Combs’ lawyers say the trial judge imposed the longest sentence ever recorded for prostitution cases by relying on coercion allegations the jury unanimously rejected
Attorneys for Sean “Diddy” Combs asked a federal appeals court to overturn his prostitution-related convictions or order his immediate release, arguing that Judge Arun Subramanian unlawfully punished him for crimes a jury explicitly rejected, according to a newly filed appellate brief spearheaded by powerhouse attorney Alexandra Shapiro.
Credit: US COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT
Combs is serving a 50-month federal prison sentence following a mixed verdict in July 2025 in Manhattan. Jurors acquitted him of racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking charges but convicted him on two lesser counts under the Mann Act for transporting “consenting adults across state lines” for prostitution.
In the 84-page brief filed with the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Combs’ lawyers argue the district court essentially ignored both the jury’s verdict and a 2024 amendment to federal sentencing guidelines by relying heavily on “acquitted conduct” (allegations of coercion and criminal enterprise that jurors unanimously rejected) to increase his sentence.
“Not guilty means not guilty,” the brief states, citing guidance from the US Sentencing Commission that bans judges from using acquitted conduct to enhance punishment. Defense attorneys had argued Judge Subramanian acted as a “thirteenth juror,” imposing the longest sentence ever recorded for comparable Mann Act convictions despite the absence of force, fraud or coercion findings by the jury. According to the filing, Combs would ordinarily have faced a sentence of roughly one year for the prostitution counts.
Judge: The Deputy will inquire as to the verdict. Deputy: In the matter of US v Combs, Count 1? Juror 5: Not guilty. Deputy: Sex trafficking of Casandra Ventura? Juror 5: Not Guilty Deputy: Transportation for prostitution? Juror 5: Guilty
The appeal also asks for a reversal of the convictions, arguing the conduct at issue involved consensual, adult sexual encounters that were staged, filmed and later viewed; activity they say is protected by the First Amendment as “amateur pornography.”
During the 7-week-long trial, prosecutors alleged Combs used his wealth, influence and inner circle to coerce longtime girlfriends Casandra Ventura and a second woman identified as “Jane” into sexual encounters with male escorts. Jurors heard testimony, viewed text messages and videos, which prompted their rejection of claims of coercion, fraud and racketeering.
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🚨SEAN “DIDDY” COMBS Officially Files His 84-Page Appeal:
➡️Sean Combs’s appeal argues that although a jury rejected the government’s claims that he ran a sex-trafficking enterprise or coerced women, the judge ignored that verdict and punished him as if he were guilty anyway.… pic.twitter.com/0H087CmXp2
The appeal has been expedited because Combs has already served more than a year in custody, which is longer than the average sentence for similar offenses. His attorneys argue that if the convictions are not overturned, the appeals court should at a minimum order his immediate release and remand the case for resentencing limited strictly to the conduct the jury found proven. Federal prosecutors have not yet responded publicly to the appeal. The Second Circuit has not announced when it will hear oral arguments. Check back with Los Angeles Magazine for new developments.
Though Stapleton wouldn’t directly address the ongoing disagreement during our conversation, she does say that when she started work on the series, “I never, in a million years, thought that [footage] was going to fall into my lap.” Instead, she prepared a treatment that explored the allegations against Combs chronologically, from rumors around his alleged role in the slayings of Tupac Shakur and Christopher George Latore Wallace, better known as The Notorious B.I.G., to multiple allegations of sexual assault. (Combs has denied any responsibility in the deaths of Shakur and Wallace, and has never been charged in those cases. He also has denied all allegations of sexual assault.)
As opposed to being a Jinx-like self-indictment, the found footage helps to illustrate how Combs approached the increasing tide of accusations, and how seriously—or not—he took them. At times, he can be seen performing as if he’s on a reality show; at other points, it appears he’s forgotten the cameras are there. “Those are things that I think you have to see in order to understand the type of person that you’re dealing with,” Stapleton says. “There’s intention behind how he moves. And in his defense, there should be, if you have your life on the line at that level.”
Toward the series’s end, we are reminded that in criminal court, Combs has been convicted of only two prostitution-related offenses, and was acquitted of the most serious charges against him. Jurors in the New York case “didn’t necessarily think that he was a good guy,” Stapleton says, “but they couldn’t connect the dots” when it came to more consequential criminal behavior. He remains incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dix, New Jersey, serving a 50-month sentence. His anticipated release date is June 4, 2028.
At present, Combs also faces over 70 civil claims, some of which may stretch back to the 56-year-old’s days as a student at Howard University. But though Stapleton left a massive amount of footage on the cutting room floor, she seems reluctant about returning for a possible The Reckoning 2. “I would have no interest in doing it for gratuitous reasons, or to feed the appetite of people wanting more,” she says. The documentarian is already gearing up to premiere her next project, The Brittney Griner Story, at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
That said, Stapleton does believe that Combs will continue to provide fodder for reporters and documentarians for years to come. “I definitely think this is the beginning. He has dozens upon dozens upon dozens upon dozens of civil suits to get through. We’ll see how this all continues to take shape.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ personal videographer has addressed how he alleges Netflix and 50 Cent obtained the behind-the-scenes footage of Combs for the docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which unpacks the allegations behind the rapper and his Bad Boy Entertainment empire.
The videographer, Michael Oberlies, is alleging that the footage was released by a freelancer who was hired to fill in for him while he was out of state for a few days.
“For over two years we have been working on a project profiling Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs,” Oberlies said in a statement to Rolling Stone. “The footage in question was not released by me or anyone authorized to handle Sean Combs’ materials; it was by a third party who covered for me for three days while I was out of state. This incident had nothing to do with any fee dispute or contract issue.
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“The actions of the parties involved reflect the lack of integrity every storyteller should uphold. Taking footage intended for our project to advance a narrative that was not our own is both unethical and unacceptable.”
The footage Oberlies is referencing features clips of Combs in his New York City hotel room days before his September 2024 arrest, when he was indicted on federal sex trafficking and racketeering charges that accused him of hitting and abusing women for over a decade and presiding over an empire of sexual crimes.
The footage featured in the Netflix docuseries, produced by 50 Cent, shares conversations with Combs’ legal team about how to navigate the case.
“We have to find somebody that’ll work with us. Whether they’re from this country or from another country, it could be somebody that has the dirtiest of dirtiest dirty business of media and propaganda,” Combs told his lawyer Marc Agnifilo on the phone, before adding, “We’re losing.”
In another scene, Combs meets fans in Harlem, where he later says he needs hand sanitizer because he was “out in the streets amongst the people.”
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“The amount of people that actually I’m coming in contact with, that’s what I have to do,” he said while asking the people around him for hand sanitizer. “It’s time to cleanse, I got to go under the water, water got to be boiling hot, put some peroxide in that.”
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Sean “Diddy” Combs claims new Netflix doc uses “stolen footage” depicting days leading up to his arrest
A day before the docuseries was released on Netflix, a representative for Combs issued a statement, calling it a “shameful hit piece.”
“Today’s GMA (Good Morning America) teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release. As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been amassing footage since he was 19 to tell his own story, in his own way. It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, for Netflix to misappropriate that work,” the Dec. 1 statement read.
Combs’ rep said Netflix was “plainly desperate to sensationalize every minute of Mr. Combs’s life, without regard for truth, in order to capitalize on a never-ending media frenzy.”
“If Netflix cared about truth or about Mr. Combs’s legal rights, it would not be ripping private footage out of context – including conversations with his lawyers that were never intended for public viewing. No rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party,” the statement said.
