Quote from Oladosun Joshua Segun on October 3, 2025, 9:05 PM

Content warning: Domestic abuse and sexual assault are topics covered in this narrative.

More time is being spent in prison for Sean "Diddy" Combs. Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced the founder of Bad Boy Records to 50 months in prison, or more than four years, plus five years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000. This came after Combs was found guilty of two prostitution-related offenses but cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering charges in his sex trafficking case.

At the hearing on October 3, the judge gave an explanation of the cause, stating that while the defense's request of 14 months "would not be sufficient," the prosecution' suggestion of 135 months was more than what would be "necessary," according to NBC News.

"The need for general deterrence warrants a significant sentence," the judge stated. "A substantial sentence must be given to serve as an example to abusers and victims alike."

The sentence may be appealed by the 55-year-old.

Prior to the judge's ruling being made public, Combs apologized in court to victims Cassie Ventura and "Jane."

"My actions were disgusting, shameful and sick," he stated. "I was sick, sick from the drugs, I was out of control, I needed help, and I didn't get the help."

Combs went on, "I lost my self-respect. I have been humbled and broken to my core. I hate myself right now, I’ve been stripped down to nothing. I am truly sorry for it all, no matter what they say."

Additionally, Combs noted his sobriety and said that he lost his "way" over time in a letter to the court who would be deciding his sentence.

“Although this situation has been the hardest and darkest time in my life, good things have come out of my incarceration,” NBC News acquired the letter that Combs wrote on October 2. “For starters, I am now sober for the first time in 25 years. I have been trying my best to deal with my drug abuse and anger issues and take accountability as well as positive steps towards healing.”

Ventura, one of the prosecution's main witnesses and Combs' intermittent partner from 2007 to 2018, was also apologized to in the letter. (The Me & U singer described in her testimony how Combs dominated every part of her life, including telling her to participate in "hundreds" of "freak offs.")

"The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily," in reference to a 2016 video that went viral last year, he expressed himself. "I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved. I'm sorry for that and always will be."

Judge Subramanian, who oversaw Combs' federal trial, denied the music mogul's request for an acquittal in connection with his convictions on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution prior to the sentencing.

Combs was initially facing a maximum sentence of life in prison after entering a not guilty plea to all five charges in his trial, including two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, and one count of racketeering conspiracy.

Prosecutors claimed Combs forced women to participate in "freak offs," or drug-fueled sexual displays with sex workers, during the seven-week trial earlier this year. The defense retorted that these interactions were voluntary.

Prosecutors called 34 witnesses in all, including federal agents, male escorts, several of Combs' former coworkers, and a former girlfriend who testified under the alias "Jane."

In her six-day testimony, "Jane," who dated the billionaire for three years until 2024, described her experience with Combs and claimed that their dynamic made it impossible for her to break up with him.

Although the defense cross-examined some of the prosecution's witnesses, they simply introduced evidence and rested their case without calling their own. Combs acknowledged at the end of his trial that he had decided not to testify, despite the fact that the proceedings had taken several minor, unexpected turns, including the dismissal of one jury for "lack of candor."

Combs' lawyers came out following his verdict, describing it as a "huge win" for the music mogul despite the fact that he was denied bail.

"He was acquitted of sex trafficking, acquitted of RICO conspiracy," according to NBC News, Anna Estevao remarked outside a courtroom in Manhattan. "He will be able to sleep well at night knowing that."

In response to the revelation, special agent in charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations Ricky J. Patel and U.S. attorney Jay Clayton of the Southern District of New York issued a joint statement.

“Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society,” they explained in a statement that was obtained in July. “Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma. New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to justice.”