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Sean "Diddy" Combs is scheduled for his sentence on Friday by a federal judge in New York, following his guilty verdict earlier this 2025 on charges related to prostitution.

This article provides a overview of his criminal case: what he was indicted for, what happened at trial, and potential next steps.

What Charges Was He Convicted On?

In July, after an eight-week trial, a panel of jurors convicted Combs of two charges of transporting individuals for prostitution. He was found not guilty of the most serious charges against him, racketeering and sex trafficking, which could have resulted in 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.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversaw the trial, will deliver the sentence on the scheduled day, with the court session due to begin at 10am ET in federal district court in lower Manhattan.

Combs, 55, has been detained without bond at the Brooklyn detention facility since his apprehension in September last year. Since the decision, the court has rejected two bail requests from Combs’s lawyers, and earlier this week Subramanian also denied a motion to overturn the guilty verdicts.

What Was Combs Facing?

Federal prosecutors accused the Bad Boy Records founder of using his power, fame, wealth and influence, and using violence, threats and blackmail, to coerce former partners into participating in sex parties involving drugs with male escorts. Such sessions were often referred to by the accused as “hotel nights”, which prosecutors claimed Combs orchestrated, observed, pleasured himself to and occasionally recorded.

The prosecution asserted that for over twenty years, Combs ran a illegal operation – aided by employees and associates – to conduct and hide offenses including sex trafficking, drug dealing, corruption and kidnapping.

Although found guilty on two counts, Combs has denied wrongdoing. His lawyers have maintained that every encounter was mutually agreed and that no criminal enterprise existed.

What Happened During the Trial?

The government's case presented over thirty witnesses, including former partners of Combs – singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a second individual who testified using the alias Jane – who described the so-called “freak-offs” in explicit terms, 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 subjected 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 hallway. Jane also told the court of a violent altercation with Combs.

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

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

What Sentence Could He Serve?

Combs’s attorneys have requested the judge for a sentence of a maximum of 14 months in jail, which, considering time served, would permit 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 facility.

The prosecution, however, have requested a minimum of 135 months (11 years and three months) and a $500,000 fine. In legal documents, they described Combs as “unrepentant” and said that “his background and behavior” demonstrate years of abuse and violence.

What Was Said By the Victims?

The government submitted multiple statements from victims to the judge before the sentencing, including one from Ventura.

“Although the jurors 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 reality, and his punishment should account for the truth of the evidence and my personal experience as a victim,” Ventura stated.

“I am so scared that if he walks free, his initial steps will be swift retribution towards me and other individuals who spoke up about his abuse, at court,” she wrote.

“If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that victims and survivors will never be secure,” she added. “I hope that your ruling considers the facts at hand that the panel overlooked.”

What Comes After Sentencing?

Following the court's decision, Combs’s legal team could appeal against the sentence. Combs’s defense is also expected to contest his verdict.

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