**Sean “Diddy” Combs Sentenced to Over Four Years in Prison for Transporting People Across State Lines for Sexual Encounters**
Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs are planning to appeal after the Grammy-winning artist and music executive was sentenced Friday to more than four years in prison for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters.
The case shattered Combs’ carefully cultivated reputation as an affable celebrity entrepreneur, A-list party host, and reality TV star. It marked a public reckoning for the 55-year-old hip-hop mogul, who made a plea for leniency and wept as his lawyers played a video portraying his family life, career, and philanthropy.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian also fined Combs $500,000, the maximum allowed by law. Combs was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters over many years and in multiple places.
The sordid, nearly two-month federal trial in Manhattan featured harrowing testimony from women who said Combs beat, threatened, sexually assaulted, and blackmailed them. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.
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### How Much Time Will Combs Serve?
Combs was sentenced to four years and two months in prison. Having already served a year in jail, he could be released in about three years. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of more than 11 years.
Combs’ lawyers argued for immediate release, stating the time behind bars has already forced his remorse and sobriety. On the eve of his sentencing, Combs wrote the judge proclaiming himself a changed man after realizing he was “broken to my core.” His legal team has confirmed they will appeal the decision.
There is no possibility of parole in the federal system. Prosecutor Christy Slavik stated that sparing Combs serious prison time would excuse years of violence. Key witnesses against Combs urged the judge to reject leniency, expressing fears for their safety if he were freed.
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### Where Is Combs Serving His Sentence?
Combs was sent to a Brooklyn federal lockup a year ago after his lawyers unsuccessfully fought to keep him out of jail following his arrest. This facility is primarily used for post-arrest detention for individuals awaiting trial in federal courts in Manhattan or Brooklyn, as well as for those serving short sentences.
The lockup has been plagued by problems since its opening in the 1990s, and its conditions have been so poor in recent years that some judges have refused to send people there. Combs’ lawyers were denied his request to await trial under house arrest at his Miami Beach mansion on an island.
It is currently unclear where Combs will serve the remainder of his sentence. Near his home, there is a low-security federal correctional institution in Miami with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp. The facility houses approximately 1,000 inmates in total.
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### Testimony at Trial
During trial testimony, former girlfriend and R&B singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura recounted to jurors that Combs ordered her to have “disgusting” sexual encounters with strangers hundreds of times during their decade-long relationship. Jurors viewed video footage showing Combs dragging and beating her in a Los Angeles hotel hallway after one such multiday event referred to as a “freak-off.”
Another woman, identified as “Jane,” testified that she was pressured into sex with male workers during drug-fueled “hotel nights” while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters.
The Associated Press does not typically name alleged victims of sexual abuse unless they have come forward publicly. Combs’ lawyers argued at trial that the government was trying to criminalize consensual, albeit unconventional, sexual preferences.
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### Federal Law Violated: The Mann Act
Combs was sentenced for violating the federal Mann Act, a century-old anti-prostitution law. The Mann Act prohibits transporting someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or other illegal sexual acts.
Amended primarily in the 1980s, the law today is chiefly used to prosecute interstate prostitution crimes or the transportation of underage children across state lines for sexual purposes. Defense attorney Jason Driscoll argued that the law was misapplied in Combs’ case.
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### Combs’ Reputational Decline
Combs’ fall from grace began when Ventura, a key witness in the trial, sued him in 2023, alleging years of sexual and physical abuse. The lawsuit was settled within hours for $20 million, an amount Ventura publicly disclosed for the first time during the trial.
Since then, dozens of others have made similar legal claims against Combs. The federal sex trafficking investigation was publicly revealed on the day of a bicoastal raid on Combs’ properties, elevating the seriousness and public awareness of the allegations.
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### How the Case Played in Popular Culture
The seizure of 1,000 bottles of baby oil and other lubricants by federal agents during the raid quickly became a cultural talking point. The case transformed Combs into a punchline in addition to a villain.
Talk shows, “Saturday Night Live,” and social media users have joked about the so-called “freak-offs” and the vast quantities of baby oil allegedly used during Combs’ sex marathons. Fellow celebrities with past associations to Combs were called out, though none have been implicated in the criminal allegations.
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