Sean 'Diddy' Combs appeared before US District Court Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan on Friday for sentencing in his federal case. The hearing concluded a legal saga that has consumed the entertainment industry for more than a year.

Combs was convicted on charges tied to transportation for prostitution after a high-profile trial. Jurors acquitted him of the most serious racketeering and sex-trafficking counts. Federal prosecutors pushed for a lengthy term, while his defence team argued for leniency, citing time already served in detention.

Combs's legal troubles have widened on other fronts. A civil attorney claimed this week that Combs had stopped paying his legal bills, raising questions about the mogul's finances as he faces dozens of civil lawsuits alleging abuse, all of which he has denied.

The outcome carries significant stakes for Combs's Bad Boy Records empire and his broader business interests, which have already shed lucrative brand partnerships since his arrest. Whether any professional comeback remained possible would depend partly on the sentence length.

Prosecutors from the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York described Combs's conduct as a sustained pattern of coercion. His lawyers characterised the offences as consensual conduct between adults.