Why Sean Diddy Combs may still have to go to prison despite acquittal
Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, meaning the 55-year-old music icon could still spend significant time behind bars. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian will decide Combs' fate at a later sentencing hearing.
The mixed verdict spares Combs from a potential life sentence, but the convictions mark a serious blow to his public image and legal standing. Combs was among the most powerful entertainment figures to be swept up in the post-#MeToo reckoning, joining the ranks of disgraced names like Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly.
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Prosecutors alleged that Combs leveraged his wealth, influence, and business infrastructure to coerce women into sex acts and silence them through threats, violence, and hush money. Though cleared of sex trafficking, testimony from two former girlfriends painted a disturbing picture: both claimed Combs forced them to participate in drug-fueled orgies with male prostitutes—sometimes referred to as 'Freak Offs'—while he watched, filmed, or masturbated.
Combs pleaded not guilty to all five felony counts. Since his arrest in September, he has remained in custody at a Brooklyn detention facility—a far cry from his luxurious residences in Los Angeles and Miami. Throughout the trial, Combs' mother and several of his children were seen attending court, showing family support amid a very public fall from grace.
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Sean Diddy Combs not guilty! Hip-hop mogul acquitted of most serious charges, convicted for prostitution-related offense
Born in Harlem and raised by a single mother after his father's death, Combs dropped out of Howard University to pursue music. He rose through the ranks at Uptown Records before founding
Bad Boy Records
in 1993, launching the careers of artists like Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher.
Beyond music, Combs cultivated an image of opulence—yachts, diamonds, and extravagant parties—while dating high-profile figures like Jennifer Lopez and launching ventures like Sean John and Revolt TV. In 2022, Forbes estimated his net worth at over $1 billion, though Fortune later reported it had dropped to around $400 million by 2024, partly due to legal troubles.
Combs' business empire, prosecutors alleged, also served as a mechanism for control. Testimony revealed that employees helped arrange the sex acts and maintain the secrecy around them. Both accusers—singer Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura and another woman identified as Jane—told jurors they were physically abused and manipulated with threats of leaked sex tapes or withdrawal of financial support.
Defense lawyers admitted that Combs was abusive but insisted that the sexual acts were consensual. They presented explicit messages from the accusers to argue that the relationships, while toxic, were not criminal.
Even as the criminal trial ends, Combs faces a wave of civil litigation. Ventura filed a high-profile lawsuit against him in late 2023 alleging rape and repeated abuse. The case was settled the next day for $20 million. Several other civil suits—filed by both women and men—remain pending.
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