Disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for prostitution crimes by Judge Arun Subramanian in a Manhattan courtroom. Judge Arun Subramanian is a Biden Appointee.
On September 2, 2022, President Biden announced his intent to nominate Subramanian to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The sentence, which also includes a $500,000 fine and five years of supervised release, followed a high-profile criminal trial.
The Judge’s Apparent Missteps and Contradictions:
While the final sentence of 50 months fell short of the Probation Service’s recommendation (60-87 months), it was a far cry from the prosecution’s request of 135 months (over 11 years). The judge’s handling of the proceedings revealed several potential issues:
Ignoring the Initial Sentencing Range:
Early in the day, Judge Subramanian had publicly hinted at a calculated sentencing range of 70 to 87 months—significantly higher than the 50 months he ultimately delivered.
This dramatic shift was not fully explained, creating an impression of leniency compared to his own calculations.
Unconvincing Sentence Length: 
The defense requested mere “time served” (about 14 months), which the judge correctly rejected as insufficient, stating he was “not convinced this would not happen again.”
However, his final sentence of 50 months was still less than half of the prosecution’s request (135 months) and below the initial recommendation of the Probation Service (60-87 months), raising questions about whether justice was fully served given the severity of the admitted crimes.
Appearing to Entertain Frivolous Defense Tactics:
The judge allowed five lawyers and several other supporters (including a Reverend and an “executive director”) to speak on Diddy’s behalf, despite the fact that one lawyer even sobbed and another tried to paint Diddy as a “civil rights leader.”
The judge gave one minute to an individual who tried to claim Diddy’s scheduled event for the following week was a “healing” and not a “speaking engagement”—a transparent attempt to explain away what the prosecution called the “height of hubris.”
While the judge’s allowance of a brief one minute to the final speaker may suggest he realized the lawyers were “overdoing it,” the overall spectacle of the defense’s emotional appeals was permitted to proceed.
Accepting a Lower Sentence Despite Stated Convictions on Violence:
Judge Subramanian explicitly condemned Diddy’s conduct, stating: “A history of good works can’t wash away the record in this case.
You abused these women. You used that abuse to get your way, freak offs and hotel nights.
The evidence of the abuse is massive. I was sitting right here, during the testimony.”
Despite his strong words on Diddy’s “massive” abuse and admitted violence toward victims like Cassie Ventura and “Jane,” the final sentence was at the low end of the recommended range, undercutting his own stern judicial language.
Cassie Ventura’s Vindication:
Following the sentence, Cassie Ventura, whose civil complaint in 2023 triggered the criminal investigation, released a statement through her attorney, Douglas Wigdor.
The statement highlighted her courage and the pivotal role she played in securing a conviction.
Wigdor affirmed that by coming forward, Ventura “paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution,” even if he was acquitted of the more serious sex-trafficking charges.
Ventura’s lawyer credited her with leaving “an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice.”
Rival Rapper 50 Cent’s Victory Lap:
Diddy’s longtime rival, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, wasted no time in mocking the sentencing on social media.
He posted a satirical message to X, claiming Diddy “won’t be able to make it” to his scheduled “speaking engagement” and offering his own services: “I’m available!”
In a statement pre-sentencing 50 Cent addressed to the judge, ‘”I have had an ongoing dispute with Puffy for over 20 years. He is very dangerous. Multiple times I have feared for my life’, the man who survived being shot 9 times in 2000, wrote to the judge on X. ‘Anyway, Diddy’s only going to return to hiring more male sex workers and keeping most of the baby oil away from the general public. And babies need it!’”
Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson concluded the post by suggesting Diddy would only return to a life of illicit behavior.
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