Sean “Diddy” Combs is set to be sentenced on Friday, with federal prosecutors pushing for at least 11 years and three months behind bars following his conviction on charges of transportation to engage in prostitution.
The 55-year-old music mogul has been in custody since his arrest in September 2024. His attorneys have urged Judge Arun Subramanian to impose no more than 14 months, only slightly longer than the time he has already served.
Combs was acquitted earlier this year of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy after an eight-week trial, but prosecutors argue that the prostitution convictions warrant a lengthy sentence.
Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told People he expects the final sentence to fall closer to four or five years. “I don’t think he’s getting the 11 years that the government is recommending,” Rahmani said, noting that the statutory maximum for the counts is 10 years each. The Probation Department has recommended five to seven years.
“If the judge was so inclined, he would’ve released him on bail after the verdict,” Rahmani added. “The fact that he kept him detained…leads me to believe that he’s going to impose a sentence. Maybe not the full amount the government is asking for, but a split-the-baby type sentence. That’s why I think five years ends up being in the middle.”
Rahmani also pointed out that Judge Subramanian could consider “other relevant conduct” that surfaced during trial. “We’re talking about the drugs, we’re talking about the violence,” he said. “Even though he was acquitted of running a criminal enterprise…there was a lot of bad evidence with respect to violence and drug use. So I think the judge is going to treat this like more than just a simple prostitution case.”
Ahead of sentencing, Combs’ former partner Casandra “Cassie” Ventura submitted a letter urging the court to consider the broader harm caused. “The many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control cannot be ignored,” she wrote.
