Hip-hop star Sean 'Diddy' Combs serving 4-year sentence in New Jersey federal prison, document shows

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons transferred Sean "Diddy" Combs to Fort Dix Federal Correctional Institute in New Jersey on Thursday to serve out the remainder of his 4-year sentence on prostitution related charges, a document shows.

A Manhattan jury convicted the hip-hop mogul in July on two counts of transporting male escorts across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.

The jury acquitted Combs, 55, of more severe charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, which could have landed him behind bars for the rest of his life.

During the salacious seven-week trial, former girlfriends, executive assistants and other ex-employees of Combs’ Bad Boy Records and Combs Enterprises testified about his drug use and sexual proclivity for watching other men have sex with his romantic partners during regular, elaborately produced events that he called "freak-offs."

Federal prosecutors charge that the rap record producer used his global fashion, music and liquor business resources to threaten and intimidate the women to continue to engage in the sexual activity. He was also accused of setting fire to rapper Kid Cudi’s car for dating his girlfriend, Cassandra Ventura, a former pop singer who performed under the stage name Cassie, though local authorities never charged him with the arson.

Defense attorneys argued that Combs lived an unconventional, creative lifestyle, building some of the most well-known businesses operating today. They said during the trial that the women engaged in the freak-offs willingly until the relationships soured and then became embittered, accusing him of coercion and violence.

However, at sentencing, their arguments shifted to acknowledging the abuse the women suffered by Combs, but explaining it as a byproduct of his addiction to drugs and alcohol.

"Domestic violence will always be a heavy burden that I will have to forever carry," Combs told the judge at his sentencing hearing. "My actions were 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. Because of that, I can make no excuse. I could really make no excuse because I knew better."

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced him to just over 4 years in prison, but agreed to recommend that he be incarcerated in a prison near New York City.

Fort Dix prison, which houses 4,128 inmates, sits about 80 miles south of Manhattan in Burlington County, New Jersey. It is the same lockup that once housed Rob Walker, the chief deputy county executive in Nassau County, who served 18 months there after his conviction for lying to the FBI.

The judge also recommended Combs be enrolled for nine months in the Residential Drug Abuse Program.

Under the program, which is available in Fort Dix, Combs would be housed in a separate area from the general population and participate in a half day of therapy and a half day of work, school or vocational training.

Combs’ release date is scheduled for May 8, 2028, but successful completion of the drug program can shave up to a year off his sentence.

Combs also sought to overturn his conviction and requested the appeals court expedite the process to hear arguments on the case next April.

President Donald Trump confirmed that Combs' representatives reached out to him requesting clemency for his conviction, but multiple news agencies reported that a White House spokesperson knocked down the story, saying there was "zero truth" to the report.

For now, his defense lawyer said he wants to complete his punishment and go home.

"I think he wants to serve his time, just get out and be with his family," defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo told TMZ on Thursday.

Combs had been incarcerated in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since September 2024 when he was arrested. He will be credited for the 14 months that he has already served there.