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

This article provides a overview of his criminal case: the charges he faced, what happened at trial, and potential next steps.

What Charges Was He Found Guilty Of?

In July, after an eight-week trial, a jury found Combs guilty of two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was found not guilty of the most serious charges against him, racketeering and human trafficking, which carried the potential of a life imprisonment.

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

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who presided over the trial, will deliver the ruling on the scheduled day, with the court session due to begin at 10am ET in a federal courthouse in lower 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 judge has rejected multiple bail applications from Combs’s legal team, and earlier this week Subramanian also rejected a request to overturn the guilty verdicts.

What Was Combs Accused Of?

Federal prosecutors alleged the Bad Boy Records founder of leveraging his status and resources, and employing intimidation and coercion, to coerce two of his former girlfriends into participating in drug-fueled sexual marathons with male escorts. Such events were often called by the accused as “freak-offs”, which they said Combs organized, watched, pleasured himself to and occasionally recorded.

The prosecution asserted that for more than two decades, Combs operated a illegal operation – aided by employees and associates – to conduct and hide crimes including sex trafficking, drug dealing, corruption and abduction.

Despite being convicted on two counts, Combs has denied any misconduct. His attorneys have maintained that every encounter was mutually agreed and that no illicit organization existed.

What Transpired At Trial?

The government's case presented more than 30 witnesses, including former partners of Combs – singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a second individual who testified using the alias Jane – who recounted the alleged events in explicit terms, and alleged that Combs coerced and threatened them into participating.

Ventura was the key witness for the prosecution. She stated 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 presented with the 2016 video of Combs attacking Ventura in a corridor. Jane also testified of a violent altercation with Combs.

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

Combs’s legal team admitted previous incidents of domestic violence, but denied that any coercion or trafficking took place. They maintained that all sexual activity was consensual and part of a “alternative lifestyle”, and argued that Ventura and Jane were consenting adults in the encounters.

How Much Time Could He Serve?

Combs’s attorneys have requested the judge for a penalty of a maximum of 14 months in jail, which, considering time served, would permit his release 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.

Federal prosecutors, however, have sought at least 135 months (11 years and three months) and a half-million-dollar penalty. In legal documents, they described Combs as “showing no remorse” and said that “his history and characteristics demonstrate a pattern of misconduct.

What Statements Were Made By the Victims?

The prosecution submitted multiple statements from victims to the court ahead of sentencing, including one from Ventura.

“Although the jurors did not seem to understand or believe that I participated in freak-offs because of the force and coercion the accused used against me, I know that is the reality, and his punishment should reflect the truth of the evidence and my personal experience as a survivor,” Ventura stated.

“I am so scared that if he walks free, his initial steps will be immediate revenge towards me and other individuals who testified about his misconduct, at trial,” she wrote.

“If there is one thing I have learned from this ordeal, it is that those affected will never be secure,” she added. “I hope that your ruling takes into account the truths at hand that the jury overlooked.”

What Happens Next?

Following the court's decision, Combs’s legal team could challenge the decision. Combs’s defense is also likely to appeal his verdict.

Separately, Combs faces numerous civil lawsuits alleging of misconduct and other misconduct. He has disputed all allegations in those suits.