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“No rights in that material were ever transferred to Netflix or any third party,” the statement continued. “It is equally staggering that Netflix handed creative control to Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson — a longtime adversary with a personal vendetta who has spent too much time slandering Mr. Combs.”
“We obtained the footage legally and have the necessary rights. One thing about Sean Combs is that he’s always filming himself, and it’s been an obsession throughout the decades,” Stapleton said.
She also claimed that the docuseries team “reached out to Sean Combs’ legal team for an interview and comment multiple times, but did not hear back.”
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs not guilty of racketeering, sex trafficking in split verdict
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In a second statement to Deadline from a Netflix spokesperson, the streamer doubled down, saying, “The footage of Combs leading up to his indictment and arrest were legally obtained. This is not a hit piece or an act of retribution. Curtis Jackson is an executive producer but does not have creative control. No one was paid to participate.”
50 Cent insisted the docuseries isn’t part of a “personal vendetta” to take Combs down.
“I’m not doing this as some personal mission. I’m telling a story no one else is telling because I don’t have the fear that others feel towards him. I’m not afraid at all,” he told Us Weekly in an interview on Tuesday.
When asked how he acquired the footage filmed before Combs’ arrest, 50 Cent said, “A journalist would ask that, but a journalist would also say, ‘I’m going to keep my sources secure.’”
Combs is currently serving 50 months in prison after a New York jury found him guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution while acquitting him of the most serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking.
The 56-year-old disgraced hip-hop mogul was originally scheduled to get out of prison on May 8, 2028, but the date has now been changed to June 4, 2028, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ online database.
If you thought Sean Combs: The Reckoning was the final word, 50 Cent wants you to know he’s only just getting warmed up. During his recent appearance on Sherri, the mogul revealed that he still has unreleased footage of Sean “Diddy” Combs that didn’t make the final cut of his chart-topping Netflix docuseries. Read more about the news inside.
According to a press release from the show, Sherri, 50, told host Sherri Shepherd that the clips left on the cutting room floor are powerful enough to stand alone.
The documentary has taken over Netflix and is currently holding the No. 1 spot. Sherri opened the interview by congratulating 50 for “outperforming everything” on the streamer. When she asked whether he expected the docuseries to dominate like this, he said he actually expected it to go even bigger. He even compared it to Stranger Things, noting that The Reckoning is beating one of Netflix’s most successful franchises.
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But the moment viewers perked up was when Sherri asked the question the internet has been begging for: Is there more? According to Hot 97’sreport, 50 confirmed that not only does more footage exist, but he already knows where it’s going. 50 Cent told Sherri he might upload unreleased Diddy clips to YouTube so the public can see everything for themselves.
Source: Courtesy / Sherri
Diddy’s Documentarian, Michael Oberlie,s Says An Unauthorized Third Party Released BTS Clips Of Diddy
The mystery behind how the footage made it into the doc in the first place has also been raising eyebrows.
Deadlineshared that Combs’ documentarian, Michael Oberlies, claimed a third party released the behind-the-scenes clips without authorization. Netflix and director Alexandria Stapleton shut down claims that the footage was stolen or part of a corporate feud, saying it was obtained legally and with the necessary rights.
Combs’ team has hinted at possible legal action against the streamer, pointing to a cease-and-desist letter threatening that he “will not hesitate” to sue. Meanwhile, Diddy remains behind bars in New Jersey, serving a 30-month sentence connected to lesser counts following his highly publicized trial.
As for 50, he seems unfazed. While celebrating his win, he also shared with Sherri that he’s practicing celibacy and focusing on discipline. But if the YouTube drop he’s teasing actually happens, the internet will be anything but peaceful.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Monday (November 17) it’s investigating a new sexual battery allegation against Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. The music mogul is serving a four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related convictions. He was transferred to Fort Dix in October, and his mugshot went viral shortly afterward.
Male Producer Alleges Diddy Sexually Exposed Himself
A male music producer and publicist claims he was asked to come to a photo shoot in 2020 at a Los Angeles warehouse. His name is redacted in the police report. At the warehouse, Sean Combs allegedly exposed himself while masturbating. Diddy allegedly told the accuser to assist, according to NBC News, citing a police report. Combs then tossed a dirty shirt at the man, the producer said.
The accuser said he did not tell anyone for several years because he felt embarrassed. However, he came forward to the police in Largo, Florida. That happened on September 20.
Combs’ lawyer did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment on the latest allegations.
Producer Also Says Sean Combs Confronted Him For Being A “Snitch”
The LA County Sheriff’s Department said it received an official copy of the report from the Florida department on Friday. In response, it will be investigating the allegations. The report also details an incident from March 2021. In that incident, the accuser claims two men covered his head before Sean Combs came into the room and called him a snitch, according to NBC.
What’s The Latest On The Producer?
Sean 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. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life. He was initially set to be released in May 2028, but Page Six recently reported that officials pushed the date back to June 4, 2028.
In the meantime, he can earn reductions in his sentence through his participation in substance abuse treatment and other prison programs. Reports from last month state that he is employed at Fort Dix in the prison chapel, and is in an intense drug and rehab program.
Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is serving four years in federal prison for using prostitutes in “freak-offs,” is under investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in connection with new allegations of sexual assault. A record producer alleges Combs assaulted him on two occasions.
The sheriff’s Special Victims Unit initiated the probe because one of the incidents occurred in East Los Angeles, according to Nicole Nishida, a department spokeswoman. The producer reported the incidents to police in Largo, Fla.
Florida-based music producer John Hay revealed in media interviews that he was the “John Doe” plaintiff from a civil lawsuit filed in July alleging assault.
The producer, who was not named by law enforcement investigating the allegations, alleged he was subjected to sex acts in 2020 and 2021 while working on a remix project of music by Biggie Smalls, a.k.a. Christopher Wallace, which put him into contact with Bad Boy Records and company executive Combs.
A spokesman for Combs did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on the investigation.
The lawsuit states that, in December 2020, the producer was at a warehouse in Los Angeles that housed some of Notorious B.I.G.’s clothing. The items were being donated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame later that year, when Biggie would eventually be inducted.
Combs “provided drugs to everyone present. Everyone there was running around the warehouse and tripping on the drugs,” the lawsuit alleges. Combs “started watching porn on his cell phone, grabbed one of Biggie’s shirts off a rack, and began to masturbate with it in front of the plaintiff,” the suit states.
Combs subsequently threw the shirt over the producer’s lap and arm, laughed and said “Rest in peace, Biggie” before leaving the room.
In an incident in March 2021, the plaintiff claims that he was set up. He states in the lawsuit he was lured to a meeting by Biggie’s son, Christopher “CJ” Wallace Jr., and music producer Willie Mack.
But upon his arrival, his head was covered, and Combs appeared and began yelling and ordered everyone to leave, the lawsuit alleges. Combs then allegedly attempted “to force plaintiff to perform oral copulation on Combs, while plaintiff’s head was still covered.”
“I’m pushing for criminal charges to be filed against Combs at a state and federal level,” Hay told ShockYa earlier this month in an interview where he stated he was the civil suit plaintiff.
According to a police report first obtained last month by People magazine, Hay reported the allegations on Sept. 20 of this year to Largo, Fla., police.
Gary Dordick, the producer’s lawyer, said “we intend to present out client’s case to a jury in California and we are confident that the truth will prevail.” Dordick said in a message to The Times that he would not comment further given that a defamation lawsuit was filed last week by Wallace.
Wallace, the son of Biggie Smalls and singer Faith Evans, sued Hay for defamation in a Florida federal court last week, calling Hay’s recent interviews “a calculated smear campaign” that included false statements that he attended Combs’ so-called freak-off parties and “conspired to lure Hay to a location where Combs purportedly assaulted him.”
