Sean Combs, the renowned hip-hop mogul who built an empire on his personal brand, is scheduled for sentencing today in a Manhattan federal court. Judge Arun Subramanian will preside over the hearing, where Combs faces conviction on two prostitution-related charges. This pivotal moment comes three months after an eight-week trial concluded with a split verdict. While the 55-year-old executive was acquitted of the more severe charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy—offenses that could have led to a life sentence—he was found guilty on other counts. Here’s what to expect from today’s proceedings:
- What to Expect: The hearing, slated for 10 a.m. Eastern, will feature arguments from both the defense and prosecution regarding the appropriate length of Mr. Combs’s prison sentence. His lawyers have indicated he intends to address the court directly, following a letter sent Thursday wherein he pleaded for mercy and promised to never re-offend. The defense also plans to present a 15-minute video. Additionally, a former assistant, identified as Mia, who accused Mr. Combs of sexually assaulting her during the trial, is expected to speak.
- The Charges: Mr. Combs was convicted of two violations of the Mann Act, an anti-prostitution law making it a federal crime to transport individuals across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. These charges related to two former girlfriends—singer Casandra Ventura (known as Cassie) and another who testified as Jane—as well as male escorts hired by Mr. Combs, all of whom were transported for sexual activities. The defense’s request to overturn these convictions, arguing they concerned consensual adult sexual activity, was denied by the judge.
- Sentencing Range: The recommendations for sentencing vary dramatically between the two legal teams, each based on differing interpretations of federal guidelines. The defense has asked for a maximum of 14 months imprisonment, which, considering the year Mr. Combs has already spent in detention since his arrest in September 2024, would allow for his release by the end of 2025. Conversely, the prosecution is seeking a sentence of no less than 11 years and three months, citing numerous instances of violence and intimidation presented during the trial. Federal probation officials, for their part, calculated a guideline range of up to seven years and three months.
- Cassie’s Appeal: In a letter to the court, Ms. Ventura urged Judge Subramanian to consider "the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control" when determining his punishment.
- The Judge: Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over the trial, was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and has served on the bench for two and a half years. He holds the distinction of being the first judge of South Asian heritage in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
- Combs’s Confinement: Since his arrest, Mr. Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. This facility has faced scrutiny from advocates over its conditions and staff turnover, though the Bureau of Prisons reports recent improvements.
Sean Combs is set to be sentenced today for his convictions on two counts of violating the Mann Act. This federal law, in effect since 1910, prohibits transporting individuals across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.
The convictions stem from what Mr. Combs referred to as "freak-offs" and "hotel nights"—ritualistic sex marathons during which he instructed two of his girlfriends to engage in sexual acts with male escorts while he observed. The jury found Mr. Combs responsible for arranging the travel of these individuals to various locations, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Ibiza, and Turks and Caicos.
The Mann Act itself boasts a long and often controversial history. Originating in 1910 amidst public anxieties about prostitution, particularly "white slavery," the law has undergone significant changes over the decades. More recently, it has been instrumental in several high-profile #MeToo-era prosecutions.
Initially known as the White Slave Traffic Act, the law was born from a climate of racist and nativist fears, alongside Progressive-era concerns about young women being coerced into prostitution in urban centers, according to Jessica R. Pliley, author of the book "Policing Sexuality: The Mann Act and the Making of the F.B.I." Its original wording also broadly prohibited interstate transport for any "immoral purpose," allowing the government to police a wide array of sexual behaviors, including adultery.
During the mid-20th century, this expansive clause formed the basis for charges in celebrity cases involving figures such as comedian Charlie Chaplin, the musician Chuck Berry, and the boxer Jack Johnson, the first Black heavyweight champion, who was posthumously pardoned for what is widely considered a racially motivated prosecution.
Over time, the application of the Mann Act shifted, increasingly focusing on cases of human trafficking and sex crimes against minors. The ambiguous "immoral purpose" language was eventually removed in 1986.
Legal experts note that Mann Act charges are now commonly used as foundational elements in complex sex-trafficking cases, relying on patterns of behavior, similar to federal prosecutions against figures like R. Kelly and Ghislaine Maxwell.
"To charge someone with the Mann Act today is not at all the same as having done so in the early 20th century," explains Mary Graw Leary, a former federal prosecutor and human trafficking scholar, highlighting how society and legal interpretations have evolved.
