Hip-hop mogul faces up to 20 years over mann act convictions but lawyers push for time served

Sean “Diddy” Combs is days away from learning his fate as a New York judge prepares to sentence him following one of the most high-profile celebrity trials of the year.

The 55-year-old music mogul, once a dominant force in hip-hop and founder of Bad Boy Records, was convicted in early 2025 on two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution. He was cleared of more serious charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, but still faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Combs has already spent more than a year behind bars since his arrest in September 2023. His lawyers now argue that this time should be enough. In a recent submission, they urged Judge Arun Subramanian to impose no more than 14 months, a sentence that would allow Combs to walk free almost immediately.

Prosecutors, however, are pressing for a far tougher outcome. They have called for at least four to five years behind bars, citing the scale of Combs’s conduct and his ability to orchestrate what witnesses described as “freak offs” or “hotel nights.”

The trial offered lurid glimpses into Combs’s private life. Jurors heard how he arranged sexual encounters between girlfriends and male sex workers, sometimes across state lines and overseas, covering travel costs and logistics. Two women, singer Cassie Ventura and another identified only as Jane, testified that they felt manipulated and coerced into participating.

Defence lawyers rejected claims of coercion, portraying the encounters as consensual. “The men chose to travel and engage in the activity voluntarily,” they told the court, insisting the relationships reflected a “swingers lifestyle” rather than criminal exploitation.

In the end, jurors sided with prosecutors only on the narrower Mann Act charges, which prohibit transporting people across state or national lines for prostitution.

Combs reacted dramatically when the verdict was read, falling to his knees in court. He was acquitted of the sex-trafficking counts, which could have carried a life sentence, and cleared of leading a racketeering conspiracy that prosecutors alleged involved kidnapping, bribery, arson, and obstruction of justice.

His legal team insists he has been unfairly vilified. “The government painted him as a monster,” they argued after the verdict. “The trial showed the allegations were not supported by credible evidence.” They also claimed Combs may be the only person ever convicted under the Mann Act for the type of conduct described in this case.

Judge Subramanian has so far shown little sympathy, repeatedly denying bail on the grounds that Combs is a flight risk and pointing to his own admissions of past violence. During opening statements, defence attorney Teny Geragos even conceded her client could be violent, though she stressed that this was not the crime for which he was being tried.

The sentencing hearing will determine whether Combs faces years more in prison or secures an almost immediate release. His fall from grace has been dramatic: once celebrated for launching careers and topping charts with hits like I’ll Be Missing You, he is now fighting for his freedom in a case that has transfixed both the music industry and the wider public.

For now, the man who built an empire from hip-hop success waits behind bars, his future resting in the hands of a federal judge.