NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs faced his sentencing Friday in a sordid criminal case that could keep him locked up for years. The hip-hop mogul was convicted in July of flying people around the country for sexual encounters, including his girlfriends and male sex workers. A jury acquitted Combs, 55, of more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that could have put him away for life.
On the eve of his sentencing, Combs wrote U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian asking for mercy and proclaiming himself to be “reborn” after realizing that he was “broken to my core.” Combs will be sentenced under the Mann Act, which makes it illegal to transport someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or other illegal sex acts. Prosecutors urged the judge to reject leniency, saying witnesses fear for their safety if he is freed.
Prosecutors say he should spend more than 11 years in prison for his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs’ lawyers want him freed now, saying the long sentence sought by prosecutors is “wildly out of proportion” to the crime.
The Latest:
Prosecution is done arguing, pending a rebuttal
Slavik urged the judge to take an opportunity with his sentence to send a message to victims, the public and would-be perpetrators that Combs’ crimes were serious and are being punished accordingly.
A lenient sentence might encourage more people to commit such crimes, knowing they won’t face much consequence, she argued.
A lengthy sentence, she said, would potentially deter such behavior. She again urged the judge to sentence Combs to at least 11 years and 3 months behind bars.
Prosecutor argues that Combs has not owned up to his crimes
Slavik slammed Combs’ letter Thursday night to the judge seeking leniency, saying that he portrayed himself as the victim of his own bad behavior.
“Even in his submission last night, his remorse was qualified,” the prosecutor said.
In the letter, Combs wrote: “My domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry.”
By framing it that way, Slavik said, it’s “like he’s the victim in this scenario.”
“This is not a person who has accepted responsibility,” Slavik said.
Is Combs really a changed man?
Slavik suggests that there are reasons to be skeptical about that claim, but that in in any event, “his victims don’t have the luxury of moving on so easily. They’re still picking up the pieces.”
“The violence in this case was uncontested,” Slavik said, pointing to the defense’s trial admission that he sometimes used physical force. “The conduct here very clearly involved violence.”
Jurors repeatedly saw security camera footage of Combs kicking, beating and dragging his then-girlfriend Cassie at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. That assault, in a public hallway, “was just one of many violent outbursts,” the prosecutor said.
“Imagine how much worse it was behind closed doors,” Slavik said.
Admitting to violence as part of a defense strategy is not accountability, she said — a substantial prison sentence is.
Prosecutors blast Combs for apparently booking a speaking gig next week
In a Sept. 29 letter to the court, one of Combs’ supporters, a Miami-based nonprofit that helps prisoners readjust to freedom, said he had scheduled “teaching engagements” at a prison and various other facilities in South Florida this month, starting Monday.
The letter evidently anticipated he’d be free to lead these entrepreneurship and life skills programs, describing the work as “following his release.”
“That is the height of hubris,” Slavik said. Defense lawyers haven’t yet had their chance to respond
More on the witnesses whose testimony the judge can consider
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex crimes trial involved testimony from 34 witnesses.
They included Combs’ ex-girlfriends Cassie and Jane, who said he forced them into drug-fueled sex marathons, a sex worker they knew as “The Punisher,” personal assistants who said they witnessed violence, and other women who accused him of abuse. The judge can consider all trial testimony as he decides the sentence.
▶Read more about some of the key witnesses and their testimony.
Prosecutors begin their argument for more than 11 years in prison
“Today is about accountability and justice. Accountability for the defendant, who committed serious federal crimes repeatedly over the course of 15 years, and justice for the public, including for the victims, whose lives have been shattered,” prosecutor Christy Slavik said.
“It’s a case about a man who did horrible things to real people to satisfy his own sexual gratification,” she added. “He didn’t need the money. His currency was control.”
Slavik said the prosecution’s recommended 11-year, 3-month sentence “reflects the conduct appropriately, is consistent with other similarly situated defendants and fully respects the jury’s verdict.”
Not sentencing him to significant prison time would, in effect, be allowing him to get away with years of domestic violence, Slavik said.
Judge: Combs' acquittals don’t mean his conduct won’t matter
Subramanian said that while Combs was acquitted of certain charges, the verdict doesn’t absolve him of underlying conduct, such as violence and coercion. Nor does it mean that such conduct is irrelevant to sentencing, the judge said.
While Combs continues to fight his conviction on two prostitution-related charges, the judge said the evidence “plainly established in whole or in part the defendant’s participation in the convicted conduct.”