The law’s utility for prosecutors lies in its relative ease of proof compared to more severe sex-trafficking charges, often serving as a fallback in challenging cases. The Combs case exemplifies this strategy: despite being acquitted of sex trafficking, the jury found him guilty of Mann Act violations.
Mr. Combs’s legal team has vocally criticized the Mann Act, labeling its history as "odious" and arguing that its application in this case unfairly criminalizes consensual sexual activity between adults. "It’s unclear why this conduct should be criminal in 2025," asserted Alexandra Shapiro, one of Mr. Combs’s lawyers, in court last month.
However, Judge Arun Subramanian dismissed the defense’s argument that Mr. Combs was being unfairly prosecuted due to his race. He stated that "whatever the troubling history" of the law, "its present-day enforcement appears on its face race-neutral in this district, reaching across race and gender." The defense’s strong objections to the law are anticipated to be a key component of a potential appeal of Mr. Combs’s convictions.
Before his recent conviction on prostitution-related charges, Sean Combs—universally known as Puff Daddy or Diddy—stood as one of contemporary music’s most influential and successful producers and entrepreneurs. He was pivotal in elevating hip-hop to a global cultural phenomenon, transforming artists like The Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige into household names.
Hailing from a modest background in Harlem and Mount Vernon, N.Y., the 55-year-old Combs launched himself into the music industry at a young age. As a teenager, he started as a backup dancer in music videos for Fine Young Cannibals and other acts, and he later interned at Uptown Records, a powerhouse label known for new jack swing and fusing R&B with rap. There, he quickly ascended to an executive role, showcasing an exceptional talent for not only crafting hit songs but also for conceptualizing the entire image and persona of his artists. By starring in their lavish music videos, he cemented his own recognizable presence among fans.
Combs soon achieved stardom with his own label, Bad Boy. Under the moniker Puff Daddy, he topped the charts in 1997 with "I’ll Be Missing You," famously sampling The Police. His persona on MTV’s hit reality show "Making the Band" portrayed him as a demanding, often volatile label boss—a role perhaps only slightly exaggerated from reality. Concurrently, Combs became a tabloid fixture, known for his extravagant "White Parties" at his Hamptons estate and other locales, and for high-profile relationships, including one with Jennifer Lopez. At his peak, he transformed fame into a form of performance art itself.
Despite his meteoric rise, Combs’s career was shadowed by various allegations of violence, misconduct, and negligence. Early on, in 1991, a charity basketball game he promoted in Harlem resulted in nine fatalities due to a stampede. Five years later, he reportedly brandished a gun at a photographer. In 1999, he and his bodyguards assaulted a rival music executive, and later that year, he was arrested after a shooting incident at a New York nightclub where three people were injured. Remarkably, Combs largely avoided severe repercussions. He was acquitted in the nightclub shooting trial and contributed approximately $750,000 to the $3.8 million settlements for the wrongful death lawsuits stemming from the basketball stampede.
These controversies and accusations did little to diminish his celebrity or the success of his numerous business ventures, which included a popular fashion line and lucrative liquor brand endorsements. Just two years prior, Mr. Combs was celebrated as an industry visionary and philanthropist.
However, his carefully constructed reputation began to unravel in late 2023. His former girlfriend, singer Cassie (Casandra Ventura), filed a bombshell lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault, rape, and years of physical abuse. She alleged that Mr. Combs compelled her to partake in drug-fueled sexual gatherings he termed "freak-offs."
Cassie’s lawsuit was settled swiftly, for $20 million, as she testified. This civil action, however, ignited a federal criminal investigation that led to Mr. Combs’s arrest in September 2024. He was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation for prostitution. Ms. Ventura became a key witness for the government in the subsequent trial.
Mr. Combs maintained his innocence, pleading not guilty and vehemently denying the accusations. His legal team contended that his accusers were long-term girlfriends engaged in consensual relationships. They also argued that his arrangements for sexual marathons involving his girlfriends and male escorts, which involved members of his coterie and staff, did not amount to racketeering.
Following an eight-week trial, the jury found Mr. Combs guilty of transporting individuals across state lines for the purpose of prostitution, while acquitting him of the more serious sex-trafficking and racketeering charges.