Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs sentencing: what to know | Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs

Sean “Diddy” Combs is scheduled to be sentenced on Friday morning by a federal judge in New York, following his conviction earlier this year on federal prostitution-related charges.

Here’s a recap of his criminal case: what he was indicted for, what happened at trial, and what might happen next.

What was he found guilty of?

In July, after an eight-week trial, a jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the most serious charges against him, racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, which carried the possibility of a life sentence.

The charges on which he was found guilty each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years. Combs pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.

Judge Arun Subramanian, who oversaw the trial, will hand down the sentence on Friday, with the hearing due to begin 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 arrest in September last year. Since the verdict, the judge has denied two bail requests from Combs’s lawyers, and earlier this week Subramanian also rejected a motion to overturn the convictions.

What was Combs accused of?

Federal prosecutors accused the Bad Boy Records founder of using his power, fame, wealth and influence, and using violence, threats and blackmail, to coerce two of his former girlfriends into participating in drug-fueled sexual marathons with male escorts. Such sessions were often referred to by the defendant as “freak-offs” or “hotel nights”, which they said Combs orchestrated, watched, masturbated to and sometimes filmed.

The government alleged that for more than two decades, Combs operated a criminal enterprise – aided by employees and associates – to carry out and conceal crimes including sex-trafficking, drug distribution, bribery and kidnapping.

Despite being convicted on two counts, Combs has denied wrongdoing. His lawyers have insisted that all sexual activity was consensual and that no criminal enterprise existed.

What happened at trial?

The prosecution called more than 30 witnesses, including two of Combs’s former girlfriends – singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and another woman who testified under the pseudonym of “Jane” – who described the so-called “freak-offs” in graphic detail, and alleged that Combs coerced and threatened them into participating.

Ventura was the star prosecution witness. She testified that during her 11-year, on-off relationship with Combs, he subjected her to physical, sexual and emotional abuse and to blackmail. The jury was shown 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, male escorts, law enforcement agents, hotel staff and public figures including rapper Kid Cudi and singer Dawn Richard. Combs did not testify.

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

How much time could he serve?

Combs’s attorneys have asked the judge for a sentence of no more than 14 months in prison, which, given time already served, would allow for 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 detention center.

Federal prosecutors, however, have requested at least 135 months (11 years and three months) and a $500,000 fine. In court filings, they described Combs as “unrepentant” and said that “his history and characteristics demonstrate years of abuse and violence.”

In a letter to the judge, on the eve of his sentencing, asking for a second chance, Combs combined some apologies with vivid descriptions of his own physical and emotional suffering while in jail.

What was said in victim impact statements?

The prosecution submitted several victim impact statements to the court ahead of sentencing, including one from Ventura.

“While the jury did not seem to understand or believe that I engaged in freak-offs 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 victim,” Ventura wrote.

“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 trial,” she wrote.

“If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that victims and survivors will never be safe,” she added. “I hope that your decision considers the truths at hand that the jury failed to see.”

What happens next?

After sentencing, Combs’s legal team could appeal against the decision. Combs’s team is also expected to appeal his conviction.

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