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.

'The Infamous' vs. 'Illmatic': Two Visions of Hip-Hop’s Greatest Album Emerge

Mobb Deep’s “The Infamous” and Nas’s “Illmatic” became the center of debate after Pitchfork’s editors and readers named different albums the greatest rap record of all time. 

For decades, arguments over the greatest rap album lived in barbershops, dorm rooms, and late-night debates between fans who knew every lyric by heart. This week, the fight played out on the record.

On Tuesday, Pitchfork’s editors declared Mobb Deep’s “The Infamous” the best rap album of all time. A day later, readers pushed back, voting Nas’s “Illmatic” into the top spot. Two visions of rap history, 24 hours apart — proof that hip-hop’s memory is less a monument than a moving target.

Pitchfork had invited the clash. On Aug. 25, it opened a readers’ poll asking fans to rank the greatest rap albums; thousands responded. When the results were published Wednesday, the comparison to the editorial list was explicit. The result was a cultural referendum: editors celebrated bleak Queensbridge realism; fans rallied behind an album that defined New York lyricism and spoke to generations.

Editors vs. Readers — Top 5

Pitchfork Editors (Tuesday)

1. “The Infamous” — Mobb Deep (1995)
2. “All Eyez on Me” — 2Pac (1996)
3. “400 Degreez” — Juvenile (1998)
4. “Supreme Clientele” — Ghostface Killah (2000)
5. “Illmatic” — Nas (1994)

Full editors’ list

Pitchfork Readers (Wednesday)

1. “Illmatic” — Nas (1994)
2. “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)” — Wu-Tang Clan (1993)
3. “To Pimp a Butterfly” — Kendrick Lamar (2015)
4. “good kid, m.A.A.d city” — Kendrick Lamar (2012)
5. “The Marshall Mathers LP” — Eminem (2000)

Full readers’ poll

Flashpoints: Editors’ list snubs Drake, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Eminem. Readers surge for Kendrick. Lauryn Hill remains the only woman in the critics’ top 10.

The editorial list leaned toward innovation and grit. Alongside “The Infamous,” the top five included 2Pac’s “All Eyez on Me,” Juvenile’s “400 Degreez,” Ghostface Killah’s “Supreme Clientele,” and “Illmatic” at No. 5. Southern classics and underground landmarks sat shoulder to shoulder with only one woman in the top ten — Lauryn Hill’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.”

Fans, by contrast, elevated cultural resonance. Their top rankings were led by “Illmatic,” followed by Wu-Tang Clan’s “Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers),” Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” and “good kid, m.A.A.d city,” with Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP” rounding out the top five. The poll showed younger generations pulling recent classics into the same conversation as ’90s staples.

Online, the omissions drew outrage. On Reddit and X, fans blasted the lack of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Ice Cube, The Roots, and other staples, while questioning why women MCs beyond Lauryn Hill were left off the critics’ top 25.

The divide is revealing. For critics, “The Infamous” represents the pinnacle of craft — cold-blooded imagery and soundscapes that redefined East Coast rap. For fans, “Illmatic” is scripture: a lyrical coming-of-age story that still feels lived, remembered, and quoted 30 years later. Both changed rap; only one can be called the greatest, depending on who’s asked.

Fan Reactions

The lists sparked heated debate across X and Reddit. Some fans called it “wild” that no Jay-Z or Drake albums appeared in the critics’ top 25, while others said the readers’ embrace of Kendrick Lamar proved newer generations are reshaping the canon.

On r/hiphopheads, one thread argued that Lauryn Hill being the only woman in the editors’ top 10 showed how narrow the definition of greatness still is. Another popular post praised Nas’s “Illmatic” topping the readers’ poll: “It’s the one album everyone still quotes, 30 years later.”

What makes this moment remarkable is not who won, but what it says about power. For decades, critical institutions curated hip-hop’s registry. In the streaming era, fans now challenge that authority with votes, playlists, and viral debates. It is less about a fixed canon than a contest — a tug-of-war over memory itself.

