American rapper, record producer, and music executive, Sean Combs, aka Diddy, was sentenced to just over four years in prison on Friday after being convicted of transporting women to participate in drug-fueled sex marathons.
A jury found Combs guilty in July, on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution related to his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura and a victim who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.”
Judge Arun Subramanian handed down the sentence in Manhattan federal court. Combs faced a maximum of 20 years in prison. Federal prosecutors asked for a sentence of more than 11 years in prison and to impose the maximum fine of $500,000. The defense sought a sentence of no more than 14 months in prison.
Diddy was sentenced to 50 months behind bars. Judge Subramanian also imposed the $500,000 fine and ordered five years of supervised release once Combs leaves prison.
The judge told the court on Friday that a substantial sentence was needed “to send a message to abusers and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is met with real accountability.”
The prosecution, defense lawyers and Diddy himself — as well as members of his family — addressed the court on Friday. Combs called his actions “disgusting, shameful and sick” and asked the judge for “mercy.”
Subramanian said that because Combs went on to assault “Jane” after he assaulted Ventura, “The court is not assured that if released, these crimes will not be committed again.”
(Photo: Jane Rosenberg, Reuters)