Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Faces Sentencing: How Long Will the Former Mogul Spend Behind Bars?

After months of courtroom drama, Sean “Diddy” Combs is preparing to learn his fate. On Friday, Oct. 3, the hip-hop mogul turned defendant will appear before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian for sentencing, three months after a jury convicted him on two federal prostitution-related charges.

The 55-year-old music executive was acquitted of the most explosive allegations — sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy — following an eight-week trial that captured national attention. But federal prosecutors insist the convictions that did emerge are far from minor, asking the court to impose a sentence of at least 11 years and three months. That recommendation, they argue, reflects the seriousness of the conduct and the harm done.

Combs’ defense team has painted a starkly different picture. In filings this week, his attorneys urged Judge Subramanian to consider the months their client has already spent behind bars since his September 2024 arrest. They requested a sentence capped at 14 months, arguing that anything more would be excessive given both the jury’s rejection of the most severe counts and Combs’ personal circumstances.

Legal experts, however, anticipate a result somewhere between the extremes. Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told reporters he believes a sentence in the range of four to five years is most likely. “I don’t think he’s getting the 11 years that the government is recommending,” Rahmani said, noting that the statutory maximum for the prostitution counts is 10 years each. “The Probation Department itself has recommended five to seven years, and I expect the judge to fall closer to that range.”

Rahmani emphasized that the fact Judge Subramanian kept Combs in custody after the verdict — despite acquittals on the racketeering and sex trafficking charges — suggests the court sees the case as more serious than Combs’ defense team argues. “If the judge was inclined toward leniency, he would have released him on bail,” Rahmani explained. “The continued detention signals that a substantial sentence is coming. Maybe not the full amount the government wants, but something in the middle.”

The sentencing calculus could also be influenced by what federal law refers to as “relevant conduct.” Even though Combs was cleared of running a criminal enterprise or coercing women into sex, the trial record was filled with testimony about drug use, violence, and abuse. That evidence, Rahmani noted, may still weigh heavily. “I think the judge is going to treat this like more than just a simple prostitution case,” he said.

Adding to the gravity of the moment are the voices of Combs’ accusers. In a letter to the court, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura — Combs’ former partner who testified during the trial — urged the judge to remember the lasting harm she says Combs inflicted during their decade-long relationship. “The many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control,” she wrote, should not be ignored when fashioning a sentence.

Combs’ legal maneuvers have so far failed to alter the course. Just this week, Judge Subramanian rejected a motion for acquittal and a new trial, bluntly stating in a written ruling, “The government proved its case many times over. That by itself might be enough to dispose of Combs’s challenge.”

The sentencing hearing promises to be another high-stakes chapter in the dramatic downfall of a man once celebrated for his cultural influence and entrepreneurial success. Once a staple of the music industry with a reputation for luxury and power, Combs now stands to spend years in federal prison — the only question is how many.