And maybe that’s the truest measure of rap’s vitality. A genre born from turntables in the Bronx, raised on battles and bravado, refuses to be frozen. When Mobb Deep and Nas trade the crown in 2025, it isn’t indecision — it’s affirmation. Hip-hop is still alive, still argued over, still ours.

6ix9ine Avoids Prison, Ordered to Home Detention for Palm Beach Mall Attack

Rapper 6ix9ine speaks during a taping of the “One Night with Steiny” podcast, where he addressed stigma and trauma tied to his past cooperation with federal investigators. (Screengrab via YouTube/"One Night with Steiny")

6ix9ine was ordered into home detention Thursday after admitting in federal court that he punched a man during a confrontation at a Florida mall. The Brooklyn rapper — born Daniel Hernandez — told Judge Paul A. Engelmayer, “Me and another individual hit a person, and I was wrong.”

Prosecutors said the Aug. 8 assault in Palm Beach County was sparked when the man taunted him about cooperating with federal investigators in the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Rebold warned the court that this was the third time in a year Hernandez had violated supervised release, describing what he called a troubling lack of impulse control.

Judge Engelmayer, who previously sentenced Hernandez to two years in prison in the racketeering case, said repeated violations could soon end leniency. This time, he imposed electronic monitoring and home detention in Florida, making clear that the rapper’s “serial pattern” of violations will weigh heavily in any future hearing.

The sanction follows earlier admissions that cocaine and MDMA were found in Hernandez’s Florida home, as well as past penalties for unauthorized travel and missed drug tests. In November 2024, he spent 45 days in custody after what the judge called a pattern of absconding and defiance.

Hernandez addressed some of these issues in a recent appearance on the podcast " One Night with Steiny." He said taunts about being a “snitch” still feel like threats, insisting, “Putting me in jail is not going to teach me a lesson.” He spoke about the trauma of being kidnapped by former associates and argued that Latino rappers face narrower lanes in hip-hop: “When you’re Spanish, there’s no space for you in the rap game.”

 

The rapper’s legal turmoil comes against the backdrop of a once-blazing career. His 2017 breakout “Gummo” became a viral hit. “FEFE,” with Nicki Minaj, reached No. 3 on the Hot 100, and his 2018 album "Dummy Boy" bowed at No. 2 despite an early leak. But the racketeering plea and testimony against Nine Trey members recast him from chart star to lightning rod.

Hernandez also recently mourned the death of Ariela “La Langosta,” a Dominican influencer close to his circle, calling her a “tremendous woman” and “queen of New York.” The loss underscored the turbulence of a life lived partly in courtrooms and partly online.

For now, home detention keeps him out of prison. But with his record of repeat violations, the question is no longer whether 6ix9ine can top charts again — it’s whether he can keep his freedom long enough to try.

6ix9ine: Highs and Lows

Career Highs 2017: Breakout with “Gummo,” a viral hit that launched him to national attention 2018: “FEFE” with Nicki Minaj peaks at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 2018: Dummy Boy debuts at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 2020: Post-prison single “Gooba” sets a first-day YouTube record for a rap debut

Legal Lows 2015: Pleads guilty to use of a child in a sexual performance; sentenced to probation 2018: Arrested in racketeering conspiracy with Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods 2019: Testifies against gang members; sentenced to two years in prison 2023–2024: Supervised-release violations: drug possession, missed tests, unauthorized travel Aug. 2025: Admits assault at Florida mall; ordered to home detention with ankle monitor

His chart success and courtroom trouble have risen in parallel — each new hit matched by another legal fight.

Jury Clears Metro Boomin of Civil Sexual Battery Claims in Los Angeles

Metro Boomin, born Leland T. Wayne, is pictured in a promotional portrait. A Los Angeles jury on Sept. 25, 2025, found the producer not liable in a civil sexual assault case stemming from allegations dating to 2016. 

Metro Boomin, the Atlanta superproducer whose fingerprints are on some of the biggest records of the last decade, walked out of a Los Angeles federal courthouse today after a jury found him not liable in a civil lawsuit that accused him of rape.

The verdict, delivered after two weeks of testimony, rejected claims by plaintiff Vanessa LeMaistre that he assaulted her in 2016, a case that put one of hip-hop’s most in-demand producers under a legal spotlight he never expected to face.

“I’m blessed. I’m relieved,” the 32-year-old producer, born Leland T. Wayne, told reporters outside the courthouse. “I never thought I would ever have to do anything like that. I’m just relieved. It’s a burden lifted off my back.” His remarks came minutes after jurors cleared him of four civil counts, ending a case that began when LeMaistre filed suit in October 2024.

“I’m blessed. I’m relieved,” Metro Boomin tells Rolling Stone after jury finds him not liable at civil sexual assault trial

“It’s a burden lifted off my back" pic.twitter.com/XJXZwyA3MF

— Nancy Dillon (@Nancy__Dillon) September 25, 2025

In her complaint, LeMaistre alleged she blacked out after consuming Xanax and alcohol provided by Wayne during a recording session, and later awoke in a Southern California hotel room as he raped her. She testified that she drifted in and out of consciousness during the incident. Wayne, who took the stand in his own defense, flatly denied the account. Asked whether he ever assaulted her, he told jurors, “Absolutely not,” adding there was “no way in the world” he did what she claimed. He said their past encounters had been consensual and that he had not seen LeMaistre “in, like, a decade” until she filed the lawsuit.

The trial unfolded with the kind of twists rarely seen in federal court. Jurors were shown handwritten notes LeMaistre created during a 2024 ayahuasca ceremony in Peru, pages she titled Plan Ayahuasca Gave Me. In them, she wrote about her intention to “blow the whistle on Metro Boomin” and listed a damages figure between $3.4 million and $3.7 million. Defense attorney Justin H. Sanders called the case “preposterous” and told jurors, “This whole lawsuit was born out of a drug den in Peru. In the jungle.” Judge R. Gary Klausner struck part of LeMaistre’s testimony about the hallucinogenic brew, ruling that any evidence about its effects required expert testimony. “You are going to have to call an expert in that area, counsel,” the judge told her lawyer during the trial.

How many tracks does Metro Boomin have on Young Thug's new album?

"I've been so focused on this, man, I'm not even sure," Metro says after a federal jury in Los Angeles cleared him of four claims alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in 2016. pic.twitter.com/qNJovwleKk

— Meghann Cuniff (@meghanncuniff) September 25, 2025

Questions of credibility were constant. LeMaistre faced cross-examination over her efforts to amend Planned Parenthood medical records from 2016, which initially reflected that she had not reported an assault. She testified she was not trying to falsify the record but wanted it to “reflect what I know is true.” The defense cast it as an attempt to strengthen her claim, while the judge allowed the jury to weigh it for themselves.

In the end, the panel of five men and three women sided with Wayne. One juror explained the decision bluntly afterward: “The evidence wasn’t there. A lot of it was just testimony or talking about it. There was no substantial ‘This is what happened.’ There were no dates recollected correctly.” For Wayne, the verdict offered relief and the chance to return to his career without the shadow of liability, though he acknowledged outside court the weight of having lived under the allegations. 

For LeMaistre, the fight may continue. Her attorney, Michael J. Willemin, said after the decision, “Though the legal system is often stacked against survivors, our client showed unwavering fortitude. We believe that the verdict will ultimately be overturned on appeal.”

Court Tosses Rico Case Tied to Diddy’s Mother

Sean “Diddy” Combs and his mother, Janice Combs, in a portrait he shared on Instagram on Dec. 21, 2020, to mark her 80th birthday. A federal judge dismissed racketeering claims against Janice Combs on Sept. 19, 2025, ruling the allegations were filed decades too late. (Photo via Diddy/Instagram)

A federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed racketeering claims against Janice Smalls Combs, the mother of Sean “Diddy” Combs, ending a high-stakes publishing royalties dispute more than two decades after it allegedly began.

In a final judgment entered on September 19, 2025, U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson ruled that plaintiff Deon “D1” Best’s civil RICO claims were barred by the statute of limitations. The dismissal was entered with prejudice, permanently closing the door on those claims. Best’s state-law claims — including fraud, conversion, unjust enrichment and conspiracy — were dismissed without prejudice, allowing them to be refiled in California state court. The judgment also ordered that Best “shall take nothing” and that Combs and her publishing companies may recover their costs.

Best, a songwriter and producer who does business as Finish Line Entertainment and Dee Mac Music, alleged in his First Amended Complaint that he was the “rightful owner of certain music publishing rights and royalties” — including the single “Come With Me” from the 1998 Godzilla soundtrack. He accused Combs and her son of engaging in “coercive and fraudulent tactics to seize control of Plaintiff’s publishing rights,” including threats, misrepresentations and forged contracts that redirected royalties through Janice Combs Publishing beginning in 2001.

The court, however, found the allegations untimely. In a January 30 order, Judge Anderson wrote: “It is unclear from the allegations why Plaintiff would not have had enough information prior to [October 2023] to warrant an investigation which, if reasonably diligent, would have led to the discovery of fraud.” He also noted that the complaint did not allege any “new overt act within the limitations period” that would satisfy the Ninth Circuit’s separate accrual rule for RICO claims.

With the September judgment, the federal case is over. Best may still attempt to pursue his state-law claims in state court, but the racketeering allegations against Combs are permanently closed.

Diddy’s Children Beg Judge for Compassion: 'Please Let My Dad out of Jail'

Sean “Diddy” Combs kisses the hand of his mother, Janice Combs, in a 2019 portrait shared on his official Facebook page. Now 84, she has written to a federal judge ahead of his sentencing, asking for mercy and saying, “I would like to spend the last few years of my life with my son, Sean.” (Photo via Diddy/Facebook)

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ mother does not shy away from the truth. “He has made some terrible mistakes in his life, which I know he recognizes,” Janice Combs wrote in a letter to the judge. But at 84, with her health fading, she begged for leniency so she could see her son outside of a prison cell. “On December 21, I will be 85 years old … I would like to spend the last few years of my life with my son, Sean,” she wrote. “This separation for the past year while Sean has been incarcerated has been excruciatingly difficult and painful for me and his children.”

The plea was among more than 60 letters filed as part of Combs’ sentencing submission ahead of his Oct. 3 hearing in Manhattan federal court. Convicted in July of two counts of transporting people for prostitution, he was acquitted of racketeering and sex-trafficking charges. He has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest in September 2024, after a judge denied multiple bail requests, including a $50 million bond proposal backed by his Miami mansion.

His six children wrote with equal urgency. Justin Combs acknowledged his father’s failings but insisted, “I refuse to let those mistakes erase the truth of who he is: a loving, present father who has instilled in me and my siblings the importance of respect, of honoring women, and of standing tall in the face of adversity.” His brother Christian was more direct: “Please let him out! This is driving me crazy and my family crazy! I’m asking for grace and compassion to the family … please let my dad out of jail!”

Chance Combs told the court that “some of my siblings do not have their mother and are now missing a father figure in their lives. We miss him deeply and need his presence, especially now.” Twins Jessie and D’Lila added: “Our family has faced many challenges … but no matter what we continue to stick together through it all. We know who our father truly is, a caring, loving, generous, passionate and dedicated man.”

Defense lawyers are asking Judge Arun Subramanian to impose no more than 14 months — roughly the time Combs has already served — paired with supervised release, drug treatment and counseling. Prosecutors are pushing for 51 to 63 months, pointing to testimony and surveillance evidence they say depicts acts of violence, including dragging and kicking a woman in a hotel hallway.

