By 
American music mogul, Sean “Diddy” Combs, was on Friday sentenced to four years and two months in prison for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters, marking a dramatic downfall for one of hip-hop’s most powerful and influential figures.
Combs, 55, was convicted under the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution.
Euronews reported that having already served a year in custody, he could be released in about three years.
The sentence came after jurors in July acquitted Combs of the more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, which could have carried a life sentence.
Prosecutors had sought more than 11 years in prison, while defence lawyers urged for his immediate release, saying his time in detention had forced him to confront his mistakes, embrace sobriety and remorse.
During the sentencing in Manhattan federal court, prosecutors portrayed Combs as a violent abuser who exploited women for his gratification.
“It’s a case about a man who did horrible things to real people to satisfy his own sexual gratification,” prosecutor Christy Slavik told Judge Arun Subramanian. “He didn’t need the money. His currency was in control.”
Slavik criticised Combs for allegedly planning to attend a speaking engagement in Miami next week, calling it “the height of hubris.”
Combs’ nearly two-month trial featured disturbing testimony from several women, including his former girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, who said the music mogul forced her into repeated sexual acts with strangers and physically assaulted her.
Jurors were shown a video of Combs dragging and beating Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. Another witness testified that Combs dangled her from a 17th-floor balcony, while rapper Kid Cudi alleged that Combs broke into his home after learning he was dating Cassie.
At the hearing, Combs’ defence lawyers presented an 11-minute video highlighting his philanthropy, family life and influence in music. Combs was seen crying during the presentation.
His seven children also pleaded for leniency. “My father is my superhero,” his son Justin said. “Seeing him broken down and stripped of everything is something I will never forget.”
Judge Subramanian, who twice denied Combs’ bail requests, said the acquittals did not absolve him of violent conduct, noting evidence of coercion and abuse.
In a letter to the court, Combs wrote: “The old me died in jail and a new version of me was reborn,” promising to live differently. Cassie, in her own letter, described him as “a cruel, power-hungry, manipulative man.”
Outside the courthouse, crowds gathered as news of the sentence spread — a striking moment in the reckoning of a man once seen as the face of modern hip-hop success.
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