Watch: Sean "Diddy" Combs Sentenced to More Than 4 Years in PrisonContent warning: This story discusses sexual assault and domestic violence. Sean "Diddy" Combs is spending more time behind bars. After Combs was convicted on two prostitution-related offenses but acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges in his sex trafficking case, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced the Bad Boy Records founder to 50 months in prison, which totals over four years, plus five years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000. The judge explained the reasoning at the Oct. 3 hearing, saying prosecutors' proposal of 135 months was more than what would be "necessary," but the defense's request of 14 months "would not be sufficient," per NBC News. "The need for general deterrence warrants a significant sentence," the judge said. "A substantial sentence must be given to serve as an example to abusers and victims alike." The 55-year-old has a right to appeal the sentence. Before the judge's decision was revealed, Combs spoke in court to apologize to victims Cassie Ventura and "Jane."readSean "Diddy" Combs Trial Live Updates Week 4: Court Resumes After Judge's Warning"My actions were disgusting, shameful and sick," he said. "I was sick, sick from the drugs, I was out of control, I needed help and I didn't get the help." Combs continued, "I lost my self-respect. I have been humbled and broken to my core. I hate myself right now, I've been stripped down to nothing. I am truly sorry for it all, no matter what they say."REUTERS/Jane RosenbergAnd, in a letter submitted to the judge in charge of his sentencing, Combs stated that he lost his "way" over time, noting his sobriety. "Although this situation has been the hardest and darkest time in my life, good things have come out of my incarceration," Combs wrote in his Oct. 2 letter, obtained by NBC News. "For starters, I am now sober for the first time in 25 years. I have been trying my best to deal with my drug abuse and anger issues and take accountability as well as positive steps towards healing."Dia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesThe letter also included an apology to Ventura, who dated Combs on and off between 2007 and 2018 and served as one of the prosecution's key witnesses. (During her testimony, the Me & U singer shared how Combs controlled all aspects of her life including instructing her take part in "hundreds" of "freak offs.") "The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily," he wrote in reference to a 2016 video that surfaced last year. "I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved. I'm sorry for that and always will be."Rebecca Sapp/WireImageAhead of the sentencing, Judge Subramanian-who presided over Combs' federal trial-had turned down the music mogul's motion for an acquittal related to his convictions on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Previously, Combs had pleaded not guilty to all five charges in his trial-two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution as well as one count of racketeering conspiracy-and had initially faced a possible maximum sentence of life in prison. During the seven-week long trial that took place earlier this year, prosecutors argued Combs had coerced women to take part in "freak offs," which were drug-fueled sexual performances with sex workers. The defense countered that such encounters were consensual.
Elizabeth Williams via APIn total, prosecutors called a total of 34 witnesses to the stand, including some of Combs' former employees, male escorts, federal agents and a former girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym "Jane." "Jane," who dated the mogul for three years until 2024, testified about the nature of her experience with Combs over the course of six days, alleging that their dynamic made it difficult for her to end their relationship. As for the defense, though they cross-examined a number of the prosecution's witnesses, they rested their case without calling their own, choosing to introduce exhibits only. Near the end of his trial, Combs-whose proceedings saw a number of slight unexpected turns including one juror who was dismissed due to "lack of candor"-confirmed he chose not to testify. After his verdict, Combs' attorneys spoke out, calling the result a "huge win" for the music mogul even as he was denied bail. "He was acquitted of sex trafficking, acquitted of RICO conspiracy," Anna Estevao said outside a Manhattan courtroom, per NBC News. "He will be able to sleep well at night knowing that." Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Ricky J. Patel, the special agent in charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations, released a joint statement following the news."Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society," they said i