Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to 50 months in prison after being convicted on charges related to prostitution.
Prosecutors sought an 11-year sentence, but Judge Arun Subramanian handed down a sentence of just over four years following an emotional hearing on Friday.
Combs’s attorneys argued for a much lighter penalty of 14 months, which would effectively be time served, considering he has already spent over a year in custody in Brooklyn, according to CNN.
Before the sentencing, Combs addressed the court, expressing remorse. “I am truly sorry,” he said, and pleaded for “another chance.” He added, “I ask your honour for mercy. I beg your honour for mercy.”
In July, a jury acquitted Combs of the most serious charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering, but found him guilty of two counts related to transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution.
His former girlfriend, singer Casandra Ventura, known as Cassie, submitted a heartfelt letter to the court. She urged the judge to consider “the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control.” Ventura detailed years of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse during their relationship.
She also revealed that, along with another woman identified as Jane, she was coerced into participating in “freak-offs”-sexual marathons arranged and sometimes filmed by Combs. Ventura described witnessing Combs physically assault her, including footage of him kicking and beating her in 2016 as she tried to escape.
Ventura explained that she continues to suffer nightmares and flashbacks regularly.
Prosecutor Christy Slavik argued that Combs has yet to accept responsibility, criticizing his apparent lack of remorse and suggesting he believed the law did not apply to him. She also pointed out that Combs had scheduled speaking engagements in Miami, seemingly in anticipation of a lighter sentence, which she called “the height of hubris.”
Defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland described Combs as “an inspiration” to the Black community and a social justice advocate. She emphasized that he is “just a human being” who has made mistakes and is remorseful, arguing that imprisoning him would serve no benefit.
Combs’s six adult children also pleaded for leniency. His eldest, Quincy Brown, described his father as “a changed man,” while one of his daughters, D’Lila Combs, asked the court to “please, please give our family the chance to heal together. Not as headlines but as human beings.
