🔗 Share this article

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

Here is a overview of his legal proceedings: what he was indicted for, the trial events, and what might happen next.

What Was He Convicted On?

In July, following a two-month trial, a jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the more severe allegations against him, racketeering and human trafficking, which carried the potential of a life imprisonment.

The charges on which he was convicted each carry a maximum penalty of a decade. Combs had pleaded not guilty to every count.

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who presided over the case, will deliver the ruling on the scheduled day, with the hearing due to begin 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 two bail requests from Combs’s lawyers, and earlier this week Subramanian also denied a motion to overturn the guilty verdicts.

What Allegations Was Combs Facing?

Federal prosecutors alleged the Bad Boy Records founder of using his power, fame, wealth and influence, and employing intimidation and coercion, to coerce two of his former girlfriends into engaging in sex parties involving drugs with paid companions. Such events were often called by the defendant as “hotel nights”, which they said Combs orchestrated, watched, pleasured himself to and sometimes filmed.

The prosecution asserted that for more than two decades, Combs ran a illegal operation – aided by employees and associates – to carry out and hide offenses including sex trafficking, drug distribution, corruption and kidnapping.

Although found guilty on two counts, Combs has denied wrongdoing. His lawyers have maintained that every encounter was consensual and that no illicit organization existed.

What Transpired At Trial?

The government's case called more than 30 witnesses, including two of Combs’s former girlfriends – artist Cassie Ventura and another woman who testified under the pseudonym of “Jane” – who recounted the alleged events in explicit terms, and alleged that Combs coerced and threatened them into taking part.

Ventura was the key witness for the prosecution. She testified 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 shown the 2016 hotel surveillance footage of Combs attacking Ventura in a corridor. Jane also testified of a physical confrontation with Combs.

Additional testimony included former employees, escorts, law enforcement agents, hotel employees and celebrities including rapper Kid Cudi and artist Dawn Richard. Combs chose not to take the stand.

Combs’s defense attorneys acknowledged previous incidents of domestic violence, but disputed that any force 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 willing participants in the sex acts.

How Much Time Might He Face?

Combs’s attorneys have asked the judge for a sentence of no more than 14 months in jail, which, considering time served, would allow for his freedom before the end of the year. They claim that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by serving 13 months in the “terrible conditions” at the facility.

The prosecution, however, have sought a minimum of 135 months (11 years and three months) and a $500,000 fine. In court filings, they portrayed Combs as “unrepentant” and said that “his background and behavior” show a pattern of misconduct.

What Was Said In Victim Impact Statements?

The prosecution filed multiple statements from victims to the judge ahead of the sentencing, including one from Ventura.

“While the jury did not seem to grasp or accept that I participated in the events because of the force and coercion the accused 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 survivor,” Ventura stated.

“I am so fearful that if he is released, his first actions 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 learned from this ordeal, it is that those affected will never be safe,” she continued. “I hope that your ruling takes into account the facts at hand that the jury overlooked.”

What Happens Next?

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

Additionally, Combs faces dozens of civil cases alleging of sexual assault and further offenses. He has denied all allegations in those proceedings.