An attorney for Mack could not immediately be reached for comment.
Wallace says in his defamation action that Hay worked on the remix project, titled “Ready to Dance,” with Wallace and Mack in 2020. A single was released, but the remaining songs were not, due to a lack of interest.
According to the suit, Hay was upset over the decision not to release the music he worked on and began accusing Mack of “inappropriate and abusive behavior” in 2021. But Hay never made an assault allegation, the suit claims.
Combs is currently incarcerated at Federal Correctional Institution Fort Dixon, a New Jersey low-security federal penitentiary.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ team is pushing back against rumors of misconduct inside FCI Fort Dix; plus details on his new job
Incarcerated music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is making no shortage of headlines as he begins serving his 50-month federal prison sentence at FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey. The sentence follows his Mann Act convictions handed down in July 2025.
As Los Angeles previously reported, Combs’ reps denied the recent allegations that he was caught with homemade alcohol or “hooch” in his cell. Combs’ rep later took to his X account to reiterate, “The rumors claiming Mr. Combs was caught with alcohol are completely false. His only focus is becoming the best version of himself and returning to his family.”
The rumors claiming Mr. Combs was caught with alcohol are completely false. His only focus is becoming the best version of himself and returning to his family.
Both CBS and TMZ have additionally reported that Combs is facing discipline following an alleged “3-way” phone call that would violate prison rules. Los Angeles reached out to Combs’ rep and is waiting to hear back. CBS also circulated the intake photo of Combs upon entering Fort Dix.
CBS News has obtained and released Diddy’s booking photo taken at FCI Fort Dix. 👀 pic.twitter.com/M7OxZlMzcq
It was exclusively relayed to Los Angeles that Combs is now working for the “Chapel Library.” Other outlets have reported his job title as “Chaplain Assistant;” LA is told the position is maintaining the religious library for the Chaplain. Per the Bureau of Prisons website, federal inmate jobs pay between $0.12 and $0.40, and inmates are required to work if they are medically able.
Combs was sentenced to 50 months in prison on October 3rd and is expected to be released in May of 2028, per the BOP website.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is participating in a drug rehabilitation program in prison that could help reduce his sentence by a year, his spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said.
The program is offered at Fort Dix, the federal prison complex in New Jersey where Combs will serve his sentence.
Combs is “committed to sobriety, focused on healing, and trying to set an example for others,” Engelmayer told the New York Times.
“Mr. Combs is an active participant in the Residential Drug Abuse Program (RDAP) and has taken his rehabilitation process seriously from the start,” Engelmayer said. “He is fully engaged in his work, focused on growth, and committed to positive change.”
Combs has been sleeping in a nine-person room within a unit that houses around 200 people and he currently works in the chapel library, Engelmayer added.
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On Friday, a report from TMZ claimed that Combs had been caught in prison drinking homemade alcohol, which Engelmayer denied.
Combs’ official X account also shared a statement denying the allegations on Monday, saying, “The rumors claiming Mr. Combs was caught with alcohol are completely false. His only focus is becoming the best version of himself and returning to his family.”
The rumors claiming Mr. Combs was caught with alcohol are completely false. His only focus is becoming the best version of himself and returning to his family.
In an Oct. 6 filing, Combs’ legal team requested that he be placed at “FCI Fort Dix for RDAP purposes and any other available educational and occupation programs” in order to “address drug abuse issues and to maximize family visitation and rehabilitative efforts.”
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The news of Combs’ participation in the rehabilitation program comes two weeks after his prison release date was revealed following his sentencing.
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The 55-year-old disgraced hip-hop mogul was originally scheduled to get out of prison on May 8, 2028, but the date has now been changed to June 4, 2028, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ online database.
On Oct. 3, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced Combs to just over four years in prison and a fine of US$500,000, the maximum possible, for his conviction on federal prostitution-related offences. He will also be under five years’ supervised release after his time in prison is served.
Tensions run high as Diddy sentenced in prostitution case
In his ruling, Subramanian said that “a history of good works can’t wash away the record in this case, which shows that you abused the power and control over the lives of women who you professed to love.”
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“You were no John,” he added. “You were more than that, even if your currency was satisfying your sexual desires instead of money.”
Subramanian said a substantial sentence is required “to send a message to abusers and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is met with real accountability.”
Federal prosecutors had asked that Combs, 55, be sentenced to at least 11 years and three months in prison. Combs’ lawyers urged the judge to sentence him to no longer than 14 months, which would have resulted in his near-immediate release, as he has already served nearly 13 months in a Brooklyn jail.
While addressing the judge, Combs thanked Subramanian for “giving me the chance to finally speak up for myself,” as the former rapper did not testify during his trial.
“One of the hardest things that I’ve had to handle is having to be quiet. Not being able to express how sorry I am for my actions,” Combs said in his statement to the court.
“I want to personally apologize again to Cassie Ventura for any harm or hurt that I’ve caused her – emotionally or physically.”
Combs called his conduct “disgusting, shameful and sick.”
“Because of my decisions, I lost my freedom, I lost the opportunity to effectively raise my children and be there for my mother,” Combs said. “I lost all my businesses, I lost my career, I totally destroyed my reputation.”
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Combs said he’s “lost my self-respect” and has been “humbled and broken to my core.”
“I hate myself right now. I got stripped down to nothing,” Combs said. “I want to apologize to my seven children. Y’all deserve better.”
Diddy trial jury reaches verdicts on all charges except for racketeering conspiracy
The sentencing marked the conclusion of Combs’ New York trial, which began on May 5.
Combs’ legal team filed a notice of appeal on Oct. 20 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from the Oct. 3 judgment. Details of the appeal have not been made public other than the legal filing.
A spokesperson for Sean “Diddy” Combs pushed back forcefully against a TMZ report alleging he consumed homemade alcohol at FCI Fort Dix, calling the story “exaggerated” and urging the public to give the music mogul space to focus on rehabilitation
Family representatives for hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs issued a public statement Friday in response to a report by TMZ that alleged the 55-year-old entertainer consumed homemade alcohol (described as a mixture of Fanta soda, sugar and fermented apples, better known as “prison wine”) while serving his sentence at the low security federal prison Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix in New Jersey.
In the statement, the family’s representative told Los Angeles exclusively:
“Mr. Combs is in his first week at FCI Fort Dix and is focused on adjusting, working on himself, and doing better each day. As with any high-profile individual in a new environment, there will be many rumors and exaggerated stories throughout his time there—most of them untrue. We ask that people give him the benefit of the doubt, the privacy to focus on his personal growth with grace and purpose.”
EXCLUSIVE Statement from Sean “Diddy” Combs spokesperson on the alcohol allegations at FCI Fort Dix reported by @TMZ:
“Mr. Combs is in his first week at FCI Fort Dix and is focused on adjusting, working on himself, and doing better each day. As with any high-profile individual… pic.twitter.com/yZoDXnJxfK
The TMZ report, published Friday, claimed prison officials had flagged Diddy for consuming contraband “homemade alcohol” while housed at Fort Dix, and that a move to another prison unit had initially been planned but later reversed. The facility’s records or spokespersons did not confirm the incident.
Combs began serving his four-year federal sentence at Fort Dix after being convicted on two counts of transportation for prostitution in a high-profile trial. He was transferred from the MDC facility in late October and his projected release date is May 8, 2028, per the BOP website.
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His legal team had previously requested placement at Fort Dix due to its residential drug abuse treatment program and better family visitation opportunities.
