Hip-hop mogul Sean &ldquo;Diddy&rdquo; Combs broke down in tears on Friday as a federal court sentenced him to over four years in prison on interstate prostitution charges, following a dramatic hearing where he begged the judge for mercy and apologized for his &ldquo;disgusting&rdquo; actions.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t change the past, but I can change the future,&rdquo; Combs told Indian origin&nbsp;Judge, Arun Subramanian inside the Manhattan District Courthouse. &ldquo;My actions were shameful and sick. I was out of control. I needed help and didn&rsquo;t get it.&rdquo; The 54-year-old rapper, once a symbol of music and business success, admitted his downfall stemmed from drugs, excess, and arrogance. &ldquo;I lost my businesses, my career, and my self-respect,&rdquo; he said, breaking down as he addressed his mother in court: &ldquo;You taught me better.&rdquo;
Prosecutors had pushed for an 11-year sentence, calling Combs &ldquo;unrepentant&rdquo; and a danger to others. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik argued that his long record of alleged abuse showed a pattern the public &ldquo;must be protected from.&rdquo; His defense team, led by Marc Agnifolo and Nicole Westmoreland, painted a different picture, that of a broken man who had learned from his mistakes. &ldquo;He doesn&rsquo;t need more punishment,&rdquo; said Agnifolo.
Combs&rsquo; sons, Quincy Brown and Christian Combs&nbsp;pleaded emotionally for leniency, calling their father &ldquo;a changed man.&rdquo; The courtroom fell silent as the music icon wept while his children spoke.
Convicted in July after a seven-week trial, Combs was found guilty on two counts of interstate prostitution but acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking. Prosecutors alleged he ran a violent criminal network that coerced women and escorts into drug-fueled &ldquo;freak offs,&rdquo; a charge he denied.In a letter to the court before sentencing, Combs wrote, &ldquo;I got lost in the drugs and excess. My downfall was rooted in selfishness. I am truly sorry for all the pain I caused.&rdquo;
Judge Subramanian called it &ldquo;a case of wasted potential and moral failure,&rdquo; saying the sentence reflected both &ldquo;accountability and opportunity for redemption.&rdquo; Combs will serve his time at a federal correctional facility in New York, marking a stunning fall from grace for one of hip-hop&rsquo;s most influential figures.

Diddy’s Fall from Fame to Federal Shame

The hip-hop mogul who once ruled the charts now pleads for mercy behind bars

Diddy’s Fall from Fame to Federal Shame

The hip-hop mogul who once ruled the charts now pleads for mercy behind bars

October 4, 2025 | 21:39 IST