Sean "Diddy" Combs Court Decision: Key Details You Should Understand

Sean "Diddy" Combs is scheduled for sentencing on Friday morning by a US district judge in New York City, after his guilty verdict earlier this 2025 on charges related to prostitution.

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

What Was He Convicted On?

In July, following a two-month trial, a panel of jurors found Combs guilty of two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was found not guilty of the more severe allegations against him, racketeering and human trafficking, which carried the possibility of a life imprisonment.

The offenses on which he was found guilty each have a maximum sentence of 10 years. Combs had entered a not guilty plea to all of the charges.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who presided over the trial, will deliver the ruling on Friday, with the hearing due to begin at 10am ET in federal district court in downtown Manhattan.

Combs, 55, has been held without bail at the Brooklyn detention facility since his arrest in September last year. Since the verdict, the court has rejected two bail requests from Combs’s lawyers, and recently Subramanian also rejected a motion to set aside the convictions.

What Allegations Was Combs Accused Of?

Government attorneys accused the music executive of leveraging his status and resources, and employing intimidation and coercion, to coerce two of his former girlfriends into engaging in sex parties involving drugs with paid companions. Such sessions were often called by the defendant as “hotel nights”, which prosecutors claimed Combs organized, watched, pleasured himself to and sometimes filmed.

The government asserted that for over twenty years, Combs operated a illegal operation – assisted by staff and allies – to conduct and conceal offenses including sex-trafficking, drug dealing, corruption and abduction.

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

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 gave evidence under the pseudonym of “Jane” – who described the so-called “freak-offs” in explicit terms, and alleged that Combs coerced and threatened them into taking part.

Ventura was the star prosecution witness. She stated that during her long-term relationship with Combs, he exposed her to physical, sexual and emotional abuse and to extortion. The jury was presented with the 2016 video of Combs attacking Ventura in a hallway. Jane also testified of a violent altercation with Combs.

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

Combs’s legal team admitted previous incidents of domestic violence, but denied that any coercion or trafficking took place. They argued that every sexual act was agreed upon and part of a “alternative lifestyle”, and argued that Ventura and Jane were consenting adults in the sex acts.

How Much Time Could He Serve?

Combs’s attorneys have requested the judge for a penalty of no more than 14 months in jail, which, given time already served, would allow for his release by year's end. They claim that Combs has already been “sufficiently penalized” by serving 13 months in the “harsh environment” at the facility.

Federal prosecutors, however, have sought at least 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 several victim impact statements to the judge before sentencing, including one from Ventura.

“Although the jurors did not seem to grasp or accept that I participated in the events because of the pressure and intimidation the accused used against me, I know that is the reality, and his sentence should reflect the truth of the evidence and my lived experience as a survivor,” Ventura stated.

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

“If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that those affected will never be secure,” she added. “I hope that your decision considers the facts at hand that the panel failed to see.”

What Happens After Sentencing?

Following the court's decision, Combs’s attorneys could challenge the decision. Combs’s defense is also expected to appeal his verdict.

Additionally, Combs is confronting dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and other misconduct. He has disputed every claim in those suits.