A former inmate who lived alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs at MDC Brooklyn is speaking out- revealing what really happened behind bars, including the shocking knife incident and an unlikely story of redemption
In his first interview since leaving federal custody, Raymond Castillo, a former inmate at Metropolitan Detention Center Brooklyn, says hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was nothing like the media headlines suggested. Castillo not only lived with him at the MDC, but he was also a “student” of Combs’. Castillo, who spent 46 months at the facility on drug-related offenses and served as Combs’ teacher’s assistant in a self-created business and leadership course, described the former music star as “a humbled man” who united rival gangs, preached faith, and helped him change his life.
“Before I met him, I was ready to go right back to crime,” Castillo told Los Angeles contributor Lauren Conlin on a podcast. “He told me if I did, I’d end up dead or back in jail. Every plan, he said, needs God in it.”
According to Castillo (and this was discussed at length during Combs’ sentencing), Combs founded an entrepreneurship and personal development program that became one of the most unlikely success stories inside a federal lockup. The class was held once a week for two hours. It shockingly drew Bloods, Crips, MS-13 members, and inmates of every race into the same room for lessons on discipline, faith, and self-improvement.
“It’s something that has never been done in the prison system,” Castillo said. “Black sticks with Black, White sticks with White, Spanish sticks with Spanish…especially gang members. But Diddy was able to unify everybody. For those two hours, there were no fights, no gangs-just people focused on change.”
He said the program impressed even correctional officers, who initially thought a brawl was breaking out when they saw thirty men gathered in one room. “When they realized it was class, they were speechless,” Castillo recalled. “They saw all races, all cultures, together…and it was Diddy up there teaching everyone.”
Castillo also clarified months of tabloid speculation that Combs had survived an attempted “shank attack” behind bars. “He didn’t ‘wake up’ to no knife to his neck,” Castillo said. “And I was the one who intervened.”
He recounted that the confrontation began over a chair, not a planned attack. A West Coast gang member serving a 30-year sentence tried to take a seat Combs was already using while watching television – “Basketball Wives,” to be exact.
“The guy got hostile.. maybe looking for clout,” Castillo said. “Diddy didn’t flinch. He stayed calm, told him, ‘Why you coming at me like that over a chair that don’t belong to none of us?’ When the inmate retrieved a handmade knife from a hiding spot, Castillo said he grabbed the man’s arm before he could strike. “Diddy just got up and told him, ‘You might need to pray,’” Castillo said. “He tried to calm the guy down and even offered to pray with him. I’ve never seen anyone handle it like that.”
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Castillo added that Combs later spoke up for the would-be attacker, asking guards not to remove him from the unit.
Combs, Castillo said, lived like an ordinary inmate- no special treatment. Same meals, same cold trays, same lockdowns. But when he wasn’t teaching, he often paced in slow circles around the unit, murmuring prayers.“We thought he was going crazy,” Castillo said with a laugh. “I asked him what he was doing, and he told me he was having long conversations with God. He said if God put him there, it was for a purpose… to help people who’d lost hope.”
The former inmate described conditions inside MDC as “hellish,” citing rampant violence, corruption, and overcrowding. “People’s really dying in there,” he said. “It’s a war zone. I’ve seen people get stabbed and have their lungs collapse. Diddy lived through all of that… no special treatment.”
Castillo says Combs’ teachings pushed him to convert to Islam, finish his sentence with purpose, and reject the criminal lifestyle that landed him there. “He believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself,” Castillo said. “I thank God for putting Diddy in my life. That was a blessing in disguise.”
NEW YORK (WABC) — Sean “Diddy” Combs’ prison release date was revealed on Monday.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons says he is scheduled to be released on May 8, 2028.
That equates to a little more than three years behind bars, counting the time he was incarcerated before his trial.
Earlier this month, a judge sentenced the disgraced music mogul to 50 months in prison after a jury convicted him on two prostitution-related counts after an eight-week trial in July. The jury acquitted Combs of the sex trafficking and racketeering charges he faced.
Combs pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence.
Combs’ lawyers intend to appeal his conviction and over four-year prison sentence, according to a notice filed in the Federal District Court of New York.
Combs remains incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
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Combs is currently scheduled to get out of prison on May 8, 2028, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ online database.
The 55-year-old disgraced hip-hop mogul is currently behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York.
On Oct. 3, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced Combs to just over four years in prison and a fine of US$500,000, the maximum possible, for his conviction on federal prostitution-related offences. He will also be under five years’ supervised release after his time in prison is served.
In his ruling, Subramanian said “a history of good works can’t wash away the record in this case, which shows that you abused the power and control over the lives of women who you professed to love.”
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“You were no John,” he added. “You were more than that, even if your currency was satisfying your sexual desires instead of money.”
Get daily National news
Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Subramanian said a substantial sentence is required “to send a message to abusers and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is met with real accountability.”
Federal prosecutors had asked that Combs, 55, be sentenced to at least 11 years and three months in prison. Combs’ lawyers urged the judge to sentence him to no longer than 14 months, which would have resulted in his near-immediate release, as he has already served nearly 13 months in a Brooklyn jail.
Tensions run high as Diddy sentenced in prostitution case
While addressing the judge, Combs thanked Subramanian for “giving me the chance to finally speak up for myself,” as the former rapper did not testify during his trial.
“One of the hardest things that I’ve had to handle is having to be quiet. Not being able to express how sorry I am for my actions,” Combs said in his statement to the court.
“I want to personally apologize again to Cassie Ventura for any harm or hurt that I’ve caused her – emotionally or physically.”
Combs called his conduct “disgusting, shameful and sick.”
“Because of my decisions, I lost my freedom, I lost the opportunity to effectively raise my children and be there for my mother,” Combs said. “I lost all my businesses, I lost my career, I totally destroyed my reputation.”
Combs said that he’s “lost my self-respect” and he has been “humbled and broken to my core.”
“I hate myself right now. I got stripped down to nothing,” Combs said. “I want to apologize to my seven children. Y’all deserve better.”
The sentencing marked the conclusion of Combs’ New York trial, which began on May 5.
Combs’ legal team filed a notice of appeal on Oct. 20 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York from the Oct. 3 judgment. Details of the appeal have not been made public other than the legal filing.
A federal judge threw out Shante Kelly’s suit under New York City’s gender-violence law, saying her story was too vague and may have taken place outside of New York City
A federal judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit accusing Sean “Diddy” Combs of drugging and raping an independent artist named Shante Kelly, but left the door open for her to refile her case if she can fix the errors in question.
In a 22-page opinion, Judge Valerie Caproni ruled that Shante Kelly’s lawsuit failed to allege sufficient facts to connect Combs or his affiliated companies to the alleged assault. The complaint, filed under New York City’s Victims of Gender Motivated Violence Protection Act, claimed that Kelly was assaulted after being invited to a party hosted by Combs.
Judge Caproni granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss, but said Kelly could amend and refile her complaint by November 21, 2025, if she can correct the “deficiencies.”
In the matter of Kelly v. Combs,
The motion to dismiss is GRANTED, with leave to amend by November 21 and establish the alleged incident occurred in New York City. pic.twitter.com/3GNThDrWrm
According to court documents, Caproni found that Kelly’s filing did not clearly establish where the alleged assault occurred, an element for jurisdiction under the law. Kelly described a “large, white, elegant house with a curved driveway” in Manhattan, but Combs’s attorneys argued no such residence exists in the city, and that the description better matches Combs’s East Hampton property, which lies outside the court’s jurisdiction.
