Will Trump pardon Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs'? Lawyers want hip-hop mogul be sent to low-security prison in New Jersey

US President Donald Trump said that Sean "Diddy" Combs', who received a sentence of over four years on Friday for prostitution-related charges, has asked for a pardon, according to Reuters.

On Monday, Trump informed reporters that Combs' had requested a pardon. Referring to Combs with the nickname “Puff Daddy,” Trump did not specify whether he would approve the request.

Meanwhile, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ attorneys have requested that he be transferred to a low-security federal prison in New Jersey to serve his four-year, two-month sentence. They told the judge that participating in the facility’s drug treatment programme would assist him in remaining clean, AP reported.

In a letter, Combs’s lawyers requested that Judge Arun Subramanian direct the Federal Bureau of Prisons to assign Combs' to FCI Fort Dix, a large facility situated on the McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst military base.

Combs' attorney, Teny Geragos, argued that FCI Fort Dix, among various federal prisons offering residential drug treatment programs, would provide the most effective environment for Combs to address substance abuse, enhance family visitation, and support rehabilitation.

Sentencing on Friday

Combs' was sentenced on Friday over charges of transporting people across state lines for sexual encounters, concluding a federal case that included disturbing testimony about violence, drugs, and “freak-offs."

The hip hop star was convicted in July as per the federal Mann Act, which prohibits transporting individuals across state lines for any sexual offence. His trial concluded with a split verdict, with acquittals on sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have resulted in a life sentence.

Combs' has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre, a federal jail in Brooklyn, since his arrest in September 2024. Time served there will count toward his sentence, possibly allowing him to be released in roughly three years.

In a letter to Subramanian before sentencing, Combs' mentioned he experienced a “spiritual reset" during his time in jail and is dedicated to staying drug-free, non-violent, and peaceful.

“I thank God that I’m stronger, wiser, clean, clear and sober," he wrote.

Judges frequently recommend where inmates should serve their sentences, but the final decision rests with the Bureau of Prisons. The agency states that these decisions depend on several factors, such as the seriousness of the crime, the necessary security level, and the inmate’s programming needs.

FCI Fort Dix, the largest federal prison by population with nearly 3,900 inmates, is situated approximately 64 miles (103 kilometres) south-west of New York City, where Combs was born and raised. Over the years, the prison has housed several high-profile inmates, including mobsters, drug traffickers, corrupt politicians, and “Pharma Bro” Martin Shkreli.

(With inputs from agencies.)