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Sean "Diddy" Combs is set to be his sentence on Friday morning by a federal judge in New York, after his conviction earlier this 2025 on charges related to prostitution.

This article provides a summary of his legal proceedings: the charges he faced, the trial events, and what might happen next.

What Charges Was He Found Guilty Of?

In July, following a two-month trial, a panel of jurors convicted Combs of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was found not guilty of the more severe allegations against him, racketeering and sex trafficking, which could have resulted in the possibility of a life sentence.

The offenses on which he was convicted each have a maximum sentence of 10 years. Combs had pleaded not guilty to every count.

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who oversaw the case, will deliver the ruling on the scheduled day, with the hearing set to start at 10:00 AM Eastern Time in federal district court in downtown Manhattan.

Combs, fifty-five, has been held without bail at the Brooklyn metropolitan detention center since his apprehension in September last year. Since the decision, the judge has denied two bail requests from Combs’s lawyers, and earlier this week Subramanian also rejected a motion to set aside the convictions.

What Was Combs Accused Of?

Federal prosecutors accused the Bad Boy Records founder of leveraging his status and resources, and using violence, threats and blackmail, to force former partners into participating in sex parties involving drugs with paid companions. Such sessions were often referred to by the defendant as “hotel nights”, which they said Combs orchestrated, observed, masturbated to and occasionally recorded.

The prosecution alleged that for over twenty years, Combs operated a illegal operation – assisted by employees and associates – to carry out and hide offenses including sex-trafficking, drug distribution, corruption and abduction.

Despite being convicted on two charges, Combs has disputed wrongdoing. His lawyers have insisted that every encounter was mutually agreed and that no illicit organization existed.

What Transpired At Trial?

The prosecution presented over thirty witnesses, including two of Combs’s former girlfriends – singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and another woman who testified under the pseudonym of “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 long-term relationship with Combs, he subjected her to physical, sexual and emotional abuse and to extortion. The court was presented with the 2016 video of Combs attacking Ventura in a corridor. Jane also testified of a physical confrontation with Combs.

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

Combs’s legal team acknowledged previous incidents of abuse, but denied that any force or sex trafficking occurred. They maintained that all sexual activity was consensual and part of a “alternative lifestyle”, and contended that Ventura and Jane were consenting adults in the sex acts.

How Much Time Might He Face?

Combs’s attorneys have asked the court for a penalty of a maximum of 14 months in jail, which, given time already served, would permit his freedom before the end of the year. They claim that Combs has already been “sufficiently penalized” by serving 13 months in the “terrible conditions” at the facility.

The prosecution, however, have requested at least 135 months (11 years and three months) and a half-million-dollar penalty. In court filings, they described Combs as “showing no remorse” and said that “his history and characteristics demonstrate years of abuse and violence.

What Statements Were Made In Victim Impact Statements?

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

“Although the jurors did not seem to grasp or accept 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 reflect the reality of the evidence and my lived experience as a survivor,” Ventura wrote.

“I am so fearful that if he is released, his first actions will be immediate revenge towards me and others who testified about his misconduct, at court,” she wrote.

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

What Comes After Sentencing?

After sentencing, Combs’s attorneys could appeal against the sentence. Combs’s team is also likely to contest his verdict.

Additionally, Combs faces dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and other misconduct. He has denied all allegations in those proceedings.