Sean “Diddy” Combs’ life of luxury atop the hip-hop world vanished with his criminal conviction.
He now faces the grim prospect of more years behind bars as his attorneys make plans to appeal.
Combs’ carefully cultivated reputation as an affable celebrity entrepreneur, A-list party host, and reality TV star came crashing down Friday. The Grammy-winning artist and music executive was sentenced to four years and two months in prison for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters.
It was a public reckoning for the 55-year-old music star, who made a plea for leniency, weeping as his lawyers played a video portraying his family life, career, and philanthropy.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian also fined Combs $500,000, the maximum allowed.
Combs was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters over many years and in multiple places.
The sordid, nearly two-month trial in a federal court in Manhattan featured harrowing testimony from women who said Combs beat, threatened, sexually assaulted, and blackmailed them.
He was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.
Combs has already served a year in jail, meaning he could get out in about three years. Prosecutors sought a sentence of more than 11 years, while his lawyers argued for immediate release, citing the impact of his incarceration on his life.
Combs was sent to a Brooklyn federal lockup a year ago after his lawyers unsuccessfully fought to keep him out of jail following his arrest. The facility has a history of problems since its opening in the 1990s, affecting the overall environment for inmates.
Legally indicted under the Mann Act, Combs’ sentencing dealt a heavy blow to his legacy, originally sparked by allegations from his former girlfriend, Cassie, who filed a lawsuit alleging years of abuse. The public interest in the case spiked amidst revelations of the federal investigation, including anecdotes involving bizarre materials seized from his residences.
