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The music mogul Sean Combs is set to be his sentence on Friday by a US district judge in New York, after his conviction earlier this year on charges related to prostitution.

This article provides a summary of his legal proceedings: the charges he faced, the trial events, and what might happen next.

What Was He Convicted On?

In July, following a two-month trial, a jury convicted Combs of two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was acquitted of the more severe allegations against him, racketeering conspiracy and human trafficking, which carried the possibility of a life sentence.

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

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who oversaw the case, will hand down the sentence on the scheduled day, with the court session set to start at 10:00 AM Eastern Time in a federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan.

Combs, 55, has been held without bail at the Brooklyn detention facility since his apprehension in September last year. Since the verdict, the court has denied multiple bail applications from Combs’s lawyers, and recently Subramanian also denied a request to set aside the guilty verdicts.

What Allegations Was Combs Facing?

Federal prosecutors accused the music executive of using his power, fame, wealth and influence, and using violence, threats and blackmail, to coerce former partners into participating in sex parties involving drugs with paid companions. Such events were often called by the accused as “freak-offs”, which they said Combs organized, watched, masturbated to and sometimes filmed.

The prosecution asserted that for over twenty years, Combs ran a criminal enterprise – assisted by employees and associates – to conduct and conceal crimes including sex trafficking, drug dealing, bribery and abduction.

Despite being convicted on two charges, Combs has denied any misconduct. His lawyers have maintained that all sexual activity was consensual and that no illicit organization was present.

What Transpired During the Trial?

The government's case called over thirty witnesses, including former partners of Combs – artist Cassie Ventura and a second individual who gave evidence using the alias Jane – who described the alleged events in graphic detail, and claimed 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 exposed her to physical, sexual and emotional abuse and to blackmail. The court was shown the 2016 hotel surveillance footage of Combs assaulting Ventura in a corridor. Jane also told the court of a physical confrontation with Combs.

Additional testimony included former employees, escorts, police officers, hotel staff and public figures including musician Kid Cudi and artist Dawn Richard. Combs did not testify.

Combs’s legal team acknowledged previous incidents of abuse, but denied that any coercion or trafficking took place. They argued that all sexual activity was agreed upon and part of a “swingers’ lifestyle”, and contended that Ventura and Jane were consenting adults in the encounters.

What Sentence Could He Serve?

Combs’s lawyers have asked the judge for a penalty of a maximum of 14 months in jail, which, given time already served, would allow for his freedom by year's end. They claim that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by serving 13 months in the “terrible conditions” at the detention center.

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 “showing no remorse” and said that “his history and characteristics show years of abuse and violence.

What Statements Were Made 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 understand or believe that I participated in freak-offs because of the pressure and intimidation the defendant used against me, I know that is the truth, and his punishment should reflect the truth of the testimony and my personal experience as a survivor,” Ventura wrote.

“I am so fearful that if he walks free, his first actions will be immediate revenge towards me and others who testified about his abuse, at trial,” she said.

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

What Comes Next?

After sentencing, Combs’s legal team could challenge the sentence. Combs’s team is also expected to contest his verdict.

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