After Combs addressed the court Friday afternoon during what was an all-day sentencing hearing, Judge Arun Subramanian said the court is “not assured” that if Combs was released that “these crimes would not be committed again,” according to CNN’s live reporting. The judge also said that “a substantial sentence must be given to send a message to abusers and victims alike that abuse against women is met with real accountability.”

Following an eight-week highly publicized trial that concluded in July, Combs was convicted on two counts of transportation for prostitution with each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years. But he was acquitted of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. 

Last year, the fallen music mogul and fashion designer, 55, had been charged with two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering. Combs denied all charges against him as well as any wrongdoing. The prosecution alleged that Combs had conspired with others to commit racketeering.

The prosecution had argued that Combs ran a criminal enterprise with the help of his associates from at least 2004 to 2024. He was accused of transporting two former girlfriends and hired escorts across state lines for the purpose of commercial sex. Such actions are in violation of the Mann Act, a 1910 federal statute that made it a crime to transport individuals across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.  

The prosecution sought a sentence of more than 11 years for Combs, while his defense team requested 14 months. Combs has already served 13 months at the Metropolitan Detention Center in a unit with Sam Bankman-Fried and 24 others.

Combs, a father of seven children, had not taken the stand during his trial. His requests for bail had been denied, prior to his sentencing.

Earlier this week Subramanian rejected Combs’ lawyers’ motion to dismiss his convictions on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

During the trial, Combs’ lawyers had argued that his former girlfriends Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a witness, who was identified by the pseudonym “Jane,” had been willing participants in the drug-fueled multiday sexual encounters. Prior to Friday’s sentencing, Ventura, a former model, was among the government witnesses, who recently filed victim impact statements. She wrote of relocating and that Combs had used “violence, threats, substances and control” over her career to “trap” her in more than a decade of abuse.

Ventura’s attorney Douglas Wigdor of Wigdor Law LLC issued the following statement Friday: “This entire criminal process started when our client Cassie Ventura had the courage to file her civil complaint in November 2023. Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking, Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice. We must repeat — with no reservation — that we believe and support our client who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial. She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion. This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.”

On Thursday night, Combs, who has gone by “Diddy,” “Puff Daddy” and “P. Diddy” during different points in his career personally appealed to the judge with a four-page letter, asking for “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.”

Friday morning Combs’ legal team sent an 11-minute documentary-style video of Combs playing with a few of his children, running the New York City marathon to raise money for the city’s public schools, giving motivational speeches and at his late wife Kim Porter’s funeral. The short ends with images of the musicians’ children declaring their love for him. Combs opened his letter with “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. I take full responsibility and accountability for my past wrongs.” He also wrote of having gotten lost “in the drugs and the excess.” The Grammy winner spoke of being sober for the first time in 25 years. He said the images of him assaulting Ventura “play over and over in my head daily. I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved.”

On Wednesday, Combs’ legal team shared 10 letters that were written in support of Combs. In one, Virginia Huynh, an ex-girlfriend, who was identified as “Victim 3” in the indictment, asked Judge Subramanian “to consider releasing him back to his family.” Huynh said she met with prosecutors three times and “felt pressured to feel like a victim” and that she was not “trafficked,” nor had she engaged in prostitution with him or others. She was subpoenaed but she was informed by her lawyer that she would not be called to take the stand.

In addition, Iyesata Marsh, a self-described “celebrity hairstylist” with more than 30 years in the industry, wrote to the judge that Combs has been “a mentor, a godfather-like figure and a role model” to her son. There was also a letter to Judge Subramanian from one of Combs’ fellow inmates Ho Wen Kwok, who wrote about how the fallen music mogul initiated a “Free Game With Diddy” course to encourage entrepreneurship.

Adept at self-promotion, Combs threw a star-studded birthday bash for himself in 1998 at Cipriani’s Wall Street that was said to have cost $500,000. The 1,200 guests included Muhammad Ali, Ronald Perelman, Derek Jeter, Busta Rhymes, Martha Stewart, Missy Elliott, Naomi Campbell, Kevin Costner, Elle Macpherson, Harvey Weinstein, Sarah Ferguson, Michael Bolton, Kelly Klein, Aerin Lauder, Eliza Reed and Henry Winkler, among others. Combs told WWD that night, “I spend a lot of money. I let people be people. It don’t matter, if you’re white or Black or straight or gay, when it’s time to party, it’s time to party. It’s a celebration of life. I’m just trying to share my vibe.”

Two decades ago Combs was a prominent figure in the fashion industry with his Sean John label. In 2004, he won the CFDA’s top menswear designer of the year award, beating out Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors. Sales of his brand reached $450 million at retail and a Sean John flagship opened on Fifth Avenue in New York. Sean John acquires a 50 percent stake in Zac Posen’s company, Outspoke LLC. Combs also appeared on Broadway in “Raisin in the Sun.”

In 2005, his effort to launch womenswear was short-lived with the Sean by Sean Combs line shuttering within a year. In 2010, the Sean John store shut down. Combs was more successful with fragrances, and by 2015 he had added underwear and loungewear, debuted a fashion show documentary ”If I Were King,” and signed a deal with Macy’s for sportswear and licenses for children’s wear and other categories.

In 2016, Global Brands Group Holding Ltd. purchased a majority stake in Sean John and Combs earned an estimated $70 million. The Sean John brand generated retail sales of $525 million at that time. Five years later Combs filed a lawsuit against Global Brands Group seeking $25 million for “false endorsement, misappropriation of likeness and violating his publicity rights,” over the launch the prior fall of a women’s collection with U.K. fast-fashion retailer Missguided Unlimited. After Global Brands Group filed Chapter 11, Combs, who has not been a CFDA member for several years, bought back the trademark for the Sean John brand in bankruptcy court for $7.5 million, but it largely petered out.

Wigdor and another one of Ventura’s attorneys, Meredith Firetog, said after the sentencing, “While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs, the sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed. We are confident that with the support of her family and friends, Ms. Ventura will continue healing knowing that her bravery and fortitude have been an inspiration to so many.”