obligated by law to impose a sentence that reflected the seriousness of Combs’s “serious offences,” which he said had “irreparably harmed two women.”
However, even Subramanian remarked that the sentence he issued was considerably shorter than what probation officers had suggested, which was between 70 to 87 months.
He told Combs that he expected him to “make the most of your second chance.”
Speaking tearfully to the court before the sentencing, Combs said he was “truly sorry” for his behaviour.
“I ask your honour for mercy,” he said. “I beg your honour for mercy.”
Combs apologised to his family as well as his victims, saying his behaviour was “disgusting, shameful and sick.”
“I was sick. Sick from the drugs. I was out of control. I needed help but I didn’t get the help.”
Prosecutor Christy Slavik, advocating for the 11-year term, argued that Combs had failed to take responsibility for his actions.
On the other hand, Nicole Westmoreland, one of Combs’s attorneys, argued for a much shorter sentence, describing him as an “inspiration” to the Black community and a champion of social justice.
The judge acknowledged this achievement along with Combs’s immense success in the entertainment industry, also recognising the impact that his further imprisonment would have on his family.
Throughout the proceedings, Combs’s six adult children each presented emotional appeals on behalf of their father, with many calling him a “changed man.”
