Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release and issued a $500,000 fine on Friday for his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, CBS reports.  

Combs has been held in a federal detention facility in Brooklyn since last September. He faced up to 10 years in prison for each count. A jury in July acquitted him of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, which could have carried a life sentence.

Sentencing Arguments

Federal prosecutors sought more than 11 years in prison, arguing Combs “physically and mentally” abused girlfriends and employees for years. “He has shown no remorse,” prosecutors said in court filings.

Combs’ defense attorneys reportedly asked for no more than 14 months, essentially the time he has already served, and argued the judge should not consider evidence tied to charges for which he was acquitted.

The U.S. probation department recommended between five and seven years.

Victims and Witnesses Weigh In 

Combs’ former longtime girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura Fine submitted a letter urging the judge to “consider the victims.” She wrote she fears for her safety and her family’s if Combs is released. Jane, who testified under a pseudonym, did not submit a letter.

A former employee, identified as Mia, was granted permission to speak at sentencing. Prosecutors said she worked for Combs for nearly a decade, from 2009 to 2017, also alleged assault.

Late Wednesday, Combs’ attorneys submitted a letter from Virginia Huynh, also known as Gina. She wrote: 

“I felt pressured to feel like a victim. I told them I was not but they insisted that I was, even when I expressed my truth otherwise.”

Defense Submission

Combs submitted a four-page letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, where he reportedly expressed remorse for violent behavior and pled for mercy. His attorneys said he also wished to speak in court and planned to show a 15-minute video.

His legal team described him as sober for the first time in two decades, telling the judge, “Without minimizing Mr. Combs’s conduct, this is in many ways a ‘sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll’ story.”

More than 70 letters from Combs’ family, friends, employees, and business associates were also filed on his behalf, including Caresha “Yung Miami” Brownlee of the rap group City Girls fame. She was a former romantic partner of Combs. In the letter, she stated that he was a “good man.” 

Judge’s Ruling

After hearing arguments, Judge Subramanian imposed a sentence of 50 months. He had previously denied Combs’ requests for bail and rejected his bid to vacate the conviction.

In her letter, Ventura told the court: “I know that who he was to me—the manipulator, the aggressor, the abuser, the trafficker—is who he is as a human. He has no interest in changing or becoming better.”