Justin Combs pleads for Diddy's release as sentencing nears

Justin Combs, 31, posted a public appeal for his father's release ahead of Sean Combs's October 3 sentencing. In an Instagram Story, the second-oldest son wrote FREE PD ASAP, accompanied by two exclamation points, and set the post to Hate Me Now, a track by Diddy and Nas. The message comes as his father faces two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution for allegedly flying male escorts to hotels for sexual performances with his girlfriends. Diddy was convicted on those two counts at trial earlier this year after a separate racketeering and sex-trafficking case ended without a conviction on those charges; he has been held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since September 2024.

Prosecutors are seeking a sentence aligned with guidelines, potentially approaching 20 years in prison, given the offenses. In court filings ahead of the sentencing, Diddy's lawyers asked for a 14-month term followed by supervised release including mandatory drug treatment, individual therapy and group therapy. They argued that the applicable guidelines for crimes of conviction usually fall within six to 12 months and noted that he has already served around 13 months in custody.

Ahead of the Oct. 3 sentencing, court documents show that all of Diddy's children except his toddler daughter wrote letters to Judge Arun Subramanian asking for compassion. In his own letter, Justin described his father as a consistently supportive parent, writing that since his father has been away, life has felt incomplete, and that his father has been there for him every day of his life — not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually and in the deepest sense of what it means to be a father. He urged the judge to allow his father to come home and continue the work of becoming the man he is capable of being, noting that his siblings and he cannot regain the lost time but pray for the chance to have their father back while they still can.

Justin is Diddy's second eldest child and the first biological son from his relationship with Misa Hylton. The rapper's eldest is Quincy Brown, the 33-year-old adopted son from his late wife Kim Porter and Al B. Sure. Diddy also shares son Christian 'King' Combs and daughters D'Lila and Jessie with Porter, and son Chance with Sarah Chapman. He has a two-year-old daughter, Love Sean Combs, with Dana Tran.

The Daily Mail reported that Diddy has been teaching a prison course from behind bars and is leveraging inmate reviews to bolster his bid for freedom.

The sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 3, and prosecutors have noted the case could carry heavy penalties. Diddy faces a maximum term that could approach 20 years in prison, depending on the judge's disposition. The case underscores the complexities of celebrity legal battles and the way families mobilize behind defendants as hearings proceed.