Sean Combs Sentencing: Key Details You Should Know

The music mogul Sean Combs is set to be his sentence on Friday morning by a US district judge in New York City, following his guilty verdict earlier this 2025 on federal prostitution-related charges.

Here is a summary of his criminal case: what he was indicted for, what happened at trial, and potential next steps.

What Charges Was He Convicted On?

During July, following a two-month trial, a panel of jurors convicted Combs of two charges of transporting individuals for prostitution. He was found not guilty of the more severe allegations against him, racketeering and human trafficking, which could have resulted in the potential of a life imprisonment.

The charges on which he was found guilty each have a maximum penalty of a decade. Combs had entered a not guilty plea to every count.

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who oversaw the trial, will hand down the sentence on the scheduled day, with the court session set to start at 10am ET in federal district court in lower Manhattan.

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

What Allegations Was Combs Accused Of?

Federal prosecutors accused the music executive of using his power, fame, wealth and influence, 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 defendant as “hotel nights”, which prosecutors claimed Combs organized, observed, pleasured himself to and occasionally recorded.

The government asserted that for more than two decades, Combs operated a criminal enterprise – assisted by staff and allies – to carry out and conceal crimes including sex trafficking, drug distribution, bribery and kidnapping.

Although found guilty on two charges, Combs has disputed wrongdoing. His lawyers have insisted that all sexual activity was mutually agreed and that no illicit organization was present.

What Happened During the Trial?

The prosecution called more than 30 witnesses, including two of Combs’s former girlfriends – singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and another woman who gave evidence using the alias Jane – who recounted the alleged events in graphic detail, and claimed that Combs pressured and intimidated them into taking part.

Ventura was the star prosecution witness. She testified that during her 11-year, on-off relationship with Combs, he exposed her to various forms of mistreatment and to blackmail. The jury was presented with the 2016 hotel surveillance footage of Combs assaulting Ventura in a corridor. Jane also testified of a physical confrontation with Combs.

Other witnesses included former employees, male escorts, police officers, hotel staff and celebrities including rapper Kid Cudi and artist Dawn Richard. Combs did not testify.

Combs’s legal team admitted past instances of abuse, but disputed that any force or trafficking took place. They argued that every sexual act was consensual and part of a “swingers’ lifestyle”, and argued that Ventura and Jane were consenting adults in the sex acts.

How Much Time Could He Serve?

Combs’s lawyers have asked the court for a penalty of a maximum of 14 months in prison, which, given time already served, would permit his release by year's end. They claim that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by serving 13 months in the “harsh environment” at the detention center.

The prosecution, however, have sought at least 135 months (over a decade) and a half-million-dollar penalty. In court filings, they portrayed Combs as “unrepentant” and said that “his history and characteristics demonstrate a pattern of misconduct.

What Was Said By the Victims?

The government submitted 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 freak-offs because of the force and coercion the accused used against me, I know that is the reality, and his sentence should reflect the truth of the testimony 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 other individuals who testified about his misconduct, at trial,” she said.

“If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that those affected will never be secure,” she continued. “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 challenge the decision. Combs’s team is also likely to appeal his conviction.

Additionally, Combs faces dozens of civil lawsuits alleging of misconduct and further offenses. He has denied every claim in those proceedings.