The judge also criticized Kelly’s legal team for admitting the uncertainty about the location, noting that attorneys are required under Rule 11 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure to verify these types of claims before filing. “A lawyer may not plead facts that might be true but for which the lawyer has no evidentiary support,” Caproni wrote in the opinion brief.
Caproni also rejected Kelly’s request to begin discovery to determine where the alleged assault took place, stating that discovery “is not a fishing expedition to find out whether a viable claim exists.” The dismissal was issued without prejudice, meaning Kelly can refile if she provides factual evidence showing that the alleged assault occurred within New York City and that Combs’s business entities, including Bad Boy Entertainment and Combs Global, were directly involved.
The decision marks a much-needed legal victory for Combs; attorneys for both sides have not commented on the ruling.
President Donald Trump has addressed the possibility of pardoning Sean “Diddy” Combs after he was convicted of prostitution charges.
The rap mogul was sentenced to four years in prison on Friday. He was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. “A lot of people have asked me for pardons,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “I call him Puff Daddy, [he] has asked me for a pardon.” Diddy has not been using that pseudonym since 2001.
Reporters also asked Trump about the possibility of pardoning Jeffrey Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell after the Supreme Court declined to hear Maxwell’s appeal challenging her sex trafficking conviction. “I’ll take a look at it,” Trump said. “I will speak to the Justice Department.”
Trump previously talked about pardoning Diddy in an interview with Newsmax in July. “Well, he was essentially, I guess, sort of half innocent,” he told the outlet. “Probably— I was very friendly with him but when I ran for office he was very hostile and it’s hard. So, I don’t know, it’s more difficult.”
In May, Trump talked to Fox News about his relationship with Diddy at the time amid his ongoing trial for sex trafficking and racketeering. “I haven’t spoken to him in years,” Trump said at the time. “He used to really like me a lot. I think when I ran for politics, that relationship busted up. … I would certainly look at the facts. If I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don’t like me, it wouldn’t have any impact on me.”
Diddy’s lawyers sent an appeal that he be sent to the low-security FCI Ford Dix federal prison in New Jersey to serve out his four-year term. In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs’ lawyers argued that the rapper had a “spiritual reset” in jail and is “committed to the journey of remaining a drug free, non-violent and peaceful person.” The disgraced rapper had been locked up in a federal jail in Brooklyn, the Metropolitan Detention Center, since his September 2024 arrest.
Former MDC Brooklyn Associate Warden Dr. DeWayne Hendrix issues a warning for Diddy as his prison placement looms, plus Craig Rothfeld weighs in
DiddyCredit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for MTV
Following his 50-month sentence for two Mann Act violations on October 3, 2025, Sean “Diddy” Combs will be heading to a federal prison- but where? Combs will be evaluated under the Bureau of Prisons’ custody classification system to determine where he’ll be placed behind bars.
Dr. DeWayne Hendrix, former Warden at the Metropolitan Detention Center (where Combs is currently housed), former Senior Warden with the Bureau of Prisons, and founder of A New Light, tells Los Angeles, “Mr. Combs will be ‘scored’ under the BOP’s classification system and designated to the lowest-security facility that meets his needs, typically within 500 miles of his release residence. With a 50-month sentence and no prior felony convictions, he most likely qualifies for a low security federal prison.”
Other experts like Craig Rothfeld, firmly state that no one truly knows where Combs will end up. Rothfeld, of Inside Outside Ltd, Criminologist and Prison Consultant (his clients are the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Luigi Mangione), tells Los Angeles exclusively, “At this time, there is no one who knows where Sean Combs is going to spend the remainder of his sentence in prison. Anyone to suggest otherwise is either speculating or worse making it up. It is a fools errand right now for anyone, anywhere, to say they have knowledge of where he is going to wind up. There are many standard and variable factors that will be evaluated by the BOP’s Designation Sentencing & Computation Center (DSCC) in making the final determination on his classification and eventual prison designation.”
Although Combs was sentenced only on the Mann Act, Judge Arun Subramanian made it clear that his acquitted behavior-brutalizing both Cassandra Ventura and “Jane”-would be considered when determining the length of his lock-up. Dr. Hendrix adds, “Because his conviction is of a sex offense, he may serve his time in a prison that has sex offender programs. Sex offenders and people who commit violent crimes against women face higher levels of harassment and assault on the inside. Then, adding his celebrity and wealth, the risk of targeting and extortion goes up.”
On the October 4th episode of the “Two Angry Men” podcast, criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos echoed Hendrix, claiming that Combs’ fame makes him a prime target, increasing the typical dangers, like physical and sexual assault, faced by inmates with similar convictions.
During Friday’s sentencing, Combs’ attorney Brian Steel revealed that Diddy was targeted to be shanked by a prisoner while at MDC Brooklyn, before a guard stepped in.“It’s a trophy for them, they get recognition if they harm him,” Steel announced in court.
MDC is notoriously one of the most inhumane jails in the country, with some federal judges even calling it a “third world” jail with no sunlight or fresh air. The defense has cited the disturbing conditions multiple times throughout the trial and in the sentencing memo. Other judges in the Southern District of New York have even factored MDC conditions into sentencing decisions. Notably, in a 2019 memo, SDNY Judge Jed Rakoff stated that it had become ‘routine’ for federal judges to consider the harsh conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center when sentencing defendants (United States vs. Paul Manafort).
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Dr. Hendrix believes that if Combs is not in protective custody, he will need to make protection arrangements by any means possible. “The BOP can mitigate his risks with separation options and monitoring, but if he remains in general population he will need strong protective arrangements-either formal or informal-to avoid becoming a constant target.” Hendrix also added a strange but common occurrence about how sex offenders are treated in custody- no entry into the TV room. “Sex offenders do try to keep a low profile, but a visible form of abuse is that other inmates won’t allow them in TV rooms.”
One of Combs’ attorneys Marc Agnifilo claimed that Judge Subramanian “acted like a 13th juror” and said they have plans to appeal the sentence.
Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo said Judge Arun Subramanian acted as a “13th juror” when he determined that Diddy should be punished for using fraud, force, or coercion against the victims of the prostitution charges, which completely glosses over the actual legal argument. pic.twitter.com/OsYviVbvLS
If anyone is happy about the sentencing of Sean “Diddy” Combs, it’s Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and he will remind everyone that he’s Diddy’s biggest opp every chance he gets.
Source: John Lamparski/ Shareif Ziyadat
Following Judge Arun Subramanian’s ruling that the former music mogul would spend over three years in prison, 50 Cent took the time to head to X to do a little gloating. After it was revealed in court that Diddy and his team had booked the record producer for a speaking engagement in Miami prior to his sentencing, the “Many Men” rapper had a message for the event hosts.
“Hey to whoever booked Diddy for speaking engagement. I heard he won’t be able to make it, I’m available,” he said.
It’s no secret that 50 Cent has been one of the biggest supporters of Diddy being brought to justice for his alleged crimes against an innumerable amount of victims, including the “In Da Club” rapper’s own baby mother, Daphne Joy. Diddy and Daphne were said to be an item for some time, and she was even named as one of the alleged women he kept on a monthly retainer for sex work in a lawsuit filed by Rodney “Lil Rod” Jones against the former Bad Boy CEO. Daphne would vehemently deny the claims and filed her own lawsuit for defamation against Jones. She also hit back at 50 for igniting the rumors with his own controversial remarks about the situation.
“Everything is a joke to you until our safety is compromised, which is happening now. You are wreaking real havoc, frenzy, and chaos onto people’s lives. How would u feel if Sire was the one in handcuffs? For nothing,” she wrote at the time. “I wouldn’t wish this on any woman. God hears me, and that’s all that matters.”
