NEW YORK — Sean “Diddy” Combs has ducked a possible life sentence after his acquittal on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, but prison time is still a possibility for the multimillionaire rap mogul.

Following a nine-week trial, a federal court jury in Manhattan on Wednesday convicted Combs of ferrying people across the U.S. and internationally to engage in prostitution, but found him not guilty of committing sex trafficking and a RICO conspiracy to host the sordid sex parties he recruited them for.

Beating the top charges was not enough to convince Manhattan Federal Judge Arun Subramanian to release Combs under strict conditions on a $1 million bond, a request the jurist shot down hours after the verdict was announced.

Subramanian found that Combs was unable to demonstrate he wouldn’t pose a danger to anyone if released, quoting confessions his attorney Marc Agnifilo made during the trial about Combs’ history of beating his girlfriends.

The judge referenced how Combs’ rage had been uncontrollable even after he learned he was under federal investigation, evidenced by him brutally beating up one of his girlfriends in June 2024, a woman who testified anonymously at the trial as “Jane.”

“This type of violence, which happens behind closed doors in personal relationships, sparked by unpredictable bouts of anger, is impossible to police with conditions,” Subramanian said.

It won’t be clear until Combs’ sentencing, a date for which is yet to be set, whether Subramanian’s Wednesday stance will reflect how long the mogul spends behind bars. Agnifilo told the court Combs wanted to be sentenced “as soon as possible.”

The two counts for which Combs was found guilty, alleging he violated the Mann Act by transporting people across state lines for prostitution, carry a maximum term of 10 years each, with no minimum. A sentence of 20 years is unlikely, as judges rarely impose back-to-back consecutive terms.

On Wednesday, prosecutors told Subramanian that federal guidelines — which consider a range of different factors in calculating an appropriate sentence, like someone’s record — estimated that Combs should serve between four and five years. His attorneys read the guidelines to say he should do no more than two.

The judge said that whatever number he decided on would subtract the 10 months Combs has already served at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Correctional Center, where he has been jailed since his 2024 arrest.

The judge will receive submissions from both sides ahead of sentencing, which typically includes letters of support from a defendant’s loved ones and accounts from victims who assisted the prosecution.

Probation officials will also submit a recommendation to Subramanian after carrying out a pre-sentence investigation, which examines factors like someone’s criminal history, upbringing, family and community, professional experience, and mental health.

Subramanian told Combs’ lawyers that he would expedite the sentencing and set a hearing to discuss the next steps for Tuesday after they and the prosecutors consult with the probation department.

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