Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been handed a four-year, two-month prison sentence after a New York court found him guilty of transporting women to engage in prostitution.
The 55-year-old rapper, entrepreneur, and music executive was also slapped with a fine of Sh65 million (USD 500,000).
The verdict comes three months after Combs dramatically collapsed to his knees in the same Manhattan courtroom when a jury cleared him of the more severe charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, offences that could have seen him jailed for life.
According to CNN, the wealthy entertainer was being held at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn, New York since his arrest in September of last year
While acquitted on those counts, the jury found him guilty of using his status and influence to manipulate two of his former partners, singer Cassandra Ventura and another woman identified in court records as “Jane.”
The New Yor Times reported that Judge Arun Subramanian delivered a stern ruling, stating that Combs had exploited his fame and power to “subjugate” women, and that his actions demanded accountability. The judge noted that a stiff penalty was necessary not only as punishment but also as a warning to others.
“Exploitation and violence against women will be met with real accountability,” the judge told the court in a 20-minute address, during which Combs sat silently, his eyes fixed on the floor.
The once flamboyant star, who built a billion-shilling empire in music, fashion, and liquor branding, barely reacted as the sentence was read. At one point, he turned to face his family and friends, more than 30 of whom had filled the courtroom, and appeared to mouth the words, “I love you, I’m sorry,” BBC reported.
His defence team had pushed for a lighter 14-month sentence, citing time already served in jail and arguing that Combs had shown signs of reform. Prosecutors, however, demanded an 11-year term, pointing to his long history of domestic abuse and violence.
Several of his children gave emotional statements during the proceedings, some breaking down in tears. Combs himself apologised to the court, but the judge insisted that a significant sentence was necessary to “send a message to both abusers and victims.”
The rapper will now begin serving his sentence in a federal prison facility.