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

Here is a summary of his criminal case: what he was indicted for, the trial events, and potential next steps.

What Was He Convicted On?

During July, after an eight-week trial, a jury convicted Combs of two charges of transporting individuals for prostitution. He was acquitted of the most serious charges against him, racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, which carried the possibility of a life imprisonment.

The charges on which he was convicted each carry a maximum penalty of a decade. Combs had pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over the trial, will hand down the sentence on Friday, with the hearing due to begin at 10:00 AM Eastern Time in federal district court in downtown Manhattan.

Combs, 55, has been detained without bond at the Brooklyn metropolitan detention center since his arrest in the previous September. Since the decision, the judge has denied multiple bail applications from Combs’s legal team, and recently Subramanian also denied a motion to set aside the convictions.

What Was Combs Facing?

Federal prosecutors alleged the music executive of leveraging his status and resources, 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 called by the defendant as “hotel nights”, which prosecutors claimed Combs orchestrated, observed, pleasured himself to and sometimes filmed.

The prosecution asserted that for more than two decades, Combs ran a illegal operation – aided by employees and associates – to carry out and conceal crimes including sex trafficking, drug dealing, corruption and abduction.

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

What Transpired During the Trial?

The government's case presented more than 30 witnesses, including two of Combs’s former girlfriends – artist Cassie Ventura and a second individual who gave evidence using the alias Jane – who recounted the alleged events in graphic detail, and alleged that Combs pressured and intimidated them into taking part.

Ventura was the star prosecution witness. She testified that during her 11-year, on-off relationship with Combs, he subjected her to various forms of mistreatment and to extortion. The court was shown the 2016 hotel surveillance footage of Combs assaulting Ventura in a corridor. Jane also told the court of a physical confrontation with Combs.

Additional testimony included former employees, male escorts, law enforcement agents, hotel staff and public figures including musician Kid Cudi and artist Dawn Richard. Combs did not testify.

Combs’s legal team admitted past instances of domestic violence, but denied that any coercion or trafficking occurred. They argued that every sexual act was agreed upon and part of a “swingers’ lifestyle”, and argued that Ventura and Jane were willing participants in the sex acts.

What Sentence Could He Serve?

Combs’s lawyers have requested the court for a penalty of no more than 14 months in prison, which, given time already served, would allow for his release before the end of the year. They claim that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by serving 13 months in the “harsh environment” at the detention center.

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

What Was Said By the Victims?

The government filed 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 pressure and intimidation the accused used against me, I know that is the reality, and his sentence should account for the reality of the testimony and my lived experience as a survivor,” Ventura wrote.

“I am so scared that if he walks free, his initial steps will be immediate revenge towards me and other individuals who spoke up about his misconduct, at trial,” she said.

“If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that victims and survivors will never be secure,” she continued. “I hope that your decision 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 expected to contest his verdict.

Additionally, Combs is confronting dozens of civil cases accusing him of sexual assault and further offenses. He has disputed every claim in those suits.