50 Cent also made sure to make his voice heard by writing his own “letter to the judge” presiding over Diddy’s case and sharing it to social media, Page Six reports.
“I have had an ongoing dispute with Puffy for 20 years,” 50 said. “He is very dangerous. Multiple times I have feared for my life. I think you should consider the safety of the general public, your honor, before unleashing him upon them. There hasn’t been enough time for him to learn or make adjustments despite teaching a class in there.”
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was sentenced today (Friday) to 4 years and 2 months in prison in his RICO case involving sex workers, violence, manipulation and “freak-offs.”
The judge said a lengthy sentence was needed for deterrence and that he was unconvinced that if Combs is released these crimes won’t happen again.
The hip-hop megastar was also fined half a million dollars. Since Combs has served a year in jail already, this sentence means he would be released in about three years.
However, Diddy himself, along with his lawyers and family, pleaded for his immediate release and said the time behind bars has already forced his remorse and sobriety.
It’ll be interesting to see how much of his 50 month sentence he actually serves, especially since Diddy seemingly was confident he was getting released TODAY.
Before he was handed his 50-month sentence, Diddy was emotional in court and in his letter to the court. His lawyers and children also campaigned through tears on his behalf.
The Bad Boy head honcho was brought to his knees – literally and physically in a Manhattan federal court today – telling the judge, “I humbly ask you for another chance.”
In his emotional four-page letter to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian submitted yesterday, Diddy apologized and took full responsibility ahead of his sentencing. He pleaded for mercy, saying, “the old me died in jail” and asked for a second chance to rebuild his life as a better father, son, and community leader.
He also stated in the letter, “I lost my way…I got lost in my journey. Lost in the drugs and the excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness. I have been humbled and broken to my core.”
Today, Diddy spoke for the first time in court, apologizing to victims Cassie Ventura and “Jane.”
“Domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry,” Combs said. “My actions were disgusting, shameful and sick. I was sick, sick from the drugs, I was out of control, I needed help and I didn’t get the help, and I cannot make no excuse.”
He went on to share how the case has impacted him.
“I am just a human being, I was trying my best, I got lost in my excess and lost in my ego,” he continued. “Because of my decision, I lost my freedom and the opportunity to raise my children and be there for my mother. I lost all of my businesses and lost my career and destroyed my reputation and, most of all, I lost my self-respect. I have been humbled and broken to my core. I hate myself right now. I’ve been stripped down to nothing.”
But his hubris in booking a speaking gig for next week didn’t do him any favors with the judge, it seems.
The U.S. Attorneys stated today that Diddy had a public appearance lined up for next week in Miami, which seems to indicate he believed he would be getting out today or quite soon.
The defense brought in Giovanni Sairras of Re-Entry One to explain the appearance. Sairras said the appearance was a speaking engagement to help other formerly incarcerated individuals. Still, the optics and implication of arrogance likely didn’t help Diddy’s case.
Diddy’s team also brought up all of Diddy’s kids (except for almost 3-year-old Love Combs) to make pleas for him to receive a short sentencing, preferably time served.
Reportedly, Jessie and D’Lila Combs got teary eyed while speaking, and Quincy, Justin and Christian spoke on Diddy being their superhero who taught them to treat women as queens.
Last week, several character letters were submitted to the court regarding Diddy’s sentencing. One standout letter was from Cassie, who testified as victim of his decade’s long abuse, requesting that he is not immediately released.
“I still have nightmares and flashbacks on a regular, everyday basis, and continue to require psychological care to cope with my past,” Ventura Fine wrote, according to court documents. “My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality.”
“I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution toward me and others who spoke up about his abuse at trial,” Ventura Fine continued. “As much progress as I have made in recovering from his abuse, I remain very much afraid of what he is capable of and the malice he undoubtedly harbors toward me for having the bravery to tell the truth.”
Her lawyers spoke out after the sentencing saying:
“While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs,” read a statement from her attorneys Douglas Wigdor and Meredith Firetog to NBC News, “the sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed.”
“We are confident that with the support of her family and friends,” they added, “Ms. Ventura will continue healing, knowing that her bravery and fortitude have been an inspiration to so many.”
As for how much time Diddy will actually end up serving…time will tell.
NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced Friday to four years and two months in a federal criminal case that exposed the hip-hop mogul’s use of paid sex workers for drug-fueled, sometimes violent sex parties he called “freak-offs.”
Combs, 55, was convicted in July of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters.
He was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life, but the sentence will nonetheless keep one of the biggest names in music out of the limelight and behind bars for years to come. Prosecutors had sought an 11-year sentence.
In a final word before the judge issued a sentence, Combs called his past behavior “disgusting, shameful” and “sick,” while apologizing to the people he hurt physically and mentally, as well as his children in the audience. He said his acts of domestic violence are a burden he will have to carry for the rest of his life.
Combs’ defense lawyers have argued the sexual encounters were consensual and wanted Combs freed immediately after more than a year in detention, which forced him to get sober and fueled his remorse. They played an 11-minute video in court Friday portraying Combs’ family life, career and philanthropy before his arrest.
At one point during the video, Combs put a hand on his face and began to cry, his shoulders at times heaving. Combs was expected to speak in court later Friday.
The video was part of an atypical presentation by the defense team, reflecting Combs’ unique status as a wealthy celebrity client who’s well-versed in shaping his image.
His nearly two-month trial in a federal court in Manhattan featured testimony from women who said Combs beat, threatened, sexually assaulted and blackmailed them. Prosecutor Christy Slavik told the judge that sparing Combs serious prison time would excuse years of violence.
“It’s a case about a man who did horrible things to real people to satisfy his own sexual gratification,” she said. “He didn’t need the money. His currency was control.”
Slavik also blasted Combs for allegedly booking speaking gig in South Florida next week, calling it “the height of hubris.” Defense lawyer Xavier Donaldson later said the proposed community events were meant to show what the business mogul could be doing “if the court let Mr. Combs out.”
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who has twice denied bail, has already signaled Combs is unlikely to leave custody soon. He said acquittals did not absolve the music mogul of underlying conduct, including violence and coercion.
Several of Combs children pleaded with him for leniency.
His daughters Chance and D’Lila Combs cried as they spoke, with D’Lila saying she feared losing her father after the death of their mother, Kim Porter, in 2018. Six of Combs’ seven children addressed the judge.
“Please, your honor, please,” D’Lila said through tears, “give our family the chance to heal together, to rebuild, to change, to move forward, not as a headline, but as human beings.”
Outside the courthouse, journalists and onlookers swarmed the sidewalks as TV crews stood in a long row across the street, echoing scenes from Combs’ trial.
Combs was convicted under the Mann Act, which bans transporting people across state lines for prostitution. Defense attorney Jason Driscoll argued the law was misapplied.
During testimony at the trial, former girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura told jurors that Combs ordered her to have “disgusting” sex with strangers hundreds of times during their decade Jong relationship. Jurors saw video of him dragging and beating her in a Los Angeles hotel hallway after one such multiday “freak-off.
Another woman, identified as “ Jane,” testified she was pressured into sex with male workers during drug-fueled “hotel nights” while Combs watched and sometimes filmed.
The only accuser scheduled to speak Friday, a former assistant known as “Mia,” withdrew after defense objections. She has accused Combs of raping her in 2010 and asked the judge for a sentence that reflects “the ongoing danger my abuser poses.”
