Diddy. Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to 50 months in prison. The rap mogul was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution in July and acquitted of three more serious three racketeering and sex crimes charges, marking the conclusion of a RICO investigation that began nearly two years ago. Diddy faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; prosecutors had asked for 135 months. He has also been ordered to pay a $500,000 fine.
One day prior to sentencing, Diddy released a letter asking the court for leniency. “First and foremost, I want to apologize and say how sincerely sorry I am for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused others by my conduct,” he wrote. “Today, I humbly ask you for another chance—another chance to be a better father, another chance to be a better son, another chance to be a better leader in my community, and another chance to live a better life.”
Such statements, prosecutors told Judge Arun Subramanian, were mere “lip service.” In the government’s opening statement, prosecutor Christy Slavik claimed that Diddy had booked speaking engagements in Miami in a week’s time. “That is the height of hubris,” Slavik told the court.
Diddy’s legal troubles began in November 2023 in 2024 soon after former girlfriend Cassie launched a civil lawsuit accusing her former partner of rape and sexual abuse. That case was settled the following day, but it opened the floodgate for a wave of other similar claims. Federal agents raided his homes in March 2024, and in September he was arrested and formally charged with a RICO case. He pled not guilty to all charges
The trial began on May 12, 2025. The prosecution painted Diddy as the head of a vast criminal network. “During this trial you are going to hear about 20 years of the defendant’s crimes,” Federal prosecutor Emily Johnson said in her opening statement. “But he didn’t do it alone. He had an inner circle of bodyguards and high-ranking employees who helped him commit crimes and cover them up.” Diddy’s defence team maintained that he was being punished for consensual sexual activity while admitting that their client had engaged in violent behaviour.
The prosecution’s case rested significantly on the testimony of high-profile associates of Diddy. Cassie took the stand on the second day of the trial, testifying that their relationship was defined by horrific sexual violence. Cassie said she felt forced to participate in sex parties known as “freak-offs;” she recalled one instance where Combs allegedly beat her after she refused, and said she had been concerned that Diddy would release recorded footage of her participation in the freak offs if she did not do as he wished.
Kid Cudi, the rapper and producer who began a romantic relationship with Cassie during a gap in her relationship with Diddy, also took the stand. Cudi testified that Cassie had expressed fear over what Diddy would do if he discovered they were together, and said that Diddy had been “abusive” during their relationship. Eventually, Cassie told Cudi that Diddy had learned of their relationship; soon after, Cudi said that his house was broken into. After Cudi and Cassie ended their relationship, Cudi’s Porsche was firebombed in his driveway, something Cassie told Cudi that Diddy had threatened at one point. Diddy denied any knowledge of the incident when he and Cudi eventually spoke in person.
Just over a week before sentencnig, Diddy’s legal team moved to vacate his convictions or hold a new trial his convictions were a violation of federal sex trafficking laws known as the Mann Act. This motion was denied by Judge Subramanian on October 1, two days before sentencing.
