Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs gets four-year prison sentence for prostitution.

New York – (Special Correspondent/ Web Desk) – Due to his conviction on charges of prostitution, Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to more than four years in prison on Friday. The judge chastised the hip-hop mogul for abusing two of his former girlfriends for years.
After a day-long hearing in federal court in Manhattan, Combs, 55, remained composed as US District Judge Arun Subramanian handed down the 50-month sentence.
After getting credit for the time he has already been detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest on September 16, 2024, he could be released in less than three years.

Combs had faced a maximum possible sentence of 20 years behind bars over his conviction in July on two counts of arranging for paid male escorts to travel across state lines to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances with Combs’ girlfriends while he recorded video and masturbated.

The jury acquitted him on the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, which could have earned him a life sentence.

Those charges hinged on prosecutors’ accusation that Combs used violence and threats to coerce two of his girlfriends – the rhythm and blues singer Casandra Ventura, and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane – to take part in the performances, sometimes known as “Freak Offs.”

Despite his acquittal on those charges, Subramanian said a significant sentence was justified given the harm Combs had caused Ventura and Jane.

“The court rejects the defense’s attempt to characterize what happened here as merely intimate, consensual experiences, or just a sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll story,” Subramanian said. “This was subjugation, and it drove both Ms. Ventura and Jane to thoughts of ending their lives.”

Combs pleaded not guilty. He will appeal the sentence, defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo told reporters after the hearing, arguing that Subramanian “second-guessed the jury’s verdict.”

In addressing the court before Subramanian imposed the sentence, Combs apologised to Ventura and Jane and said he had learned his lesson.

“I know I’ll never put my hands on another person again,” said Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, who is credited with elevating hip-hop’s stature in American culture.

The New York-born entrepreneur is one of the most prominent men in the entertainment industry to have faced trial on sex crimes charges.

“While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs, the sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed,” Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Ventura, said in a statement.

Although Combs’ attorneys admitted that Combs had physically mistreated his girlfriends, they maintained that they voluntarily participated in the sex acts.
While prosecutors had pushed for a sentence of at least 11-1/4 years, defense attorneys said that 14 months would have been the appropriate amount.
Christy Slavik, the prosecutor, stated during the hearing that the judge ought to take into account his mistreatment of his girlfriends.
According to Slavik, “to not account for it now would be to let the defendant get away with years of domestic violence and abuse.”

Before Combs spoke, his children urged leniency for their father, telling Subramanian that he had become a better man in the year since his arrest.

“We aren’t here to excuse any of his mistakes,” Combs’ 18-year-old daughter Jessie Combs said through tears. “But your honor, he is still our dad, and we still need him present in our lives.”

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Combs put his head down as his children spoke, and had tears in his eyes when their remarks concluded.

Combs’ lawyers also showed the court a video about his background and philanthropy. The video showed Combs playing with his children, speaking to public school students, and running in the New York Marathon to raise money for charity.

Subramanian said prosecutors’ request for a harsh sentence did not take into account mitigating factors, including Combs’ charitable acts.

At the end of the hearing, the judge thanked Ventura and Jane for testifying, and said they could encourage other women to report sexual abuse.

“The number of people who you reached is incalculable,” Subramanian said.