Prosecutors also introduced testimony at the trial about other alleged violence. One of Cassie’s friends said Combs dangled her from 17th-floor balcony. Rapper Kid Cudi said Combs broke into his home after learning he was dating Cassie.
Another lawyer for Combs, Brian Steel, urged the judge to see the case through the prism of the “untreated trauma” and “ferocious drug addiction” that he says contributed to the hip-hop mogul’s misconduct.
“His good outweighs his bad, by far,” Steel said.
In a letter to the judge Thursday, Combs wrote: “The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn,” promising he would never commit another crime.
Cassie, in her own letter, described him as an abuser who “will always be the same cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man that he is.”
At a hearing last week, Combs told his mother and children he was “getting closer to going home.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to more than four years in prison.
Source: Sean “Diddy” Combs – Picture / Sean “Diddy” Combs – Picture provided by Canva
U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced the disgraced music mogul to 50 months behind bars, per NBC News.
Following his highly publicized trial, prosecutors sought an 11-year, three-month prison term for his Mann Act conviction, while the defense was trying for a 14-month sentence, which would amount to time served.
Combs, 55, was taken into custody in September last year. His sentence will include the year-plus he has already spent behind bars.
The long-running Diddy sex trafficking, racketeering, and prostitution case has finally been wrapped up. According to CNN, sentencing recommendations from the defense, prosecution, and probation departmentsdiffered tremendously.
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As previously reported, in July, Combs was convicted on two counts of transporting women for prostitution under the Mann Act, specifically for the transportation of former girlfriend Jane and the transportation of ex-girlfriendCasandra “Cassie” Ventura. Each charge carried a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Federal prosecutors were pushing for a sentence of more than 11 years, arguing that Combs physically and emotionally abused girlfriends and employees over the course of many years, all while showing no remorse for his actions.
His defense team, on the other hand, asked for no more than 14 months, including time already served. They strongly believed that the judge should disregard any testimony or evidence tied to charges Combs was acquitted of, including allegations that he coerced victims.
If the judge sided with the defense, Combs could have been released from federal custody almost immediately. Meanwhile, the court’s probation department recommended a sentence between 70 and 87 months. Earlier today, the judge stated there’s no clear reason to stray from those guidelines.
Here’s everything that’s happened throughout the case.
November 2023 – Cassie filed a lawsuit against Combs.
Source: Taylor Hill / Getty
On Nov. 17, 2023, Cassiefiled a lawsuit under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, accusing Combs of rape, sex trafficking, drug abuse, coercion, and repeated violence over the course of their decades-long relationship.
The next day, Combs quickly settled the lawsuit, with terms kept confidential.
“I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control,” Ventura said in a statement at the time. “I want to thank my family, fans, and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
Combs added, “We have decided to resolve this matter amicably. I wish Cassie and her family all the best.”
But the lawsuit was just the tip of the iceberg. Soon, several other alleged victims brought additionalcivil lawsuits alleging sexual assault, forced drugging, and abuse during past relationships with the hip-hop mogul.
March 2024 – Sean “Diddy” Combs’ homes in LA and Miami were raided by Homeland Security.
Source: MEGA / Getty
In March 2024, properties owned by Combs in Los Angeles and Miami wereraided by Homeland Security agents. According to Page Six, the Miami raid uncoveredwhat FBI agents described as “a slew of weapons, several boxes of high-heeled heels typically worn by exotic dancers and lingerie, bottles of baby oil and lubricant, and various bags filled with narcotics.” Meanwhile, the Los Angeles search revealed a similar scene, an “array of weapons” along with a staggering 200 bottles of baby oil and 900 bottles of lubricant, reportedly found scattered throughout the home, including in Combs’ bedroom.
May 2024: Video of Diddy assaulting Cassie in 2016 surfaces.
Source: Gotham / Getty
On May 17, 2024, CNN released surveillance footageshowing Combs physically assaulting Cassie during a 2016 incident that closely mirrored the allegations outlined in her November 2023 lawsuit.
The video showed the former singer and mother leaving a hotel room and walking toward an elevator before Combs, wearing only a towel, chased after her. He grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the ground. As Cassie lay motionless, Combs was seen violently kicking her and then walking away with her purse and suitcase.
September 2024 – Diddy was indicted.
Source: Getty / General
Months later, on Sept. 16, 2024, he was arrested in New York on a federal indictment charging him with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs pleaded not guilty.Multiple bail requests were denied.
May 2025 – The Diddy sex trafficking and racketeering trial began.
Source: The Washington Post / Getty
The rapper and hip-hop icon’s trial officially began May 5 in federal court in Lower Manhattan, led by Judge Arun Subramanian. Jury selection occupied the early days, and opening statements beganMay 12. Over the next several weeks, testimony was heard from alleged victims, employees, experts, and others, with the prosecution presenting evidence such as videos, travel logs, and witness accounts.
Prosecutors opened the trial by alleging that the Grammy-winner used his fame, power, and wealth to operate a criminal enterprise that enabled his so-called “freak offs,” drug-fueled sex parties involving both paid sex workers and unwilling participants. They claimed Combs used violence, intimidation, and coercion to force victims—including his ex-girlfriend Cassie—to participate in these disturbing encounters.
Some of the most significant testimony came early in the Diddy trial. LAPD officer Israel Florez, who previously worked in hotel security, was the first witness to take the stand. He testifiedabout being on duty at the Intercontinental Hotel in March 2016, the day surveillance footage captured Combs dragging and kicking Cassie in a hallway.
Later, another witness, Daniel Phillip—a male stripper—testified that he was paid thousands of dollars to perform sex acts with the songstress while Combs watched. He recounted an incident from around 2012 or 2013, describing how Combs allegedly became enraged when Cassie didn’t respond to him immediately. According to Phillip, Combs threw a liquor bottle at her and then dragged her by the hair into a bedroom, where he appeared to physically assault her. Phillip said he was too afraid to intervene, especially with Combs’ bodyguards present.
But the most devastating testimony came from Cassie herself. As reported by NewsOne, during the first week of the trial, she gave a harrowing account of the years of alleged abuse, control, and humiliation she suffered while in a relationship with the hip-hop mogul. She painted a chilling picture of what life was like behind the glamorous façade, recounting not only the physical assaults but also the psychological torment of being forced to participate in the infamous “freak offs.”
“He would smash me in my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down,” Cassie testified at the time of the abuse she endured.
The “Me & U” singer claimed that after one particularly brutal assault in 2008, Combs made her recover in isolation at a hotel. In another haunting moment, Cassie said she wore sunglasses to a red carpet premiere to hide the bruises left on her face. She also described the toll these encounters took on her health, stating that she developed frequent urinary tract infections from back-to-back “freak offs,” to the point where antibiotics no longer worked.
July 2025 – Diddy found not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking.
Source: LEONARDO MUNOZ / Getty
After three days of jury deliberations, a verdict was delivered July 2 for the Diddy sex trafficking and racketeering trial. Combs was found not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking by force/fraud/coercion charges, but guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the Mann Act. His sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 3.
September 2025: Cassie pens a heartbreaking letter to the court ahead of sentencing, “I’m so scared.”
Source: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty
As previously reported, ahead of the Oct. 3 sentencing hearing for the Diddy sex trafficking and racketeering trial, Cassie once again pleaded with the court, detailing the years of abuse and psychological manipulation she fought through while with Combs. In a powerful three-page victim impact statement obtained by Rolling Stone, she expressed not only the trauma of her past but also the fear she continues to live with today.
“I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up,” she wrote, making it clear that Combs’ release would not just be a legal outcome; it would be a threat to her safety and that of other victims.
