Sean "Diddy" Combs Court Decision: Essential Information You Should Understand

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

Here is a overview of his criminal case: the charges he faced, what happened at trial, and what might happen next.

What Was He Convicted On?

During July, after an eight-week trial, a panel of jurors convicted Combs of two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was found not guilty of the most serious charges against him, racketeering and sex trafficking, which carried the potential of a life sentence.

The charges on which he was found guilty each have a maximum penalty of 10 years. Combs had pleaded not guilty to every count.

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who presided over the case, will deliver the sentence on Friday, with the court session due to begin at 10:00 AM Eastern Time in federal district court in downtown Manhattan.

Combs, fifty-five, has been held without bail at the Brooklyn metropolitan detention center since his arrest in the previous September. Since the decision, the court has rejected multiple bail applications from Combs’s legal team, and earlier this week Subramanian also rejected a motion to overturn the guilty verdicts.

What Allegations Was Combs Accused Of?

Federal prosecutors alleged the music executive of using his power, fame, wealth and influence, and employing intimidation and coercion, to coerce former partners into engaging in sex parties involving drugs with paid companions. Such events were often called by the accused as “hotel nights”, which they said Combs orchestrated, watched, masturbated to and occasionally recorded.

The prosecution asserted that for more than two decades, Combs ran a criminal enterprise – aided by staff and allies – to conduct and conceal offenses including sex-trafficking, drug distribution, corruption and kidnapping.

Despite being convicted on two counts, Combs has disputed wrongdoing. His lawyers have maintained that every encounter was mutually agreed and that no illicit organization existed.

What Happened At Trial?

The prosecution 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 alleged events in graphic detail, and alleged that Combs pressured and intimidated them into taking part.

Ventura was the key witness for the prosecution. She testified that during her long-term relationship with Combs, he exposed her to physical, sexual and emotional abuse and to blackmail. The court was shown the 2016 video of Combs assaulting Ventura in a hallway. Jane also told the court of a physical confrontation with Combs.

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

Combs’s defense attorneys admitted previous incidents of domestic violence, but denied that any force or trafficking took place. They maintained that all sexual activity was consensual and part of a “alternative lifestyle”, and contended 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 sentence of a maximum of 14 months in jail, which, given time already served, would allow for his release by year's end. They argue that Combs has already been “sufficiently penalized” by spending over a year in the “harsh environment” at the detention center.

The prosecution, however, have requested a minimum of 135 months (over a decade) and a half-million-dollar penalty. 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 prosecution filed several victim impact statements to the court ahead of the 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 accused used against me, I know that is the truth, and his punishment should account for the reality of the evidence and my lived experience as a survivor,” Ventura stated.

“I am so fearful that if he is released, his initial steps 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 ordeal, it is that victims and survivors will never be secure,” she added. “I hope that your ruling considers the truths at hand that the jury failed to see.”

What Comes Next?

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

Additionally, Combs faces dozens of civil lawsuits alleging of misconduct and other misconduct. He has disputed every claim in those proceedings.

Emily Thompson
Emily Thompson

Tech enthusiast and cloud security expert with over a decade of experience in digital storage solutions.