Entertainment
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced To More Than Four Years In Prison
Prosecutors had sought 11 years behind bars for the 55-year-old Combs, but District Judge Arun Subramanian handed down a 50-month sentence and a $500,000 fine.
Combs’s lawyers had urged the judge to sentence the hip-hop star to 14 months, which would effectively have been time served since he has been incarcerated in Brooklyn for more than a year.
Combs was acquitted by a jury in July of the most serious charges against him — sex trafficking and racketeering — but convicted of two counts of transporting people across state lines for prostitution.
The judge allowed the defense to present for hours on Friday on Combs’s behalf, a time during which the disgraced artist himself also gave an emotional address.
At the end of it all, Subramanian had piercing words for Combs and poignant ones for the victims who testified during Combs’s trial.
“We heard you,” the judge said in his statement to the witnesses who spoke in excruciating detail of prolonged, coercive and devastating abuse at the hands of Combs.
“The number of people who you reached is incalculable,” he said in comments for Combs’s former partners, who were not present.
“You stood up to power. It’s not easy.”
Subramanian said he was bound by the law to deliver a sentence that met the gravity of Combs’s “serious offenses” which he said had “irreparably harmed two women.”
“The court is not assured that if released these crimes will not be committed again.”
But even Subramanian himself noted that the punishment he rendered was significantly shorter than the range probation officers had recommended, of 70 to 87 months.
He told Combs he was counting on him to “make the most of your second chance.”
Tearfully addressing the court before the judge handed down the sentence, Combs said he was “truly sorry” for his actions.
“I ask your honour for mercy,” he said. “I beg your honour for mercy.”
He apologised to his family as well as his victims, saying his behaviour was “disgusting, shameful and sick.”
“I was sick. Sick from the drugs. I was out of control. I needed help, but I didn’t get the help,” Combs said.
Combs’s former girlfriend Casandra Ventura submitted a letter to the judge asking him to consider “the many lives that Sean Combs has upended with his abuse and control.”
Ventura, the 39-year-old singer known as Cassie, described in wrenching detail the physical, emotional and sexual abuse she suffered during a more than decade-long relationship with Combs.
Ventura and another woman, identified as Jane, said they were coerced into performing so-called “freak offs”: sexual marathons with hired men that Combs directed and sometimes filmed.
Ventura said she has nightmares and flashbacks “on a regular, everyday basis.”
She told the judge she and her family had left the New York area for fear of retribution from Combs if he were released.
In reaction to the sentencing, her lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, commended Ventura for her “bravery.”
“While nothing can undo the trauma caused by Combs, the sentence imposed today recognises the impact of the serious offenses he committed.”
Prosecutor Christy Slavik, arguing for the 11-year sentence, said Combs had not accepted responsibility for his actions.
“His remorse was qualified. It’s as though he thinks the law doesn’t apply to him,” Slavik said.
And in arguing for a far lesser sentence, Nicole Westmoreland, one of Combs’s lawyers, called him an “inspiration” to the Black community and a social justice crusader.
The judge recognised that accomplishment as well as Combs’s mammoth success in the entertainment business, and also acknowledged the hardship Combs’s additional incarceration would have on his family.
During the proceedings, Combs’s six adult children each delivered an emotional plea on their father’s behalf, with several of them dubbing him a “changed man.”
“Please, please give our family the chance to heal together. Not as headlines but as human beings,” said one of his daughters, D’Lila Combs.
Subramanian pointed out to Combs that his prison time was not lifelong.
“You are going to get through this,” the judge said to him and his family.
“You have a universe of people who love you. Let them lift you up now just as you have lifted them up for so many years,” he told Combs.
The Headies have announced that its 18th edition will be held in Toronto, Canada, continuing its international expansion and supporting Nigeria’s creative industry.
The announcement was made on Monday during “The Big Announcement” event held at Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos, where entertainment stakeholders, government officials and industry leaders gathered to hear the organisers unveil their plans for the next edition of Nigeria’s premier music awards.
Speaking at the event, Headies founder, Ayo Animashaun, disclosed that although the main ceremony will take place in Toronto, the organisers are determined to ensure that Nigerian audiences remain at the centre of the experience.
“The first thing is that we’re going to Toronto for the 18th Headies. The second thing is that we’re not just going to Toronto; we’re not leaving Nigeria behind. We’re going to have a watch party; we’re going to have a watch show between Toronto and Lagos. For the first time, we’re having a training and investment summit.
