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

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

What Charges Was He Found Guilty Of?

During July, after an eight-week trial, a jury found Combs guilty of two charges of transporting individuals for prostitution. He was acquitted of the more severe allegations 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 10 years. Combs had entered a not guilty plea to every count.

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who oversaw the trial, will hand down the sentence on the scheduled day, with the court session set to start at 10am ET in federal district court in lower Manhattan.

Combs, fifty-five, has been held without bail at the Brooklyn metropolitan detention center since his apprehension in the previous September. Since the verdict, the court has rejected multiple bail applications from Combs’s lawyers, and recently Subramanian also rejected a motion to set aside the convictions.

What Allegations Was Combs Accused Of?

Government attorneys accused the music executive of using his power, fame, wealth and influence, and using violence, threats and blackmail, to coerce two of his former girlfriends into participating in sex parties involving drugs with male escorts. Such sessions were often called by the defendant as “freak-offs”, which they said Combs orchestrated, observed, masturbated to and occasionally recorded.

The government alleged that for more than two decades, Combs operated a illegal operation – aided by staff and allies – to conduct and conceal crimes including sex trafficking, drug dealing, corruption and abduction.

Despite being convicted on two counts, Combs has denied any misconduct. His attorneys have maintained that all sexual activity was mutually agreed and that no criminal enterprise was present.

What Happened At Trial?

The government's case called over thirty witnesses, including former partners of Combs – artist Cassie Ventura and a second individual who testified using the alias Jane – who recounted the so-called “freak-offs” in graphic detail, and claimed that Combs pressured and intimidated them into participating.

Ventura was the star prosecution witness. She stated that during her 11-year, on-off relationship with Combs, he exposed her to various forms of mistreatment and to blackmail. The jury was presented with the 2016 hotel surveillance footage of Combs attacking Ventura in a corridor. Jane also testified of a violent altercation with Combs.

Other witnesses included former employees, male escorts, police officers, hotel employees and public figures including musician Kid Cudi and singer Dawn Richard. Combs chose not to take the stand.

Combs’s legal team acknowledged previous incidents of domestic violence, but disputed that any coercion or sex trafficking took place. They maintained that every sexual act was consensual and part of a “swingers’ lifestyle”, and contended that Ventura and Jane were consenting adults in the encounters.

What Sentence Could He Serve?

Combs’s attorneys have requested the court for a penalty of no more than 14 months in jail, which, given time already served, would allow for his release by year's end. They argue that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by spending over a year in the “harsh environment” at the facility.

Federal prosecutors, however, have sought a minimum of 135 months (over a decade) and a $500,000 fine. In court filings, they described Combs as “showing no remorse” and said that “his history and characteristics demonstrate years of abuse and violence.

What Was Said By the Victims?

The government submitted several victim impact statements to the judge ahead of sentencing, including one from Ventura.

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

“I am so scared that if he is released, his initial steps will be swift retribution towards me and others who spoke up about his misconduct, at trial,” she said.

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

What Happens After Sentencing?

After sentencing, Combs’s attorneys could challenge the decision. Combs’s defense is also likely to contest his conviction.

Additionally, Combs is confronting numerous civil cases accusing him of misconduct and other misconduct. He has disputed all allegations in those suits.