Diddy’s Day in Court: Sentencing Set for October 3 as Music Mogul Faces Prison Time

Sean “Diddy” Combs will learn his fate with his sentencing on October 3, following his conviction on two federal counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, the culmination of a high-profile trial that has rocked the hip-hop world. Although acquitted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges—which could have resulted in a life sentence—the music mogul still faces a possible sentence of up to 10 years on each count.

The sentencing hearing was approved Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over the case in Manhattan. Both prosecutors and Combs’ legal team agreed on the date after weeks of scheduling back-and-forth. According to federal sentencing guidelines, prosecutors are expected to argue for a prison term of 51 to 63 months, while Sean Diddy Combs’ defence is pushing for a reduced term of around two years.

Sean Diddy Combs, remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where he’s been held since his arrest in September 2024. Despite his partial acquittal, Judge Subramanian denied him bail after a fiery hearing in which the court highlighted the violence and coercion at the heart of the prosecution’s case.

Inside the Trial That Shook Hip-Hop

Prosecutors painted a grim picture of Sean Diddy Combs’ empire—far from the glitz and glamour of Bad Boy Records, the label that launched icons like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher. Instead, they alleged a decades-long pattern of abuse, manipulation, and sexual coercion, often involving his long-term partners, Cassie Ventura and another woman identified as Jane.

One particularly harrowing testimony at Diddy’s trial came from “Mia,” a former employee, who described multiple instances of sexual assault by Sean Diddy Combs during her time working for him. Though the jury was not unanimously convinced on the most severe charges, the guilty verdicts for facilitating prostitution marked a turning point for both Sean Diddy Combs and an industry long accused of shielding its stars from consequences.

More Than a Trial—A Culture in Crisis

Apart from Sean Diddy Combs’ sentencing, he still faces dozens of civil lawsuits, filed by both men and women, alleging physical abuse, coercion, and psychological trauma spanning decades. Though he has denied all wrongdoing, the mounting legal pressure and public scrutiny are calling into question how the music industry deals with powerful abusers.

Legal experts argue that the October 3 sentencing could set a precedent not just for Diddy but for an industry desperately in need of accountability and reform.

Diddy’s legal team has until July 30 to file a motion to overturn the verdict, though success is considered unlikely. Sentencing recommendations from both sides are due in September.

The big question now is whether the hip-hop world will confront its own MeToo moment, or whether Diddy’s verdict and conviction will be treated as an isolated scandal in an industry still slow to change.