“For four days in May, while nine months pregnant, I testified in front of a packed courtroom about the most traumatic and horrifying chapter in my life,” she added. Today, she says she lives “as private and quiet as possible,” constantly looking over her shoulder, fearing what could happen if Combs walks free.
Sean “Diddy” Combs has been sentenced to just over 4 years in prison, three months after he was found guilty of two counts of prostitution.
Combs was given 50 months in prison and a fine of US$500,000, the maximum possible, for his conviction on federal prostitution-related offences.
In his ruling, Judge Arun Subramanian said “a history of good works can’t wash away the record in this case, which shows that you abused the power and control over the lives of women who you professed to love.”
“You were no john,” he added. “You were more than that, even if your currency was satisfying your sexual desires instead of money.”
Subramanian said a substantial sentence is required “to send a message to abusers and victims alike that exploitation and violence against women is met with real accountability.”
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Federal prosecutors had asked that Combs, 55, be sentenced to at least 11 years and three months in prison. Comb’s lawyers urged the judge to sentence him to no longer than 14 months, which would have resulted in his near-immediate release, as he has already served nearly 13 months in a Brooklyn jail.
Lawyer for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs speaks as his client awaits sentencing
During the sentencing hearing, Combs’ six children crowded around the podium, imploring the judge to give their father a second chance.
Quincy Brown, the 34-year-old son of Kim Porter, who was adopted by Combs, shared that his father “has learned a lesson.” The family had seen him evolve, Brown said, and “he is completely transformed.”
“My father is my superhero. Seeing him broken down and stripped of everything is something I will never forget,” said another son, Justin Combs, 31.
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Chance Combs, his eldest daughter, told the judge that while her father was been incarcerated, she saw changes in him that “feel real and lasting.”
“When we talk he speaks with a clear mind and sense of purpose that I didn’t always hear before,” she added.
“I know how hard it was to stand up here and tell me those things, but it’s important for me to hear,” Subramanian said to them.
After an emotional series of statements from the children, Combs’ legal team presented an 11-minute tribute video that featured clips showcasing the rapper’s philanthropic efforts, motivational speeches, home videos and scenes of him mourning his late partner Porter, who died in 2018.
While addressing the judge, Combs thanked Subramanian for “giving me the chance to finally speak up for myself,” as the former rapper did not testify during his trial.
“One of the hardest things that I’ve had to handle is having to be quiet. Not being able to express how sorry I am for my actions,” Combs said in his statement to the court.
“I want to personally apologize again to Cassie Ventura for any harm or hurt that I’ve caused her – emotionally or physically,” he added.
Combs called his conduct “disgusting, shameful and sick.”
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“Because of my decisions, I lost my freedom, I lost the opportunity to effectively raise my children and be there for my mother,” Combs said. “I lost all my businesses, I lost my career, I totally destroyed my reputation.”
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Combs said that he’s “lost my self-respect” and he has been “humbled and broken to my core.”
“I hate myself right now. I got stripped down to nothing,” Combs said. “I want to apologize to my seven children. Y’all deserve better.”
Trump asked if he would ever consider a pardon for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
The sentencing marks the conclusion of the disgraced hip-hop mogul’s New York trial, which began on May 5.
In a letter to Subramanian ahead of his sentencing, Combs proclaimed himself to be a new man after realizing that he was “broken to my core.”
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“Over the past year there have been so many times that I wanted to give up. There have been some days I thought I would be better off dead. The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn. Prison will change you or kill you — I choose to live,” he said.
Combs admitted that he had “no one to blame for my current reality and situation but myself.”
“In my life, I have made many mistakes, but I am no longer running from them,” he wrote. “I am so sorry for the hurt that I caused, but I understand that the mere words ‘I’m sorry’ will never be good enough as these words alone cannot erase the pain from the past.”
He went on to apologize for hitting, kicking and dragging his then-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 — an attack captured on security camera.
“The scene and images of me assaulting Cassie play over and over in my head daily,” Combs wrote. “I literally lost my mind. I was dead wrong for putting my hands on the woman that I loved. I’m sorry for that and always will be.”
Rather than make an example out of him with a lengthy sentence, Combs asked Subramanian to “make me an example of what a person can do if afforded a second chance.”
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The charges: What led to Combs’ sentencing?
Combs has been behind bars since his September 2024 arrest. He faced federal charges of coercing girlfriends into having drug-fuelled sex marathons with male sex workers while he watched and filmed them.
Combs had pleaded not guilty. His lawyers argued that prosecutors were trying to criminalize Combs’ swinger lifestyle and that, if anything, his conduct amounted to domestic violence, not federal felonies.
In July, Combs was found guilty of two counts of prostitution, including the transportation of Ventura to engage in prostitution. He was also found guilty of the transportation of former girlfriend “Jane” for the same purposes.
The Bad Boy Records founder was acquitted in July of the top charges — racketeering and sex trafficking. The defence won three acquittals after he was found not guilty of running a criminal enterprise and two counts of sex trafficking.
In all, 34 witnesses testified, headlined by Combs’ former girlfriends Ventura and “Jane,” who testified under a pseudonym. Both women said he was often violent toward them. Ventura said he forced her into hundreds of sexual encounters with paid male sex workers, while Jane recounted numerous “hotel nights.”
After the verdict was read, Combs’ lawyer Marc Agnifilo asked the court to release Combs from federal detention now that he is no longer charged with sex trafficking.
Judge Subramanian noted Combs’ violent history: “At trial, the defence conceded the defendant’s violence in his personal relationships, saying it happened with Cassie and Jane.”
Agnifilo asked that Combs be released on conditional bail to his home in Miami, and offered a US$1-million bond. Prosecutor Maurene Comey countered, saying to Subramanian that Combs should remain in jail until sentencing.
Agnifilo said conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn were “dangerous,” and said defendants convicted in the past of prostitution-related charges that were similar to Combs’ were typically released before their sentencing.
He argued that the court should release Combs “on reasonable conditions” in advance of sentencing. The lawyer claimed that Combs “is not a risk of flight nor is he a danger to the community or to any specific people.”
Agnifilo said that if Combs was released on conditions, he “will not be violent to anyone.”
Combs’ lawyer also added a proposed bail package for the rapper with conditions including “a $50-million bond secured by Mr. Combs’ home in Miami,” which would also be co-signed by three “financially responsible people.”
A source close to Combs’ legal team confirmed to NBC News that they had been in contact with the Trump administration.
This came after Nicole Westmoreland, a member of Combs’ defence team, told CNN in an exclusive interview that the music mogul’s team had reached out to Trump for a potential pardon.
In early August, Trump told Newsmax that Combs’ lawyers have “talked to me about Sean” but said he was unlikely to pardon the music mogul.
“I was very friendly with him, I got along with him great and he seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile,” Trump said.
When Trump was asked if granting Combs clemency was more likely a “no,” he said, “I would say so.”
Diddy trial: Ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura fought what ‘only the demon himself could have done’
They said their client is a “changed man,” who had realized that his overuse of drugs had contributed to violent acts he participated in.
What’s next for Combs?
Combs was denied acquittal and a new trial on Tuesday, the judge rejecting his lawyers’ argument that he was an amateur pornographer — not engaging in prostitution — and that the guilty verdict violates his First Amendment rights.
“The government proved its case many times over. That by itself might be enough to dispose of Combs’s challenge,” Subramanian wrote in the 16-page opinion and order.
“Illegal activity can’t be laundered into constitutionally protected activity.”
He called Combs’ filming “incidental,” pointing to trial evidence that showed he didn’t typically give notice or ask for consent for filming, as a film producer would.
Credit: US COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT
