Diddy Sentenced to 50 Months in Prison in Federal Mann Act Case

Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to 50 months in prison on federal Mann Act charges.

Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison Friday — four years and two month — after a jury in July convicted the hip-hop mogul of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution stemming from conduct involving Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.”

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said he was sentencing Combs for the offenses of conviction — not for counts on which the jury acquitted him — and noted both the scope of harm and Combs’ broader history. “The court has to consider all of your history here,” Subramanian told Combs, while also acknowledging the 54-year-old’s “celebrated and iconic” career and the trauma of his father’s violent death when Combs was a child.

Combs, who faced a statutory maximum of 20 years — 10 per count — had been acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, charges that could have brought a life term. Prosecutors had sought more than 11 years (no less than 135 months) and the maximum $500,000 fine, arguing Combs showed little remorse and that the punishment should reflect the “psychological, emotional and physical” damage to victims. The defense urged no more than 14 months, essentially time served since his September 2024 arrest, saying his “legacy has been destroyed” and that he had already been punished in public view.

Before the sentence, Combs addressed the court at length. He apologized to his family, his community and specifically to Ventura, calling his actions “disgusting, shameful and sick,” and said he was “out of control” while using drugs. “I take full accountability and responsibility,” he said, adding, “If you give me another chance, I won’t let you down.”

Diddy’s 50-Month Sentence at a Glance

• The crimes: Two counts under the federal Mann Act (transporting women for prostitution).
• The term: 50 months in prison — four years and two months.
• Acquittals: Not guilty on racketeering and sex trafficking by coercion.
• Prosecutors wanted: At least 135 months (11+ years) and a $500,000 fine.
• Defense asked for: 14 months (time served).
• Judge: Balanced sentence, citing Combs’ iconic career and traumatic past but stressing accountability.
• Why it matters: A moment of reckoning for one of hip-hop’s most influential figures.

The hearing featured dueling portraits. Prosecutor Christy Slavik called Combs “a master puppeteer of his own image,” describing abuse that was “consistent, casual even, but life-changing for the people on the bruised end of it.” Defense attorney Brian Steel countered that Combs has been sober and “transformed,” pointing to his in-custody class “Free Game with Diddy,” his past philanthropy, and plans to teach rehabilitation programs if released.

Combs wept as several of his children asked the court for leniency. “We’re still just daughters who need our father,” one said through tears. Subramanian, who earlier indicated he saw no reason to depart from advisory guidelines of roughly six to seven years, ultimately split the difference between the parties’ positions and the range — imposing 50 months.

The case turned on the federal Mann Act, which criminalizes transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution. Jurors found that Combs transported women for commercial sex acts; they acquitted him of the sweeping racketeering conspiracy and coercive sex-trafficking charges. At trial, jurors viewed 2016 hotel surveillance video of Combs assaulting Ventura — footage that catalyzed public outrage when it surfaced last year — and heard testimony about what Ventura called “Freak Offs” and what Jane called “hotel nights.”

Subramanian told Combs he had weighed both the downfall and the record. “You are being sentenced for these offenses,” the judge said, urging Combs to continue treatment and accountability. The courtroom, packed with reporters and supporters, fell silent as the term was read: 50 months.

For Combs — who once seemed to personify hip-hop’s expansive promise — the number marks a coda to a summer of hard contradictions: a partial acquittal, a pair of felony convictions, and a public reckoning in which a cultural architect asked for mercy while victims asked to be believed. The next chapter will unfold behind bars.