Diddy sentencing live updates: Judge to decide fate

NEW YORK – Sean “Diddy” Combs will learn his fate today after a weeks-long trial and more than a year behind bars at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center. 

A federal judge will ultimately decide whether he will serve more than a decade in prison. 

SKIP TO: Live updates from the courtroom

FOX 5 NY will stream live from the courthouse throughout the morning on YouTube and in the media player above.

What we know:

Diddy, 55, was convicted in July on two counts of violating the Mann Act, a federal law banning interstate prostitution. Prosecutors said he arranged paid sexual encounters between his girlfriends and male sex workers. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

See live updates from inside and outside the courtroom here. 

Diddy’s acquittals don’t erase evidence, judge says 

11:07 a.m. – Judge says that even though Diddy was acquitted of some charges, the verdict does not erase the evidence of violence and coercion. He explained that this conduct is still relevant when deciding Diddy’s sentence.

According to Subramanian, it was Diddy who organized the sex parties, hired the male escorts, and paid for them. 

–Adeja Shivonne, AP News

Among letter-writers supporting Combs, here’s who will speak

• The judge confirmed that Combs’ children and a minister will be able to speak in support of the hip-hop impresario. Subramanian is considering whether he’ll also hear from some other people the defense proposed. All of them have written letters to the court. 
• The defense wants the court to hear from two doctors who have evaluated and cared for Combs while he’s been in jail.

-AP News

‘Mia’ was meant to be the only accuser to speak Friday

• Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said Mia changed her mind about speaking in court after Combs’ lawyers submitted a letter objecting to Mia’s appearance.
• The letter, the prosecutor said, “can only be described as bullying.”
• The judge agreed, concluding that “the tone of the defense’s letter was inappropriate” and advising Combs’ lawyers not to do it again.

–AP News

Witness who testified Combs raped her won’t speak

• A former personal assistant who testified at Combs’ trial that he raped her in 2010 is no longer planning to speak at his sentencing.
• Prosecutors told the judge that the former assistant, who testified under the pseudonym “Mia,” has changed her mind about giving a statement in person. She already submitted a lengthy personal statement urging the judge to hold Combs “fully accountable.”
• “This letter has been excruciating to write,” her victim impact statement said. She wrote that the little girl she once was “is gone. She was buried alive by an abuser, trapped in a world of terror, abuse, humiliation, and coercive control.”

Judge Arun Subramanian has taken the bench

• Combs smiled briefly and waved to his family in the gallery before sitting down, putting on a pair of glasses and reading through papers from a large accordion-style folder. “Good morning and good morning to you, Mr. Combs,” the judge says. “Good morning, your honor,” Combs replies.

–AP News

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has arrived in court for his sentencing

• As he has throughout the case, the hip-hop mogul entered the packed courtroom through a side door, escorted by deputy U.S. marshals.
• Combs was transported to the courthouse Friday morning from the Metropolitan Detention Center, the Brooklyn federal jail where he’s been held since his arrest in September 2024.
• Given permission by the judge to don non-jail clothes, Combs arrived wearing a light-colored sweater over a button-down shirt and dark-colored dress pants. He hugged his lawyers and greeted his family and supporters as he walked to the defense table. As at his trial, Combs’ hair is grayer and whiter than the black mane he’s known for. That’s because he’s not allowed hair dye in jail.

–AP News

Read Diddy’s letter to the judge: ‘I lost my way’, ‘I’m sorry’ 

How much time does Diddy face? 

The sentencing marks a stark clash between prosecutors and the defense. 

Federal prosecutors are urging Judge Arun Subramanian to impose at least 11 years and three months, calling Diddy a danger who has shown little accountability for his actions.

His lawyers, meanwhile, are asking for no more than 14 months, which would mean his release almost immediately. 

They insist he has already endured enough punishment during his time at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, where they say he has faced constant suicide watch, threats from inmates and degrading conditions.

Cassie: ‘I am so scared’

The other side:

“My worries that Sean Combs or his associates will come after me and my family is my reality,” Cassie wrote. “I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution.”

Other women and former employees also pressed the judge to hand down a severe sentence, describing Diddy as dangerous and manipulative.

Could the case be overturned?

Dig deeper:

Late Tuesday, Judge Subramanian rejected Diddy’s attempt to have his conviction thrown out. 

His attorneys argued he was acting as an amateur pornographer, not engaging in prostitution, and that his conviction violated First Amendment rights. 

The judge dismissed that defense, writing “illegal activity can’t be laundered into constitutionally protected activity.”

Today’s sentencing will determine whether Diddy is released or transferred to federal prison.

For the hip-hop mogul, it marks the defining moment of a case that has already destroyed his business empire and reputation.

Crime and Public SafetyEntertainmentNew YorkNewsEntertainmentNew YorkNews