The proceedings around Sean “Diddy” Combs’ criminal case have wrapped up, but his problems are far from it.
In a hearing on Friday, he was sentenced to 50 months behind bars for the two prostitution-related charges for which he was found guilty in July.
The image of the rapper leaving the courtroom escorted by two US Marshals marked the criminal case coming to a close, a continuation of his life behind bars, and a future of legal challenges and reputational damage.
A representative for Combs did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the sentencing or his future endeavors.
The mogul, who has denied all accusations of sexual assault, still faces dozens of civil cases — and judgment in the court of public opinion.
At the peak of his influence, Combs seemed almost untouchable; he was worth nearly $1 billion, had an influential circle of friends, and ran lucrative businesses.
Now, “his reputation has been shattered into billions of bits,” Eric Schiffer, a celebrity brand and reputation strategist, told Business Insider. “It will never be the same.”
After a disappointing verdict, sentencing was the prosecutors’ last shot at redemption
Following the July verdict, which was seen as a partial win for the defense, sentencing was Combs’ prosecutors’ last chance to change the narrative of the case.
Time behind bars shows “an institutional support for women’s testimony about the kinds of violence that they are going through at the hands of these perpetrators,” Meenakshi Gigi Durham, a professor of feminist media studies at the University of Iowa, told Business Insider.
While he was cleared of the more severe sex-trafficking charges that could have meant life in prison, the sentence doled out by the judge was still a rejection of Combs’s long shot sentencing request of time served.
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“The sentence imposed today recognizes the impact of the serious offenses he committed,” lawyers for Cassandra Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend, said in a statement on Friday. Ventura’s civil suit against Combs largely catapulted his behavior into the spotlight, and security footage showing Combs beating her was a critical part of the government’s case.
The video and evidence made public in his criminal trial may provide fodder for the dozens of civil suits he faces.
Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee, whose firm has filed roughly 50 lawsuits against Combs, said in a post on Instagram on Thursday that “many more” lawsuits will be filed.
How Combs’ bad boy status has sullied his reputation — and earnings potential
Those civil cases could mean more reputational damage. Each one will “allow a media cycle to repeat” and “amplify the pariah” narrative, Schiffer said.
They could also mean millions in settlements or payouts — not to mention legal fees — which will hit Combs where it hurts: his fortune is not what it once was.
At the height of his wealth, Combs was worth nearly $1 billion, thanks to an empire that extended to the worlds of music, fashion, alcohol, and media.
But that empire began to crumble before the criminal charges were filed, as the “freak offs,” drug abuse, and violence against women became exposed.
He’s acknowledged as much.
“Because of my conduct, I have lost all of my business. I have lost my career,” Combs wrote in a presentencing letter to the judge. “I have destroyed my reputation and stained the reputation of those that worked for me.”
Combs’ alcohol deals, which netted him hundreds of millions, dried up. His partner, Diageo, cut ties, terminating Combs’ relationship with Cîroc vodka and paying him out for his stake in DeLeón tequila.
His clothing and lifestyle brand, Sean John, which had already plummeted in value, was pulled from Macy’s. He also stepped down as chairman of the media company Revolt and sold his stake.
Meanwhile, Bad Boy Records’ music catalog has been chipped away at, and his own songs aren’t worth what they used to be.
“Licensees may become hesitant to use the music,” David Herlihy, a professor at Northeastern University who specializes in music licensing and copyright, told Business Insider in July. Plus, he added, there’s “no touring from the cellblock.”
Of course, he’s by no means a poor man. He still has his mansions — two on Miami’s Star Island and one in Los Angeles that’s on the market for $61.5 million — and private jet, “Love Air,” which is for sale.
While Combs told the judge on Friday that he doesn’t “care about the fame or the records or making money or performing,” when he does walk free, he may try to get back in the game.
He’s already taken his entrepreneurial spirit to prison, where he is teaching a business course.
Just don’t expect a celebrity-packed white party, lifetime achievement award, or key to the city anytime soon.
“People forget, memories fade, he is a master marketer,” Schiffer said.”But the gravity of his past won’t ever allow him to ascend to the status and elevation he had before; those days are done.”
