Sean 'Diddy' Combs jailed for more than four years after prostitution conviction

Hip-hop star and mogul pleaded not guilty and is expected to appeal against judgment

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is credited with elevating hip-hop's stature in American culture. He faces more than four years behind bars. Reuters

Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced on Friday to more than four years in prison after his July 2 conviction on prostitution-related charges.

Combs, 55, was convicted on two counts of arranging for paid male escorts to travel across state lines to take part in drug-fuelled sexual performances – sometimes known as “Freak Offs” – with Combs's girlfriends while he recorded video.

The jury acquitted the hip-hop mogul on the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, which could have resulted in a life sentence.

Combs pleaded not guilty and is expected to appeal against his conviction.

The founder of Bad Boy Records is credited with elevating hip-hop's stature in American culture.

The New York-born entrepreneur is one of the most prominent men in the entertainment industry to have faced trial on sex crimes charges.

The sentence was imposed by US District Judge Arun Subramanian at a hearing in Manhattan federal court.

Prosecutors had pushed for Combs to spend between 11 and 14 years in prison, while defence lawyers pushed for his swift release.

Combs has been behind bars in a Brooklyn jail since his arrest on September 16, 2024.

Over the course of a two-month trial earlier this year, prosecutors with the Manhattan US Attorney's office argued Combs coerced two of his former girlfriends – the rhythm and blues singer Casandra Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane – into taking part in the performances through violence and threats to withhold financial support.

Jurors saw surveillance video of Combs kicking and dragging Ms Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016, an incident she testified took place after a Freak Off. Jane testified that Combs last year attacked her and told her to perform a sex act on a male escort after she said she did not want to.

Combs's lawyers acknowledged he had physically abused his girlfriends, but argued they willingly took part in the sexual performances. Both Ms Ventura and Jane testified that they at times took part consensually because they loved Combs and wanted to please him.

Defence lawyers had pushed for a 14-month sentence.

In urging leniency, Combs's lawyers said he helped his fellow inmates at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Centre by teaching a six-week course on business management and personal development called Free Game with Diddy. As part of the class, inmates were required to write an essay about “lessons learnt from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' journey”, court filings show.

They also argued that Combs's acquittal on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges meant that evidence of his abuse should play no role at sentencing.

Prosecutors argued that federal guidelines call for higher sentences when crimes involve threats or bodily injury. They said other people convicted on prostitution-related offences involving violence regularly face significant penalties.