On October 3 at a New York courthouse, Diddy was officially sentenced to 50 months in prison, which is around four years, and a maximum fine of $500,000.
Diddy was seeking time served, while prosecutors wanted a maximum of 11 years.
This follows the controversial trial verdict back in July, where Diddy was only found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution regarding Cassie and another woman identified only as “Jane,” and not guilty of two counts of sex trafficking and conspiracy to commit racketeering. In the interim, members of the Combs family as well as some notable celebrity peers, including Stevie J and frequent Diddy paramour Yung Miami of the City Girls, wrote letters to the judge to appeal for a lighter sentencing. Diddy contributed his own letter as well, expressing remorse and shame for his treatment of Cassie, and writing that “Prison will change you or kill you—I choose tot live” and “The old me died in jail and a new version of me was born.”
Prosecution and the defense both lobbied their cases for the majority of the day. Signs that the judge would not come down in Diddy’s favor were early and apparent—at one point, he pointed to alleged reports of Diddy already having speaking engagements booked for next week as the height of “hubris.”
Diddy’s children and the members of his defense team also made in-person pleas to the judge in court, some of whom (like his daughters and even infamous defense attorney Brian Steel) tearfully appealed for a lenient sentence. For his own part, Diddy spoke late in the afternoon, saying “One of the hardest things I’ve had to handle has been having to be quiet and not express how sorry I am for my actions. I don’t take that lightly. I would like to apologize to Cassie Ventura and her family. I apologize to Jane, for bringing you into my mess… I hate myself right now. I’ve been stripped down to nothing. I want to apologize to my seven children… I’m so sorry. You deserve better. To my mother… you taught me better. I let down my community… I got lost. I’m not this bad person. People can change. I know I’ve changed. These are not excuses. I can’t change the past but I can change the future. I beg your Honor for mercy, to be a father again, to be a son again, a leader in my community again. To get the help I need.”
After a brief recess, presiding Judge Subramanian countered these pleas: “A history of good works can’t wash away the record in this case. You abused these women. You used that abuse to get your way, freak offs and hotel nights. The evidence of the abuse is massive.” However Subramanian rejected the prosecution’s petition as well, saying “A sentence over 11 years is not reasonable. Even the Probation Department recommends a sentence less than half of that. But 14 months, time served, would not be sufficient.” As it stands, the judge’s ruling for 50 months comes in at just over four years, but minus the 14 that Diddy already served.
