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

Here is a overview of his criminal case: the charges he faced, the trial events, and what might happen next.

What Was He Convicted On?

During July, following a two-month trial, a panel of jurors convicted Combs of two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution. He was acquitted of the more severe allegations against him, racketeering and human trafficking, which could have resulted in the possibility of a life sentence.

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

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who presided over the case, will hand down the sentence on Friday, with the hearing set to start at 10am ET 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 the previous September. Since the decision, the court has denied multiple bail applications from Combs’s legal team, and earlier this week Subramanian also denied a motion to overturn the convictions.

What Allegations Was Combs Accused Of?

Federal prosecutors alleged the music executive of leveraging his status and resources, and using violence, threats and blackmail, to force two of his former girlfriends into participating in sex parties involving drugs with male escorts. Such events were often referred to by the defendant as “freak-offs”, which prosecutors claimed Combs orchestrated, observed, pleasured himself to and sometimes filmed.

The prosecution asserted that for over twenty years, Combs operated a illegal operation – assisted by staff and allies – to carry out and conceal offenses including sex trafficking, drug dealing, bribery and abduction.

Although found guilty on two counts, Combs has denied any misconduct. His lawyers have insisted that all sexual activity was mutually agreed and that no criminal enterprise was present.

What Transpired At Trial?

The government's case presented more than 30 witnesses, including former partners of Combs – singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and another woman who testified under the pseudonym of “Jane” – who described the alleged events in explicit terms, and claimed that Combs pressured and intimidated them into taking part.

Ventura was the key witness for the prosecution. She stated 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 presented with 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, escorts, police officers, hotel staff and celebrities including rapper Kid Cudi and singer Dawn Richard. Combs chose not to take the stand.

Combs’s legal team admitted previous incidents of abuse, but denied that any coercion or sex trafficking occurred. They maintained that all sexual activity was consensual 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 asked the judge for a penalty of no more than 14 months in jail, which, considering time served, would permit his freedom by year's end. They claim that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by serving 13 months in the “terrible conditions” at the facility.

Federal prosecutors, however, have requested at least 135 months (over a decade) and a half-million-dollar penalty. In legal documents, they described Combs as “showing no remorse” 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 ahead of sentencing, including one from Ventura.

“While the jury did not seem to grasp or accept that I participated in the events 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 testimony 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 other individuals who spoke up about his misconduct, at trial,” she said.

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

What Comes Next?

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

Separately, Combs faces dozens of civil lawsuits alleging of sexual assault and other misconduct. He has disputed all allegations in those proceedings.