US producer-musician Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs poses during a music awards ceremony 2023.
Photo: Angela Weiss / AFP
By Lauren del Valle, Nicki Brown, Kara Scannell, and Elizabeth Wagmeister, CNN
Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to 50 months, or just over four years, in prison for his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs’ sentence is “hard time” away from his family, but also notes Combs will have a life after prison.
In addition to the prison time, Judge Arun Subramanian also imposed a $500,000 fine against Combs. That’s the maximum fine he can order.
Subramanian noted this was an upward variation from the guidelines, but said he was taking into account Combs’ “immense resources, which enabled his crimes.”
Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs’ actions were serious offences that “irreparably harmed two women,” who still feel the effects today.
“The conduct occurred for over a decade and with tremendous frequency over that time period,” Subramanian said. “Why did it happen that long? Because you had the power and the resources to keep it going. And because you weren’t caught.”
Subramanian said the court was “not assured” that if Sean “Diddy” Combs was released that “these crimes will not be committed again.”
He said that acts of sexual violence are unfortunately common, and “a substantial sentence must be given to send a message to abusers and victims alike that abuse against women is met with real accountability”.
Subramanian told Combs that he abused the women a claimed to love “physically, emotionally and psychologically,” adding that he was sitting “right there” during Cassie Ventura and Jane’s testimony.
“We read about it in text messages and emails,” Subramanian said. “We saw it in the images of gashes, bruises, broken doors, and we saw the video of your savage beating of Ms. Ventura,” Judge Subramanian said. “This was subjugation, and it drove both Ms. Ventura and Jane to thoughts of ending their lives. That is the reality of what happened.”
More to come…
– CNN live coverage