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The music mogul Sean Combs is due to receive his sentence on Friday by a federal judge in New York, following his guilty verdict earlier this 2025 on charges related to prostitution.

This article provides a recap of his criminal case: what he was indicted for, the trial events, and potential next steps.

What Was He Convicted On?

In July, following a two-month trial, a jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was found not guilty 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 found guilty each have a maximum sentence of 10 years. Combs had pleaded not guilty to every count.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversaw the case, will deliver the sentence on Friday, with the hearing set to start at 10am ET in federal district court in downtown Manhattan.

Combs, 55, has been held without bail at the Brooklyn metropolitan detention center since his arrest in the previous September. Since the verdict, the judge has rejected multiple bail applications from Combs’s legal team, and earlier this week Subramanian also denied a request to set aside the guilty verdicts.

What Was Combs Facing?

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 male escorts. Such sessions were often referred to by the defendant as “freak-offs”, which prosecutors claimed Combs organized, observed, pleasured himself to and occasionally recorded.

The prosecution asserted that for over twenty years, Combs ran a illegal operation – aided by staff and allies – to carry out and hide offenses including sex trafficking, drug dealing, corruption and abduction.

Despite being convicted on two counts, Combs has denied any misconduct. His attorneys have insisted that every encounter was mutually agreed and that no criminal enterprise existed.

What Transpired At Trial?

The government's case called over thirty witnesses, including former partners of Combs – singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and another woman who gave evidence under the pseudonym of “Jane” – who described the alleged events in explicit terms, and alleged that Combs pressured and intimidated them into participating.

Ventura was the key witness for the prosecution. She testified that during her 11-year, on-off relationship with Combs, he exposed her to physical, sexual and emotional abuse and to extortion. The jury was shown the 2016 hotel surveillance footage of Combs assaulting Ventura in a hallway. Jane also testified of a physical confrontation with Combs.

Additional testimony included ex-staff, male escorts, law enforcement agents, hotel employees and celebrities including rapper Kid Cudi and singer Dawn Richard. Combs did not testify.

Combs’s legal team acknowledged past instances of domestic violence, but denied that any force or trafficking took place. They maintained that every sexual act was consensual and part of a “alternative lifestyle”, and contended that Ventura and Jane were willing participants in the sex acts.

How Much Time Could He Serve?

Combs’s lawyers have asked the court for a sentence of no more than 14 months in jail, which, considering time served, would permit his release by year's end. They claim that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by serving 13 months in the “terrible conditions” at the facility.

The prosecution, however, have requested a minimum of 135 months (11 years and three months) and a half-million-dollar penalty. In legal documents, they portrayed Combs as “showing no remorse” and said that “his background and behavior” show a pattern of misconduct.

What Statements Were Made In Victim Impact Statements?

The prosecution filed multiple statements from victims to the court before the sentencing, including one from Ventura.

“Although the jurors did not seem to understand or believe that I participated in the events because of the force and coercion the defendant used against me, I know that is the reality, and his punishment should reflect the reality of the evidence and my lived 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 spoke up about his misconduct, at trial,” she wrote.

“If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that victims and survivors will never be secure,” she added. “I hope that your ruling considers the truths at hand that the panel overlooked.”

What Happens After Sentencing?

Following the court's decision, Combs’s legal team could appeal against the decision. Combs’s defense is also expected to appeal his conviction.

Additionally, Combs is confronting numerous civil cases alleging of sexual assault and other misconduct. He has denied every claim in those proceedings.