Sean “Diddy” Combs will remain in custody despite his stunning partial acquittal on sex-trafficking and racketeering charges, after a judge found the rap mogul’s history of domestic violence makes him a danger while awaiting sentencing on his prostitution conviction.
Judge Arun Subramanian ruled Wednesday evening (July 2) that Combs, who’s been in jail since his arrest 10 months ago, will have to stay there until a sentencing hearing a few months from now. The judge proposed an October sentencing date, though the schedule has not yet been finalized.
A jury cleared Combs Wednesday morning of charges that alleged he operated a criminal syndicate under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and trafficked singer Cassie Ventura and an anonymous ex-girlfriend dubbed “Jane” for marathon sex with male escorts. The rapper was found guilty on two other counts for transporting Ventura, Jane and various sex workers across state lines for the dayslong, drug-fueled hotel parties known as “freak-offs.”
Judge Subramanian agreed with prosecutors that Combs is still a danger to society despite his acquittal on the more serious charges. According to the New York Times, the judge cited the fact that Combs’ lawyers admitted throughout the trial that the rapper was physically abusive to his girlfriends.
“You full-throatedly in your closing argument told the jury that there was violence here,” the judge told Combs’ team.
Combs will thus remain at New York’s Metropolitan Detention Center until the sentencing hearing, where he faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. He’ll likely get significantly less than that; the defense says his suggested sentencing guideline will come out to around two years in prison, while prosecutors say it’s more likely to be around four to five years.
If Combs had been convicted on all charges, he would have been subject to a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum term of life behind bars.
Combs’ lawyers argued in their motion for bail following the verdict that the rapper “demonstrated a pattern of trustworthiness and cooperation” throughout the case and would be a model citizen if let out of jail until sentencing.
“There is simply no risk Mr. Combs will seek to flee or recidivate,” wrote attorney Alexandra Shapiro. “Throughout these proceedings, Mr. Combs’s family has been seated by his side, demonstrating the same respect for these proceedings and support for Mr. Combs that they will pay going forward. They were here and are here to support him, and he is obviously committed to reuniting with this family to continue to support them, not to flee or put them at further risk.”
Prosecutors, meanwhile, said Combs continues to be a flight risk and a danger to those around him. They pointed to evidence throughout the trial of Combs’ domestic abuse, including a now-infamous surveillance video of the rapper kicking and dragging Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
“The overwhelming evidence established at trial — which the defendant did not dispute — shows that the defendant has engaged in a yearslong pattern of abuse and violence, including as recently as in June 2024, approximately three months before his arrest in this case,” added the prosecution team led by Maurene Comey. “Despite the knowledge that he was under federal investigation, the defendant nevertheless brutally assaulted Jane, leaving injuries that were visible for days after the assault.”
Ventura’s lawyer submitted a letter to Judge Subramanian on Wednesday asking that Combs remain in jail, as did a stylist who testified at the trial that he witnessed the rapper brutally assault Ventura.
“Ms. Ventura believes that Mr. Combs is likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community,” wrote Ventura’s attorney, Douglas Wigdor.
