🔗 Share this article

The music mogul Sean Combs is due to receive sentencing on Friday morning by a US district judge in New York, after his conviction earlier this 2025 on federal prostitution-related charges.

Here is a summary of his legal proceedings: what he was indicted for, what happened at trial, and what might happen next.

What Was He Found Guilty Of?

In July, after an eight-week trial, a panel of jurors found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the more severe allegations against him, racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, which could have resulted in the possibility of a life imprisonment.

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

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who presided over the trial, will deliver the sentence on the scheduled day, with the court session due to begin at 10:00 AM Eastern Time in federal district court in downtown Manhattan.

Combs, 55, has been held without bail at the Brooklyn detention facility since his apprehension in the previous September. Since the decision, the judge has denied multiple bail applications from Combs’s lawyers, and earlier this week Subramanian also rejected a request to overturn the guilty verdicts.

What Was Combs Accused Of?

Government attorneys accused the Bad Boy Records founder of leveraging his status and resources, and employing intimidation and coercion, to coerce former partners into engaging in drug-fueled sexual marathons with paid companions. Such events were often referred to by the accused as “freak-offs”, which prosecutors claimed Combs organized, watched, masturbated to and occasionally recorded.

The government asserted that for over twenty years, Combs operated a illegal operation – aided by employees and associates – to carry out and conceal crimes including sex-trafficking, drug dealing, bribery and kidnapping.

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

What Happened During the Trial?

The prosecution called more than 30 witnesses, including former partners of Combs – singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a second individual who gave evidence under the pseudonym of “Jane” – who recounted the alleged events in graphic detail, and claimed 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 exposed her to various forms of mistreatment and to blackmail. The court was shown the 2016 video of Combs assaulting Ventura in a corridor. Jane also testified of a physical confrontation with Combs.

Other witnesses included ex-staff, male escorts, law enforcement agents, hotel employees and public figures including musician Kid Cudi and singer Dawn Richard. Combs did not testify.

Combs’s defense attorneys admitted previous incidents of abuse, but denied that any coercion or sex trafficking took place. They argued that all sexual activity was consensual and part of a “swingers’ lifestyle”, and contended that Ventura and Jane were willing participants in the encounters.

What Sentence Might He Face?

Combs’s attorneys have asked the judge for a sentence of no more than 14 months in prison, which, given time already served, would permit his release by year's end. They argue that Combs has already been “sufficiently penalized” by serving 13 months in the “terrible conditions” at the facility.

Federal prosecutors, however, have requested a minimum of 135 months (11 years and three months) and a $500,000 fine. In court filings, they portrayed Combs as “showing no remorse” and said that “his background and behavior” show a pattern of misconduct.

What Was Said In Victim Impact Statements?

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

“While the jury did not seem to understand or believe that I engaged in the events because of the force and coercion the defendant used against me, I know that is the truth, and his sentence should account for the truth of the testimony and my personal experience as a victim,” Ventura stated.

“I am so fearful that if he walks free, his initial steps will be swift retribution towards me and others who testified about his abuse, at court,” she said.

“If there is one thing I have gained from this experience, it is that those affected will never be safe,” she continued. “I hope that your ruling considers the truths at hand that the panel overlooked.”

What Happens Next?

Following the court's decision, Combs’s attorneys could challenge the decision. Combs’s team is also likely to appeal his conviction.

Additionally, Combs is confronting dozens of civil cases accusing him of sexual assault and further offenses. He has denied all allegations in those proceedings.