Sean 'Diddy' given 4 yrs in jail. Meet Indian-origin judge who passed order

Arun Subramanian, US judge of Indian origin, sentenced Sean 'Diddy' Combs to 50 months for violence, racketeering and sexual misconduct

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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, 55, was sentenced on Friday to 50 months in prison by US District Judge Arun Subramanian for offences including violence against women, racketeering, and sex trafficking. Combs was convicted in July of flying people across the country, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, for sexual encounters.

 

He was acquitted of some sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have carried life imprisonment. Prosecutors had sought an 11-year sentence. Despite the acquittals, the verdict ensures one of music’s biggest names will remain behind bars for years.

 

In a final statement before the sentence, Combs described his actions as “disgusting, shameful and sick", apologising to those he hurt physically and mentally, including his children, who were present in court.

 

His defence team argued the sexual encounters were consensual and requested his immediate release after more than a year in detention, highlighting that time in custody helped him get sober and reflect on his actions. They also presented an 11-minute video showing Combs’ family life, career achievements, and philanthropy.   

 

Who is Judge Arun Subramanian?

 

Arun Subramanian, 46, is a US-born judge of Indian origin serving on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Nominated by then President Joe Biden in March 2023, he became the first South Asian-origin judge on the bench.

 

During Subramanian’s confirmation, then US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer praised his career, saying, “Mr. Subramanian’s resume tells a very clear story: he is excellent, he is accomplished, he’s dedicated his entire career fighting for average Americans. He’s an expert in consumer protection with years of experience defending those injured by unfair, illegal practices. He’s also defended victims of child trafficking in pornography.”   

 

Early life and education

 

Subramanian was born in 1979 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to immigrant parents. His father was a control systems engineer, while his mother worked as a bookkeeper. He earned an undergraduate degree from Case Western Reserve University and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School in 2004.

 

Subramanian began his legal career clerking for Dennis Jacobs at the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2004-2005), Gerard E Lynch at the Southern District of New York (2005-2006), and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2006-2007).

 

From 2007 to 2023, he worked at Susman Godfrey LLP in New York City, focusing on commercial and bankruptcy law, before his nomination to the federal bench.

 

(With agency inputs)