Sean 'Diddy' Combs Learns Jail Sentence Months After Being Found Guilty

Three months after being found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, 55-year-old Sean Combs was sentenced on Friday in federal court. 

Sean Combs Sentenced to Years In Prison

Following an extended hearing on Friday in which the defense and prosecution sparred over the proposed length of Combs' sentence, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced the former music mogul to 50 months, or just over four years, in prison. Combs’ lawyers had argued he should spend no more than 14 months in incarceration, while the prosecution argued for a sentence in excess of 11 years. Prior to sentencing, Subramanian told Combs that "the court is not assured that if released, these crimes will not be committed again." He added that a lengthy sentence was required "to send a message to abusers and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is met with real accountability." However, he said the prosecution's request for more than 11 years was "not reasonable."

Sentencing Comes One Day After Combs’ Emotional Letter

The sentencing comes just one day after Combs penned a heartfelt letter to Subramanian in which the musician took “full responsibility and accountability for my past wrongs,” adding that he was "sincerely sorry for all of the hurt and pain that I have caused others." He specifically referred to alleged footage of himself brutalizing former girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, admitting that the images "play over and over in my head daily." “I'm sorry for that and always will be,” he added. “My domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry."

“As I write you this letter, I am scared to death,” Combs wrote to Subramanian on Oct. 2. “Scared to spend another second away from my mother and my children. I no longer care about the money or the fame. There is nothing more important to me than my family."

Combs Would Have Spent 20 Years in Prison, At Most

Combs was sentenced for two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution, but he was acquitted on more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering which would have seen him spend the rest of his life behind bars. Each count of transportation to engage in prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Combs long maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, which also included two counts of sex trafficking and one count of racketeering for leading what prosecutors alleged was a criminal organization.