It was Combs who organized sex parties and hired male escorts, and it was his money that paid for them, the judge said.
Judge provides a glimpse of his thinking
The judge’s actual sentencing decision is many hours away. But in the course of legal arguments, the judge gave a glimpse of his view of Combs’ stance toward the case.
“In general, the narrative that he and his attorneys have put forth — that this case involves nothing more than adults paying for time, not sex — is flatly inconsistent with both reality” and an acceptance of responsibility, the judge said.
In this first phase of the sentencing, the judge is going through complex legal reasoning in response to objections that both sides have raised to the pre-sentencing report. It’s very common for lawyers to raise such objections.
What factors meriting stiffer punishment will the judge consider?
Subramanian is declining to add certain “enhancements” to the sentencing guidelines that probation officials have used to calculate Combs’ possible sentencing range.
The judge denied the prosecution’s request to add factors that could increase the hip-hop mogul’s potential sentence, such as for causing serious bodily injury, vulnerable victims and obstruction of justice.
Nevertheless, the judge said, he will weigh all relevant conduct — including Combs’ violence and threats — as he decides on a sentence. He left in place an “enhancement” for coercion, overruling the defense’s objection. In doing so, he cited Combs’ threats to his longtime former girlfriend Cassie to publicly release videos of their so-called “freak-offs.”
Probation officials concluded that the guidelines range for Combs’ sentence is around 5 years and 10 months to 7 years and 3 months.
Adding the enhancements that prosecutors wanted would’ve increased the guidelines range to 9 years to 11 years and 3 months months in prison.
Defense objected to ‘Mia’ speaking, saying she lied
A former personal assistant testifying under the pseudonym “Mia” said Combs put his hand up her dress and forcibly kissed her at his 40th birthday party in 2009, forced her to perform oral sex on another occasion and raped her in 2010.
His lawyers say the claims are false.
In a letter objecting to “Mia” speaking at sentencing, Combs’ lawyers said: “Virtually everything that came out of her mouth was a lie” and that “she is not a victim of anything.”
“She got to lie, she got to testify with a false identity, she got to try out her fake voice for a jury of savvy New Yorkers. But, she also saw the consequences of lying to a jury: they don’t believe you,” Combs’ lawyers wrote.
Among letter-writers supporting Combs, here's who will speak
The judge confirmed that Combs’ children and a minister will be able to speak in support of the hip-hop impresario. Subramanian is considering whether he’ll also hear from some other people the defense proposed. All of them have written letters to the court.
The defense wants the court to hear from two doctors who have evaluated and cared for Combs while he’s been in jail.
‘Mia’ was meant to be the only accuser to speak Friday
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said Mia changed her mind about speaking in court after Combs’ lawyers submitted a letter objecting to Mia’s appearance.
The letter, the prosecutor said, “can only be described as bullying.”
The judge agreed, concluding that “the tone of the defense’s letter was inappropriate” and advising Combs’ lawyers not to do it again.
Witness who testified Combs raped her won’t speak
A former personal assistant who testified at Combs’ trial that he raped her in 2010 is no longer planning to speak at his sentencing.
Prosecutors told the judge that the former assistant, who testified under the pseudonym “Mia,” has changed her mind about giving a statement in person. She already submitted a lengthy personal statement urging the judge to hold Combs “fully accountable.”
“This letter has been excruciating to write,” her victim impact statement said. She wrote that the little girl she once was “is gone. She was buried alive by an abuser, trapped in a world of terror, abuse, humiliation, and coercive control.”
Judge Arun Subramanian has taken the bench
Combs smiled briefly and waved to his family in the gallery before sitting down, putting on a pair of glasses and reading through papers from a large accordion-style folder.
“Good morning and good morning to you, Mr. Combs,” the judge says.
“Good morning, your honor,” Combs replies.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has arrived in court for his sentencing
As he has throughout the case, the hip-hop mogul entered the packed courtroom through a side door, escorted by deputy U.S. marshals.
Combs was transported to the courthouse Friday morning from the Metropolitan Detention Center, the Brooklyn federal jail where he’s been held since his arrest in September 2024.
Given permission by the judge to don non-jail clothes, Combs arrived wearing a light-colored sweater over a button-down shirt and dark-colored dress pants. He hugged his lawyers and greeted his family and supporters as he walked to the defense table. As at his trial, Combs’ hair is grayer and whiter than the black mane he’s known for. That’s because he’s not allowed hair dye in jail.
‘The Punisher’ thinks Combs has been punished enough already
An exotic dancer who testified at the trial is outside the courthouse, promoting a self-help book that he wrote.
Sharay Hayes went by the stage name “The Punisher.” At the trial he testified about being paid to have sex with Combs’ girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
“It’s been a crazy couple of months for me,” he said.
Hayes said he believes that the judge should sentence Combs to the time he’s already served in jail.
Cassie has asked for a tougher sentence. She told the court she was manipulated into participating in sexual encounters with other men, and that Combs frequently beat her.
‘The Punisher’ thinks Combs has been punished enough already
An exotic dancer who testified at the trial is outside the courthouse, promoting a self-help book that he wrote.
Sharay Hayes went by the stage name “The Punisher.” At the trial he testified about being paid to have sex with Combs’ girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
“It’s been a crazy couple of months for me,” he said.
Hayes said he believes that the judge should sentence Combs to the time he’s already served in jail.
Cassie has asked for a tougher sentence. She told the court she was manipulated into participating in sexual encounters with other men, and that Combs frequently beat her.
Heavy security outside the courthouse
To keep a pathway to the courthouse clear, court officials are keeping the media penned into specific zones — one on each side of the walkway — with bike rack-style fencing.
Some onlookers are hoisting their cellphones to record images of people walking by. A podium is set up with microphones from various outlets for possible post-sentencing news conferences.
As for security, officers from the U.S. Marshals Service are lined up in front of the courthouse door, including a pair of K9 units.
Combs’ kids have arrived
Outside the courthouse, it’s a scene familiar from Combs’ trial. Hordes of photographers holding cameras in outstretched hands, taking pictures and video of case-related figures, including some of the hip-hop mogul’s children, who poured out of a black transport van about 15 minutes before the sentencing was to begin.
Combs mother, Janice Combs, arrived to the courthouse earlier in the morning.
On the sidewalk across the street, TV crews have lined up in front of a city park, broadcasting live while a jungle gym and basketball courts sit empty.
A key voice for the prosecution has been silenced
The most outspoken and prominent voice among six prosecutors at Combs’ trial won’t be heard at his sentencing. Maurene Comey was fired from her position as an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan two weeks after the jury returned its verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey is outside court during the Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial, June 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)
She is the daughter of former FBI director James Comey. She told colleagues in a note afterward that “fear is the tool of a tyrant” and that her firing without reason should fuel “a fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power.”
Then she sued the U.S. government in mid-September, saying her firing was for political reasons and was unconstitutional. James Comey was fired as FBI director by President Donald Trump in 2017. The lawsuit noted he has since written a memoir critical of Trump and has publicly criticized Trump and his administration.
Both sides have tried to persuade the judge
In a court filing, Combs’ lawyers argued the conduct for which he was convicted involved “threesomes where fully competent adult men and women voluntarily crossed state lines and had consensual sex with each other, and the defendant made no money from the conduct.”
Prosecutors, citing trial evidence, say Combs used coercion and violence, including domestic abuse, in committing his crimes.
Sean Diddy’Combs, far left, and attorney Marc Agnifilo, second from left, listen as witness Cassie Ventura, far right, answers questions from assistant US Attorney Emily Johnson, center, with Judge Arun Subramanian presiding in Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
Combs will “not be punished for any crimes of which he was acquitted, of course, but punishment for his crimes of conviction must take into account the manner in which he committed them,” prosecutors wrote.
Combs’ lawyers wrote that the government’s view is, “Verdict be damned — lock him up and throw away the key.”
Who is Judge Subramanian?
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian is a Columbia Law School graduate and former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and was appointed a federal judge by President Joe Biden in 2022.
Before becoming a judge, he worked in private practice, handling primarily commercial and bankruptcy matters as a partner at the prestigious law firm Susman Godfrey LLP.
A Pittsburgh native, he presided over Combs’ trial and recently denied the hip-hop mogul’s request to have his conviction overturned.
The video could backfire on Combs
At the time Combs was involved in the activities captured in the video, prosecutors say he was beating women, plying them with drugs and paying male sex workers to engage in sex parties he called “freak offs.”
The video doesn’t mention Combs’ criminal case or the remorse he expressed Thursday in a letter to Subramanian. The judge could see the video as a transparent attempt to rehabilitate Combs’ image and downplay his crimes.
