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The music mogul Sean Combs is due to receive sentencing on Friday by a US district judge in New York, after his conviction earlier this year on federal prostitution-related charges.

This article provides a summary of his criminal case: what he was indicted for, what happened at trial, and what might happen next.

What Charges Was He Convicted On?

During July, after an eight-week trial, a jury found Combs guilty of two charges of transporting individuals for prostitution. He was acquitted of the more severe allegations against him, racketeering and human trafficking, which carried the possibility of a life sentence.

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

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who presided over the trial, will deliver the sentence on Friday, with the hearing set to start at 10am ET in a federal courthouse in downtown 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 multiple bail applications from Combs’s lawyers, and earlier this week Subramanian also denied a request to set aside the guilty verdicts.

What Was Combs Accused Of?

Government attorneys alleged the music executive of leveraging his status and resources, and using violence, threats and blackmail, to coerce two of his former girlfriends into engaging in drug-fueled sexual marathons with paid companions. Such sessions were often called by the defendant as “hotel nights”, which prosecutors claimed Combs organized, observed, pleasured himself to and sometimes filmed.

The prosecution asserted that for more than two decades, Combs ran a illegal operation – assisted by staff and allies – to conduct and hide crimes including sex trafficking, drug dealing, bribery and kidnapping.

Although found guilty on two charges, Combs has disputed any misconduct. His lawyers have insisted that all sexual activity was consensual and that no criminal enterprise was present.

What Transpired During the Trial?

The government's case called more than 30 witnesses, including former partners of Combs – artist Cassie Ventura and a second individual who testified using the alias Jane – who recounted the so-called “freak-offs” in graphic detail, and alleged that Combs coerced and threatened them into taking part.

Ventura was the key witness for the prosecution. She stated that during her long-term relationship with Combs, he exposed her to various forms of mistreatment and to blackmail. The court was presented with the 2016 video of Combs attacking Ventura in a corridor. Jane also told the court of a violent altercation with Combs.

Other witnesses included ex-staff, male escorts, police officers, hotel staff and public figures including rapper Kid Cudi and singer Dawn Richard. Combs did not testify.

Combs’s defense attorneys acknowledged past instances of abuse, but denied that any coercion or sex trafficking took place. They argued that all sexual activity was agreed upon and part of a “alternative lifestyle”, and contended that Ventura and Jane were consenting adults in the sex acts.

What Sentence Might He Face?

Combs’s attorneys have requested the court for a sentence of a maximum of 14 months in jail, which, given time already served, would permit his release by year's end. They argue that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by serving 13 months in the “harsh environment” at the facility.

The prosecution, however, have requested at least 135 months (11 years and three months) and a $500,000 fine. In legal documents, they portrayed Combs as “unrepentant” and said that “his background and behavior” demonstrate years of abuse and violence.

What Statements Were Made By the Victims?

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

“While the jury did not seem to grasp or accept that I engaged in the events because of the force and coercion the accused 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 stated.

“I am so scared that if he is released, his initial steps will be swift retribution towards me and others who testified about his misconduct, at court,” she wrote.

“If there is one thing I have learned from this experience, it is that those affected will never be safe,” she continued. “I hope that your ruling considers the truths at hand that the jury overlooked.”

What Comes Next?

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

Separately, Combs is confronting dozens of civil cases accusing him of misconduct and other misconduct. He has disputed all allegations in those suits.