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Sean “Diddy” Combs is officially on the clock. The hip-hop mogul’s projected release date has been set for May 8, 2028, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records.
Combs, 55, was sentenced earlier this month to 50 months in federal prison for two prostitution-related convictions—marking just over four years behind bars. The “Shake Ya Tailfeather” rapper was acquitted of the heavier sex trafficking and racketeering charges back in July, but still ended up with a significant bid after Judge Arun Subramanian ruled that “a substantial sentence must be given to serve as an example to abusers and victims alike.”
The sentence includes the year Diddy already spent in custody since his September 2024 arrest. While prosecutors initially pushed for 135 months (more than 11 years), the judge called that “beyond what was necessary.” Still, the defense’s ask for just over a year didn’t fly either.
Diddy’s lead attorney, Teny Geragos, didn’t hold back her frustration after the hearing, saying the sentence “makes no sense” given that her client was cleared of the most serious counts. “The jury made it very clear in their verdict that they acquitted him of the sex trafficking and RICO counts,” she told ABC News. “Not guilty means not guilty.”
Another member of Combs’ legal team, Alexandra Shapiro, echoed that sentiment, arguing that the judge’s ruling was “totally inconsistent with the jury verdict,” and that Subramanian “acted as a 13th juror.”
At the October 3 hearing, Diddy himself spoke publicly for the first time since his conviction—issuing an emotional apology to victims Cassie Ventura and another woman identified only as “Jane.”
“Domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry,” he said in court. “My actions were disgusting, shameful and sick. I was sick from the drugs. I was out of control. I needed help and didn’t get the help. And I cannot make an excuse.”
He went on to reflect on how the downfall has changed him:
“I got lost in my excess and lost in my ego. Because of my decisions, I lost my freedom, my family, my businesses, my reputation—and most of all, my self-respect. I’ve been humbled and broken to my core. I hate myself right now. I’ve been stripped down to nothing.”
In addition to the 50-month sentence, Combs will serve five years of supervised release and pay a $500,000 fine once he’s out.