The judge has consistently rejected release motions, citing risk of flight and danger to the community. In denying bail last year, he dismissed even the multimillion-dollar bond package and declarations of family support, writing that no conditions would reasonably assure safety or appearance.

As sentencing approaches, the case now balances sharply between punishment and mercy. For prosecutors, a prison term of several years reflects the seriousness of the conduct and the need for accountability. For Combs’ family, it is a question of time: how much longer a son, a father and a brother will be kept from them, and whether a final chance for reunion will be lost. “My son is my life,” Janice Combs wrote. “Please let me have him back, even for a little while, before God calls me home.”

Finesse2tymes Says He’s ‘Safe and Sound’ Following Weekend Arrest in Texas

Photo Courtesy: Smith County Jail

Ricky Hampton, the Memphis rapper who performs as Finesse2tymes, was arrested late Friday in Tyler, Texas, after a traffic stop that followed his concert in Smith County. Police say they smelled marijuana during the stop and later found drugs in the car, leading to Hampton’s booking alongside passenger Halie Buckingham.

According to an arrest affidavit, an officer saw Hampton driving a red Corvette and pulled him over for not wearing a seat belt while turning onto Claude Street. During the stop, officers reported the odor of marijuana and saw a hand-rolled cigar in the ashtray. When police searched the vehicle, they said Buckingham grabbed a bag from the passenger-side floorboard; officers searched the bag and reported finding about 0.7 ounces of marijuana, 12 oxycodone pills and seven methylphenidate pills.

 

Hampton was booked into the Smith County Jail on a charge of possession of marijuana. Buckingham was booked on two counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. Both were released on bond at about 4:50 a.m. on Sept. 20, according to jail records provided with the affidavit.

Hours later, Hampton posted a video telling fans he’d made it out “safe and sound,” thanked his team and supporters, and framed the detention as old business. “They took me down on some little charges from 2018… it’s over with now… all this is dismissed… I ain’t got to pay no bond,” he said in the clip. His account differs from the arrest paperwork that lists the new Smith County charges and notes a release on bond.

Hampton said he’s “coming up with a strategy… how we can repay y’all,” floating meet-and-greets to make up for disruptions, and thanked fans who “didn’t count me out.”

Cardi B Says She’s Expecting a Baby With NFL Star Stefon Diggs

Cardi B during a “CBS Mornings” interview. The rapper confirmed she is expecting her fourth child — her first with boyfriend and NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs — and said the baby is due before her February arena tour. (Image via CBS/Youtube)

Cardi B turned album week into family news — on her terms.

In an exclusive “CBS Mornings” interview, the 32-year-old rapper confirmed she’s pregnant with her fourth child, her first with boyfriend and NFL wide receiver Stefon Diggs, and said the baby is due before her arena tour begins in February.

“I’m having a baby,” she said, adding, “I’m excited. I’m happy… I feel very strong, very powerful that I’m doing all this work while I’m creating a baby.”

 

She explained why she waited to share the news amid weeks of speculation: “Can I just say it on my own time?… on my time, on my own terms. Let me close some deals first… Let me see a couple more sonograms. Let my baby be healthy.” She laughed that, as of the taping, she still hadn’t told her parents — “I’m very scared of my parents!” — and turned the reveal into a playful pitch: “Now that I talked about it… now y’all could buy my album so I could buy Pampers and diapers.”

Cardi said Diggs has been a steadying force during the pressure of a high-profile rollout. “He just makes me feel safe and very confident and very strong,” she said, recalling a recent panic attack tied to online blowback and his no-nonsense pep talk: “Girl, you better get it together.” Asked about the timing, she said the tour will stay on schedule: she’s already “at the gym” and “taking dance classes,” and rehearsals will start soon after delivery. “I don’t come from weak women.”

“Am I the Drama?” — her long-awaited sophomore album — arrives Friday. The pregnancy news makes the release week even more personal, but the message was clear: she wanted to share it herself, when she was ready, and she’s preparing to juggle motherhood and a full arena run this winter.