Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs gets 4 years in prison for case involving sex workers, violence and ‘freak-offs’

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced Friday to four years and two months in prison for transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters, capping a sordid federal case that featured harrowing testimony and ended in a forceful reckoning for one of the most influential figures in hip-hop.

Since Combs has already served a year in jail, the sentence means that the 55-year-old could get out in about three years. While prosecutors sought a sentence of more than 11 years, his lawyers wanted him freed immediately and said the time behind bars has already forced his remorse and sobriety.

Combs was convicted in July of flying his girlfriends and male sex workers around the country to engage in drug-fueled sexual encounters in multiple places and over many years. However, he was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.

“Why did it happen so long?" U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian asked as he handed down the sentence. “Because you had the power and the resources to keep it going, and because you weren’t caught.”

Subramanian, who also fined Combs $500,000, the maximum allowed, praised the accusers who testified at trial. They effectively spoke for countless others who experienced abuse, the judge said: “You gave them a voice. You stood up to power."

Combs, sitting at the defense table, looked straight ahead as the judge spoke. He remained subdued afterward and appeared dejected, with none of the enthusiasm and smiles he displayed while interacting with his lawyers and family earlier in the day.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he said to his family right before leaving the courtroom.

Combs’ lawyers said they'll appeal.

“What we feel today is that the judge acted as a 13th juror, one we did not choose, and that he second guessed the jury’s verdict,” defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo told reporters after leaving court.

Before sentencing, Combs wept as his defense lawyers played a video portraying his family life, career and philanthropy, and he went on to make a plea for leniency.

“I ask your honor for a chance to be a father again,” Combs said, “a son again ... a leader in my community again ... for a chance to get the help that I desperately need to be a better person.” He apologized to the people he hurt physically and mentally with his “disgusting, shameful” actions, and said the domestic violence was a burden he would carry for the rest of his life.

His nearly two-month trial in a federal court in Manhattan featured testimony from women who said Combs beat, threatened, sexually assaulted and blackmailed them. Prosecutor Christy Slavik told the judge Friday that sparing Combs serious prison time would excuse years of violence.

“It’s a case about a man who did horrible things to real people to satisfy his own sexual gratification,” she said. “His currency was control. And he weaponized that currency to devastating effects on the victims.”

Combs was convicted under the Mann Act, which bans transporting people across state lines for any sexual crime. Defense attorney Jason Driscoll argued Friday the law was misapplied.

During testimony at the trial, former girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura told jurors that Combs ordered her to have “disgusting” sex with strangers hundreds of times during their decade-long relationship. Jurors saw video of him dragging and beating her in a Los Angeles hotel hallway after one such multiday “freak-off."

“While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs," Cassie's attorneys, Douglas Wigdor and Meredith Firetog, said in a statement, “the sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed.”

Another woman, identified as “ Jane,” testified she was pressured into sex with male workers during drug-fueled “hotel nights” while Combs watched and sometimes filmed.

Combs' lawyers argued at trial that the government was trying to criminalize consensual, if unconventional, sexual tastes.

The only accuser scheduled to speak Friday, a former assistant known as “Mia,” withdrew after defense objections; Slavik accused Combs' attorneys of “bullying” the woman. She has accused Combs of raping her in 2010 and asked the judge in a letter for a sentence that reflects “the ongoing danger my abuser poses.”

Six of Combs’ seven children addressed the judge, pleading for mercy for their father. One daughter, D’Lila Combs, said she feared losing her father after the death of her mother, Kim Porter, in 2018.

“Please, your honor, please,” D’Lila said through tears, “give our family the chance to heal together, to rebuild, to change, to move forward, not as a headline, but as human beings.”

Outside the courthouse, journalists and onlookers swarmed, echoing scenes from Combs’ trial.

Sade Bess, a Combs fan from Brooklyn, left the court's overflow observation room looking both sad and relieved.

“It’s devastating to see a pioneer of the Black community’s legacy nearly diminished,” she said. “But the judge showed mercy by giving him a second chance, while still honoring the victims.”

Associated Press writers Liseberth Guillaume in New York and Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

In this courtroom sketch, Sean Diddy Combs reacts as he makes a statement during his sentencing hearing in Manhattan federal court, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

In this courtroom sketch, D'Lila Combs, left center, makes a statement surrounded by family as Sean Diddy Combs, right, reacts during his sentencing hearing in Manhattan federal court, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Justin Combs, Sean "Diddy" Combs' son, arrives at Federal Court, in New York, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

In this courtroom sketch, Sean Diddy Combs breaks down and cries during the playing of a video about his life during his sentencing hearing in Manhattan federal court, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)

Janice Combs, mother of Sean "Diddy" Combs, arrives to the Manhattan federal court for the sentencing of Sean "Diddy" Combs in New York, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