Combs’ lawyers argue he should be sentenced to no more than 14 months in prison, which would free him almost immediately since he’s already been in jail for more than a year. Prosecutors want a sentence of no less than 11 years and 3 months.
A preview of the video defense will show in court
Combs’ lawyers have released an 11-minute video they plan to play in court as they argue for leniency.
The short film features clips from home videos and other footage of Combs’ pre-arrest life, including scenes of him playing with his children, running in the New York City Marathon and coaching youth football.
The video chronicles Combs’ business successes, philanthropy and touches on some of his sorrows, such as the death of his longtime girlfriend Kim Porter. It shows Combs speaking about young people, his family and God, and features others speaking positively about him.
Judge has lots to consider in sentencing Combs
Subramanian will be weighing a lot more than what’s said in court on Friday.
Leading up to the hearing, prosecutors and defense lawyers submitted lengthy arguments detailing what they think the penalty should be.
Then there are federal sentencing guidelines, which probation officials say suggest a penalty of around 5 years and 10 months to 7 years and 3 months.
Subramanian has also received letters — from some of Combs’ accusers and former employees, who say he should not receive leniency, and from character witnesses who support him and say he should.
Federal sentencing guidelines are suggestions, based on a variety of factors. They are meant to promote transparency and uniformity in sentencing across the federal judiciary and to prevent wide disparities in punishment for the same crimes.
Combs won’t have to wear prison clothes to court
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, right, turns around and looks at the audience during jury selection at Manhattan federal court, Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)
The judge has granted a defense request to allow Combs to wear normal, non-jail clothes at his sentencing.
He will be permitted to have one button-down shirt, one pair of pants, one sweater and one pair of shoes without laces to wear, Subramanian said.
The sentencing “holds significant importance for Mr. Combs,” wrote his lawyer, Teny Geragos. Combs wants to appear “in the most dignified and respectful fashion possible.”
Combs was permitted to wear non-jail attire at his trial, but not at a hearing last week where Subramanian heard arguments on the defense’s since-rejected bid to have his conviction overturned. In that instance, the judge said his lawyers waited too long to ask that he be allowed normal clothing.
Combs, 55, has been locked up at a federal jail in Brooklyn, the Metropolitan Detention Center, since his arrest a year ago.
The right to speak before getting sentenced is well established
According to the American Bar Association, addressing the court at sentencing — formally known as the right of allocution — gives a defendant a chance “to express remorse, and explain personal circumstances” that a judge might consider in deciding on a punishment.
In a 1961 ruling enshrining the right, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote that judges should address defendants directly and leave “no room for doubt that the defendant has been issued a personal invitation to speak prior to sentencing.”
In addition, Combs’ defense team has said that at least four of his lawyers will speak on his behalf and that they plan to play an 11-minute video in court.
Combs will speak in court during his sentencing
His lawyer, Teny Geragos, says the hip-hop mogul plans to speak in court before he is sentenced, exercising a right afforded to all defendants at this stage in a case.
Combs didn’t testify at his trial and spoke only briefly in court when the judge questioned him to make sure he was making the decision not to testify on his own.
“I’m doing great, your honor,” Combs said in that exchange, and volunteered a compliment to the judge, saying: “I want to tell you thank you, you’re doing an excellent job.”
Combs is being sentenced on prostitution-related charges
Combs’ trial ended in a mixed verdict with convictions on two prostitution-related counts and acquittals on the most serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
The prostitution-related counts each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for flying people around the country, including girlfriends and male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters, a violation of the federal Mann Act.
Combs’ acquittals on the other charges spared him the possibility of a life sentence.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is set to be sentenced and faces the possibility of years in prison
Combs faces sentencing Friday in a sordid criminal case that could keep him locked up for years.
The hip-hop mogul was convicted in July of flying people around the country for sexual encounters, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, in violation of the federal Mann Act.
A jury acquitted Combs, 55, of more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges that could have put him away for life.
Prosecutors say he should spend more than 11 years in prison for his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs’ lawyers want him freed now, saying the long sentence sought by prosecutors is “wildly out of proportion” to the crime.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who will decide the sentence, has signaled that Combs is unlikely to be freed soon. He twice rejected bail for the rapper, who has been jailed at a federal detention center in Brooklyn since his arrest a year ago.
▶ Read more about what’s expected in court today
