Lawyers representing Sean “Diddy” Combs are set to file an appeal following his sentencing of over four years in prison on Friday. The Grammy-winning artist and music mogul was convicted for transporting individuals across state lines for sexual activities. This case has significantly damaged his image as a charming celebrity entrepreneur, top-tier party organizer, and reality TV personality.

The sentencing marks a significant moment for the 55-year-old hip-hop icon. In court, he emotionally pleaded for leniency while shedding tears, as his legal team showcased a video highlighting aspects of his family life, career achievements, and charitable endeavors.

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian also fined Combs $500,000, the maximum allowed.

Combs was found guilty in July after arranging for his girlfriends and male sex workers to travel nationwide for drug-influenced sexual encounters that occurred in various locations over the years.

The nearly two-month trial held in Manhattan’s federal court included distressing testimonies from women who claimed Combs subjected them to violence, threats, sexual abuse, and manipulation.

He was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life.

Here’s what to know about the case.

How much time will Combs serve

Combs was sentenced to four years and two months in prison.

He has already served a year in jail, meaning he could get out in about three years.

While prosecutors advocated for a sentence exceeding 11 years, Combs’ defense team argued for his immediate release, stating that his time in custody had already inspired regret and sobriety. Just before his sentencing, Combs addressed the judge, describing himself as a changed individual after acknowledging he was “broken to my core.”

Combs’ lawyers said they will appeal.

There is no chance of parole in the federal system.

Prosecutor Christy Slavik said that sparing Combs serious prison time would excuse years of violence.

Key witnesses against Combs urged the judge to reject leniency for the hip-hop mogul, saying they feared for their safety if he was freed.

Where is Combs doing time

Combs was sent to a Brooklyn federal lockup a year ago after his lawyers unsuccessfully fought to keep him out of jail following his arrest.

The detention facility primarily houses individuals who are awaiting trial in Manhattan or Brooklyn’s federal courts and those serving brief sentences following their convictions.

The facility has been plagued by problems since opening in the 1990s. In recent years, its conditions have been so stark that some judges have refused to send people there.

Combs’ lawyers were denied a request to let him await trial under house arrest at his mansion on an island in Miami Beach, Florida.

It wasn’t immediately clear where he will serve the remainder of his sentence.

There is a federal lockup for men near Combs’ home. It’s a low-security federal correctional institution at Miami with an adjacent minimum security satellite camp. The inmate population there totals 1,000, including 174 at the camp and 826 at the correctional institution, according to its website.

Testimony at trial

During trial testimony, former girlfriend and R&B singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura told jurors that Combs ordered her to have “disgusting” sex with strangers hundreds of times during their decade-long relationship. Jurors saw video of him dragging and beating her in a Los Angeles hotel hallway after one such multiday “freak-off.”

Another woman, identified as “Jane,” testified she was pressured into sex with male workers during drug-fueled “hotel nights” while Combs watched and sometimes filmed.

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly.

Combs’ lawyers argued at trial that the government was trying to criminalize consensual, if unconventional, sexual tastes.

Federal law that was violated

Combs was sentenced for violating the federal Mann Act, an anti-prostitution law with a century-old history. The Mann Act makes it illegal to transport someone across state lines for the purpose of prostitution or other illegal sex acts.

The law was amended in the 1980s and today it is primarily used for prosecuting interstate prostitution crimes or people accused of taking underage children across state lines for sexual purposes.

Defense attorney Jason Driscoll argued Friday the law was misapplied.

“Diddy’s” long descent

Combs’ reputational freefall began when Ventura, the criminal trial’s key witness, sued him in 2023, alleging years of sexual and physical abuse. They settled within hours for $20 million — an amount she disclosed publicly for the first time during the trial. Dozens of other people have since made similar legal claims.

The revelation of the federal sex trafficking investigation on the day of a bicoastal raid of Combs’ houses took the allegations to another level of seriousness and public knowledge.

How the case played in popular culture

The revelation that feds had seized 1,000 bottles of baby oil and other lubricant as part of the raid entered the popular culture immediately.

The case turned Combs into a punchline as much as a villain. Talk shows, “Saturday Night Live” and social media posters milked it for jokes about “freak-offs” and the voluminous amounts of baby oil he had for the sex marathons.

Fellow celebrities were called out for past Diddy associations — though no others were implicated in the criminal allegations.