The train daughters of Sean "Diddy" Combs, arrive at Federal Court, in New York, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Attorney for Sean "Diddy" Combs, Brian Steel, arrives to the Manhattan federal court for the sentencing of Combs in New York, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

People wait outside to enter the Manhattan federal court for the sentencing of Sean "Diddy" Combs in New York, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Janice Combs, mother of Sean "Diddy" Combs, arrives to the Manhattan federal court for the sentencing of Combs in New York, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

People wait outside to enter Manhattan federal court for the sentencing of Sean "Diddy" Combs in New York, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Attorney for Sean "Diddy" Combs, Xavier Donaldson arrives to the Manhattan federal court for the sentencing of Combs in New York, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

Media waits outside the Manhattan federal court for the sentencing of Sean "Diddy" Combs in New York, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs sits courtside in the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, March 12, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Qatar’s prime minister on Saturday said the Gaza ceasefire has reached a “critical moment” as its first phase winds down, with the remains of one Israeli hostage still to be handed over by militants.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a conference in the Qatari capital that international mediators, led by the U.S., are working “to force the way forward” to the second phase to cement the deal.

“What we have just done is a pause,” he told the Doha Forum. “We cannot consider it yet a ceasefire.”

He added: “A ceasefire cannot be completed unless there is a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, there is stability back in Gaza, people can go in and out, which is not the case today."

While the ceasefire halted the heavy fighting of the two-year war, Gaza health officials say that over 360 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the truce took effect on Oct. 10.

In new violence, two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike northwest of Gaza City, Shifa Hospital said.

Israel's army said it wasn't aware of an airstrike in that location. However, it said that Israeli soldiers on Saturday killed three militants who crossed the “yellow line” into Israeli-controlled northern part of Gaza and “posed an immediate threat."

The Israeli army has said it has carried out a number of attacks on Palestinians crossing the ceasefire line.

Under the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, the fighting stopped and dozens of hostages held in Gaza were exchanged for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli prison. Israel sent a delegation last week to Egypt for talks on returning the remains of the last hostage.

The next phase has not begun. It includes the deployment of an international security force in Gaza, formation of a new technocratic government for the territory, disarmament of Hamas and an eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Arab and Western officials told The Associated Press on Friday that an international body overseeing the ceasefire, to be led by Trump himself, is expected to be appointed by the end of the year. In the long term, the plan also calls for a possible “pathway” to Palestinian independence.

Qatar’s prime minister said that even the upcoming phase should be “temporary” and that peace in the region could only take place with the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state — something that is opposed by Israel's hard-line government.

“If we are just resolving what happened in Gaza, the catastrophe that happened in the last two years, it’s not enough,” he said. “There is a root for this conflict. And this conflict is not only about Gaza."

He added: “It’s about Gaza. It’s about the West Bank. It’s about the rights of the Palestinians for their state. We are hoping that we can work together with the U.S. administration to achieve this vision at the end of the day.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said there is a “big question” over the formation of an international security force for Gaza. Speaking at the conference, he said it's unclear which countries will join, what the command structure would look like and what its “first mission” will be.

Turkey is one of the guarantors of the ceasefire, but Israel, which has rocky relations with the Ankara government, has rejected any Turkish participation in the force.

“Thousands of details, questions are in place,” Fidan said. "I think once we deploy ISF, the rest will come.”

A day after an overwhelming international endorsement, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said its future role in Gaza is unclear.

Throughout the war, Israel and the United States have sidelined UNRWA, accusing it cooperating with Hamas, a charge UNRWA denies.

Tamara Alrifai, UNRWA’s director of external relations and communications, said the agency continues to offer humanitarian and educational services in Gaza. But she said UNRWA has been excluded from U.S.-led talks on the ceasefire's second phase.

Alrifai said that UNRWA serves as the de facto “public sector” in Gaza. And with 12,000 employees, she said it will be nearly impossible for the international community to duplicate the agency's network of services.

“If you squeeze UNRWA out, what other agency can fill that void?” she said on the sidelines of the Doha Forum.

The U.S., formerly the largest donor to UNRWA, halted funding to the agency in early 2024. On Friday, the U.N. General Assembly renewed UNRWA’s mandate through 2029. But Alrifai said the cash crisis continues.

“Votes are great. Cash is better,” Alrifai said.

The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants entered Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking over 250 people hostage. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed over 70,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but says that nearly half the dead have been women and children. The ministry is part of Gaza's Hamas government and its numbers are considered reliable by the U.N. and other international bodies.

Find more of AP’s Israel-Hamas coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Palestinian fishermen work in the Mediterranean Sea in the port of Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians sit on the pavement by the Mediterranean Sea in the port of Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A Palestinian man and his fiancee take pictures on the Mediterranean Sea in the port of Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Palestinians walk by the Mediterranean beach front in Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

A Palestinian girl sits on a swing in the port of Gaza City on the Mediterranean Sea, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Tents sheltering displaced Palestinians stand amid the destruction left by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza City Friday, Dec. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)