Three months ago, Sean 'Diddy' Combs fell to his knees in a Manhattan courtroom after a New York jury acquitted him of charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. 'I'm coming home,' he said, turning around to face his family, who had supported him every day of the trial.
On Friday, a subdued version of the hip-hop mogul sat emotionless and still in his chair, as the judge sentenced him to over four years in prison. After Judge Arun Subramanian finished reading his sentence, the rapper turned around to look at his family and appeared to mouth the words: 'I love you, I'm sorry.'
It was a quiet moment to mark the end of a chaotic eight-week trial that forever altered the public's image of Combs - once one of the world's most famous rappers. The jury saw graphic videos of Combs' so-called 'freak offs' - sex parties he had filmed featuring hired male escorts and his ex Cassandra Ventura and 'Jane', an anonymous victim. They also saw a video, that had previously gone viral, of him beating Ventura in a hotel hallway.
In July, a panel of 12 New Yorkers acquitted Combs, 55, of sex trafficking and racketeering charges - which carried the potential of life in prison - but found him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution.
His attorneys hoped he would be out of prison in a matter of weeks, asking the court for a sentence of 14 months, 13 of which he had already served. Prosecutors had accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise to coerce women into unwanted and drug-fuelled sex acts. Although he had been acquitted of those most serious charges, they had asked for a sentence of over 11 years in prison.
Ultimately, Judge Subramanian told a downcast Combs that his crimes and abuse of his ex-girlfriends warranted 50 months in prison. As he told the court that Combs had used his fame and power to 'subjugate' his victims, the music mogul did not look up, remaining expressionless for the judge's 20-minute speech. His entourage of over 30 family members were packed in the courtroom behind him.
During the all-day hearing, the court listened to hours of speeches from several of his attorneys, his children, a pastor, and a criminal justice reform advocate who told the court that Combs was a changed and sober man since detention.
But the court did not hear from the victims themselves, after one person who planned to speak, Mia, a former assistant of Combs who testified anonymously, pulled out after the defense wrote a letter calling her a liar. The judge called the letter 'inappropriate' and thanked the 'strong women' for coming forward with the allegations against Combs.
Combs addressed the court for the first time since the beginning of his trial, reading with glasses and expressing, 'I have nobody to blame but myself.' He broke into tears, facing his family, saying, 'I failed you as a son.' His children’s emotional pleas for a lighter sentence resonated deeply in the courtroom, but the judge emphasized the need for accountability for the serious offenses committed. In the end, Combs was taken back to a federal jail in Brooklyn, underscoring the reality of a life transformed by legal consequences.
On Friday, a subdued version of the hip-hop mogul sat emotionless and still in his chair, as the judge sentenced him to over four years in prison. After Judge Arun Subramanian finished reading his sentence, the rapper turned around to look at his family and appeared to mouth the words: 'I love you, I'm sorry.'
It was a quiet moment to mark the end of a chaotic eight-week trial that forever altered the public's image of Combs - once one of the world's most famous rappers. The jury saw graphic videos of Combs' so-called 'freak offs' - sex parties he had filmed featuring hired male escorts and his ex Cassandra Ventura and 'Jane', an anonymous victim. They also saw a video, that had previously gone viral, of him beating Ventura in a hotel hallway.
In July, a panel of 12 New Yorkers acquitted Combs, 55, of sex trafficking and racketeering charges - which carried the potential of life in prison - but found him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution.
His attorneys hoped he would be out of prison in a matter of weeks, asking the court for a sentence of 14 months, 13 of which he had already served. Prosecutors had accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise to coerce women into unwanted and drug-fuelled sex acts. Although he had been acquitted of those most serious charges, they had asked for a sentence of over 11 years in prison.
Ultimately, Judge Subramanian told a downcast Combs that his crimes and abuse of his ex-girlfriends warranted 50 months in prison. As he told the court that Combs had used his fame and power to 'subjugate' his victims, the music mogul did not look up, remaining expressionless for the judge's 20-minute speech. His entourage of over 30 family members were packed in the courtroom behind him.
During the all-day hearing, the court listened to hours of speeches from several of his attorneys, his children, a pastor, and a criminal justice reform advocate who told the court that Combs was a changed and sober man since detention.
But the court did not hear from the victims themselves, after one person who planned to speak, Mia, a former assistant of Combs who testified anonymously, pulled out after the defense wrote a letter calling her a liar. The judge called the letter 'inappropriate' and thanked the 'strong women' for coming forward with the allegations against Combs.
Combs addressed the court for the first time since the beginning of his trial, reading with glasses and expressing, 'I have nobody to blame but myself.' He broke into tears, facing his family, saying, 'I failed you as a son.' His children’s emotional pleas for a lighter sentence resonated deeply in the courtroom, but the judge emphasized the need for accountability for the serious offenses committed. In the end, Combs was taken back to a federal jail in Brooklyn, underscoring the reality of a life transformed by legal consequences.
