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The music mogul Sean Combs is set to be his sentence on Friday by a federal judge in New York, following his conviction earlier this 2025 on charges related to prostitution.

This article provides a overview of his legal proceedings: what he was indicted for, what happened at trial, and what might happen next.

What Was He Found Guilty Of?

During July, following a two-month trial, a panel of jurors convicted Combs of two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the more severe allegations against him, racketeering and sex trafficking, which carried the possibility of a life sentence.

The offenses on which he was convicted each have a maximum penalty of a decade. Combs had entered a not guilty plea to all of the charges.

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who oversaw the trial, will deliver the sentence on Friday, with the hearing due to begin at 10:00 AM Eastern Time in a federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan.

Combs, fifty-five, has been held without bail at the Brooklyn detention facility since his apprehension in September last year. Since the decision, the court has rejected two bail requests from Combs’s legal team, and recently Subramanian also rejected a motion to set aside the convictions.

What Allegations Was Combs Accused Of?

Federal prosecutors accused the Bad Boy Records founder of using his power, fame, wealth and influence, and employing intimidation and coercion, to coerce two of his former girlfriends into engaging in drug-fueled sexual marathons with paid companions. Such sessions were often referred to by the defendant as “hotel nights”, which prosecutors claimed Combs orchestrated, watched, masturbated to and sometimes filmed.

The prosecution asserted that for more than two decades, Combs ran a criminal enterprise – aided by employees and associates – to conduct and hide offenses including sex-trafficking, drug distribution, corruption and kidnapping.

Although found guilty on two counts, Combs has disputed wrongdoing. His lawyers have maintained that every encounter was consensual and that no criminal enterprise existed.

What Happened During the Trial?

The prosecution called more than 30 witnesses, including former partners of Combs – artist Cassie Ventura and a second individual who gave evidence under the pseudonym of “Jane” – who described the so-called “freak-offs” in explicit terms, and alleged that Combs pressured and intimidated them into taking part.

Ventura was the star prosecution witness. She stated that during her 11-year, on-off relationship with Combs, he subjected her to various forms of mistreatment and to extortion. The jury was shown the 2016 hotel surveillance footage of Combs attacking Ventura in a hallway. Jane also told the court of a violent altercation with Combs.

Additional testimony included former employees, male escorts, police officers, hotel employees and public figures including rapper Kid Cudi and artist Dawn Richard. Combs did not testify.

Combs’s defense attorneys acknowledged past instances of abuse, but disputed that any force or trafficking occurred. They maintained that every sexual act was consensual and part of a “alternative lifestyle”, and argued that Ventura and Jane were willing participants in the sex acts.

How Much Time Could He Serve?

Combs’s lawyers have requested the court for a penalty of a maximum of 14 months in prison, which, given time already served, would allow for his freedom before the end of the year. They claim that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by spending over a year in the “harsh environment” at the detention center.

Federal prosecutors, however, have requested a minimum of 135 months (11 years and three months) and a half-million-dollar penalty. In court filings, they portrayed Combs as “unrepentant” and said that “his background and behavior” show a pattern of misconduct.

What Was Said In Victim Impact Statements?

The prosecution filed several victim impact statements to the court before the sentencing, including one from Ventura.

“Although the jurors did not seem to understand or believe that I engaged in freak-offs because of the pressure and intimidation the defendant used against me, I know that is the reality, and his sentence should account for the truth of the evidence and my personal experience as a survivor,” Ventura stated.

“I am so scared that if he walks free, his first actions will be swift retribution towards me and others who testified about his misconduct, at court,” she wrote.

“If there is one thing I have learned from this ordeal, it is that those affected will never be safe,” she continued. “I hope that your decision takes into account the facts at hand that the jury failed to see.”

What Comes After Sentencing?

After sentencing, Combs’s attorneys could appeal against the sentence. Combs’s team is also likely to appeal his verdict.

Separately, Combs faces numerous civil cases alleging of misconduct and further offenses. He has denied every claim in those proceedings.