NEW YORK — Sean "Diddy" Combs' empire was upended when former girlfriend and protégé Cassie accused him of sex trafficking and physical abuse, setting off a torrent of civil lawsuits and a federal investigation that led to a criminal trial. Nearly two years after that first lawsuit, the music mogul has learned his legal fate.

Combs was sentenced to 50 months, roughly four years, in prison after a hearing in Manhattan court on Friday, Oct. 3. U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian issued the ruling three months after Combs was convicted in his federal sex-crimes case.

The Grammy-winning rapper and producer, who police arrested in September 2024, was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and acquitted of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.

Ahead of sentencing, Combs' legal team had recommended Subramanian hand down 14 months of prison time, while prosecutors sought an 11-year sentence. During the hearing, the judge said he agreed with probation officers that federal guidelines called for a sentence between 5 3/4 years and 7 1/4 years, but he also said the guidelines were merely advisory.

It was an emotional day for Combs, who's been held in custody at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center, as well as his tight-knit family. Six of Combs' seven children spoke through tears in support of their father, and one of Combs' defense attorneys broke down crying as she recounted how inspiring she thought he was.

"I got lost in the journey of life. I got lost in excess. I got lost in my ego," Combs said at the hearing. "Because of my decisions, I lost my freedom. I've totally destroyed my reputation. I've been humbled and broken down. I hate myself right now. I've been stripped down to nothing."

Judge dismisses Diddy lawyers' characterization of charges as 'inconsistent'

Despite efforts by Combs' attorneys to reframe his behavior as an eccentric sexual lifestyle, one involving transporting people across state lines for consensual sex, Subramanian said that "narrative" was "flatly inconsistent with both reality and any acceptance of responsibility" during the Oct. 3 hearing.

Combs' ex-girlfriends, R&B singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine and the anonymous "Jane," spent multiple grueling days on the stand, at times defiant as they were pressed about the explicit details of their yearslong relationships with Combs; in other moments, they broke down in tears as they described the mental and physical toll that he took on them.

"I still have nightmares and flashbacks on a regular, everyday basis, and continue to require psychological care to cope with my past," wrote Ventura Fine in a letter to Subramanian ahead of Combs' sentencing. "My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality."

In an Oct. 2 letter to Subramanian, Combs expressed regret for his violence toward Ventura Fine and Jane, adding that his "domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry."

But Combs also shared that he had undergone a deep personal transformation while in jail, which included getting sober "for the first time in 25 years."

"I can't change the past, but I can change the future. I know that God put me here to transform me," Combs concluded his letter. "I'm committed to the journey of remaining a drug free, non-violent and peaceful person."

Contributing: USA TODAY staff reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sean 'Diddy' Combs' bombshell sex-crimes case culminates in 4-year prison sentence

Reporting by Edward Segarra, Patrick Ryan and Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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