“Every one of you here, trying to do something as an engineer, and your neighbour, your friend, the guy next to you, thinks because you’re just an engineer, it’s not good enough. We’d like to patronise what is out there. Rather than look for what we’re not doing right, see the things we can do better and support us on this journey,” he said.
According to the organisers, the Toronto ceremony will run simultaneously with a live watch party in Lagos, where Nigerian fans will participate in the celebration and witness portions of the awards presentation as the event unfolds abroad. The dual-city format is intended to reinforce the awards’ international ambitions while preserving their connection to their home audience.
Beyond the annual awards ceremony, The Headies also announced the launch of its first-ever Trade and Investment Summit, an initiative designed to create opportunities for collaboration between the entertainment industry, investors, businesses and policymakers. The organisers said the summit will serve as a platform for discussions on investment, innovation and sustainable growth within Nigeria’s creative sector.
The international significance of the move was echoed by Canada’s Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Carlos Rojas-Arbulu, who described Nigerian music as a powerful cultural export that continues to gain global recognition.
“An example of how global Nigerian talent is. And it doesn’t come as a surprise. I say that because my dear friend was telling me the other day that in 2025, Canada will experience global talent. We have received so many Nigerian artists coming to our country. And let me see if I’ve done my homework. Wizkid, Davido, Burna Boy, Olamide, Reekado Banks, Shallipopi, Asake, Ayra Starr, they’ve all been to Canada in the last eight months or so. Which is to me, a testament to already, that platform, that engagement.”
Animashaun also used the occasion to address one of the biggest controversies from the previous edition of the awards, the shortage of award plaques that left several winners without their trophies on stage.
He explained that the problem resulted from a change in plaque suppliers, alleging that the organisation was scammed after receiving counterfeit products that failed to meet the required standards. Consequently, the organisers were unable to distribute the plaques during the ceremony as planned, a development that attracted criticism from fans and some artistes.
The event further featured a panel session titled “Afrobeats Without Borders,” where Aisha Mumuni, Yinka Adebayo and Bayo Adedeji explored the remarkable global rise of Afrobeats and its growing cultural and economic influence beyond Africa.
Entertainment was also part of the evening as rapper Magnito delivered a live performance, while several prominent personalities attended the unveiling.
Among them were Kcee, Yaw, Deyemi Okanlawon, Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Daddy Freeze, Candy Bleakz, Legendary Tee A and other industry stakeholders.
The awards first left Nigeria in 2022 for its 15th edition in Atlanta, a move aimed at showcasing the global success of Afrobeats.
The following year’s ceremony also took place in Atlanta before the organisers returned to Lagos for the 17th edition in 2025 under the theme “Back to Base.”
Actor Baba Ijesha and celebrity stylist Luminee have welcomed their first child together, a baby boy named Kagar Omiyinka.
The development was disclosed by Luminee in a post shared on her Instagram page, where she announced the arrival of their son and expressed gratitude for the new addition to their family.
In the post, Luminee described the arrival of the baby as a joyful moment for the family.
“We are overwhelmed with joy. Our little star has arrived to light up our lives. Our lives are complete,” she wrote.
Luminee also praised her husband, Baba Ijesha, describing him as a supportive partner and expressing appreciation for his role throughout their journey to parenthood.
“I heart you, my Ijesha. You are one in a million. Your heart is pure. God gave us more than we prayed for, my ever-strong man, Baba Ijesha. I love you till eternity,” she stated.
She further described the birth of their son, Kagar Omiyinka, as a special gift and a privilege, noting that she was grateful for the opportunity to become a mother.
Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Funmi Awelewa, has opened up about her emotional struggles.
The actress said she is exhausted from dealing with betrayal.
Awelewa opened up in a post shared via her social media handle.
She cried out, “I’m tired!! For the first time!! I’m tired of Agbaromoni ta koni. Oga tomu aparo’moni tako ni lowo. Every time, every year! It took me years to heal from betrayal and childhood trauma. Orijafunmi is a name, but at this point, make Allah fight this battle, abeg.
“For the first time in my life, I’m Tired! Looking back on what I experienced while growing up, the same issues. Today I break down feeling lonely and sad!!!!!!. I’m tired of meeting the wrong people.
“I’m not lucky in seeing myself in people. OLORUN JAFUNMI cuz Ogo yi mu iro pipa moni dani.”
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