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

This article provides a recap of his legal proceedings: the charges he faced, the trial events, and potential next steps.

What Was He Found Guilty Of?

In July, after an eight-week trial, a panel of jurors found Combs guilty of two charges of transporting individuals for prostitution. He was acquitted of the most serious charges against him, racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, which could have resulted in the possibility of a life imprisonment.

The offenses on which he was found guilty each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years. Combs had entered a not guilty plea to all of the charges.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversaw the case, will hand down 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 detained without bond at the Brooklyn metropolitan detention center since his arrest in September last year. Since the decision, the court has denied multiple bail applications from Combs’s lawyers, and earlier this week Subramanian also rejected a request to set aside the guilty verdicts.

What Was Combs Facing?

Government attorneys accused the Bad Boy Records founder of leveraging his status and resources, and employing intimidation and coercion, to force former partners into participating in drug-fueled sexual marathons with paid companions. Such sessions were often called by the defendant as “freak-offs”, which prosecutors claimed Combs organized, watched, masturbated to and sometimes filmed.

The prosecution alleged that for over twenty years, Combs operated a criminal enterprise – aided by employees and associates – to carry out and conceal offenses including sex-trafficking, drug distribution, corruption and abduction.

Although found guilty on two counts, Combs has disputed wrongdoing. His attorneys have insisted that all sexual activity was mutually agreed and that no illicit organization was present.

What Transpired At Trial?

The prosecution called more than 30 witnesses, including two of Combs’s former girlfriends – singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and another woman who gave evidence using the alias Jane – who recounted the so-called “freak-offs” 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 long-term relationship with Combs, he subjected her to various forms of mistreatment and to extortion. The court was presented with the 2016 hotel surveillance footage of Combs attacking Ventura in a corridor. Jane also testified of a violent altercation with Combs.

Additional testimony included former employees, 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 previous incidents of abuse, but denied that any force or trafficking took place. They maintained that all sexual activity was agreed upon and part of a “swingers’ lifestyle”, and contended that Ventura and Jane were consenting adults in the encounters.

How Much Time Might He Face?

Combs’s lawyers have asked the court for a penalty of a maximum of 14 months in jail, which, given time already served, would allow for his release before the end of the year. They argue that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by serving 13 months in the “terrible conditions” at the detention center.

The prosecution, however, have requested at least 135 months (11 years and three months) and a $500,000 fine. In court filings, they described Combs as “unrepentant” and said that “his history and characteristics demonstrate a pattern of misconduct.

What Statements Were Made In Victim Impact Statements?

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

“While the jury did not seem to understand or believe that I participated in freak-offs because of the force and coercion the accused used against me, I know that is the truth, and his punishment should account for the reality of the testimony and my lived experience as a victim,” Ventura wrote.

“I am so fearful that if he is released, his initial steps will be immediate revenge towards me and other individuals who testified about his abuse, at court,” she wrote.

“If there is one thing I have gained from this ordeal, it is that victims and survivors will never be safe,” she continued. “I hope that your ruling takes into account the truths at hand that the jury overlooked.”

What Happens After Sentencing?

After sentencing, Combs’s legal team could challenge the sentence. Combs’s defense is also likely to contest his conviction.

Separately, Combs is confronting dozens of civil cases accusing him of misconduct and other misconduct. He has disputed every claim in those suits.