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Sean "Diddy" Combs is due to receive his sentence on Friday morning by a US district judge in New York, following his guilty verdict earlier this year on charges related to prostitution.

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

What Was He Found Guilty Of?

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

The offenses on which he was found guilty each have a maximum penalty 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 ruling on Friday, with the hearing due to begin at 10:00 AM Eastern Time in a federal courthouse in downtown Manhattan.

Combs, 55, has been held without bail at the Brooklyn metropolitan detention center since his arrest in September last year. Since the decision, the court has rejected multiple bail applications from Combs’s lawyers, and earlier this week Subramanian also rejected a request to overturn the convictions.

What Allegations Was Combs Facing?

Federal prosecutors accused the music executive of using his power, fame, wealth and influence, and employing intimidation and coercion, 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”, which they said Combs orchestrated, observed, masturbated to and sometimes filmed.

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

Although found guilty on two charges, Combs has denied wrongdoing. His lawyers have insisted that all sexual activity was mutually agreed and that no criminal enterprise existed.

What Happened 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 gave evidence under the pseudonym of “Jane” – who recounted the so-called “freak-offs” in explicit terms, and claimed that Combs coerced and threatened them into taking part.

Ventura was the star prosecution witness. She stated that during her long-term 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 assaulting Ventura in a hallway. Jane also testified of a physical confrontation with Combs.

Additional testimony included ex-staff, escorts, law enforcement agents, hotel staff and celebrities including musician Kid Cudi and singer Dawn Richard. Combs did not testify.

Combs’s legal team admitted past instances of domestic violence, but disputed that any force or trafficking occurred. They argued that all sexual activity was consensual and part of a “swingers’ lifestyle”, and argued that Ventura and Jane were willing participants in the encounters.

How Much Time Could He Serve?

Combs’s attorneys have asked the court for a penalty of no more than 14 months in jail, which, given time already served, would permit his release by year's end. They claim that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by spending over a year in the “terrible conditions” at the facility.

Federal prosecutors, however, have sought at least 135 months (over a decade) and a half-million-dollar penalty. In legal documents, they described Combs as “showing no remorse” and said that “his history and characteristics show years of abuse and violence.

What Was Said In Victim Impact Statements?

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

“While the jury did not seem to grasp or accept that I engaged in the events because of the pressure and intimidation the accused used against me, I know that is the truth, and his sentence should reflect the truth of the evidence and my lived experience as a survivor,” Ventura wrote.

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

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

What Happens After Sentencing?

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

Separately, Combs is confronting dozens of civil cases accusing him of sexual assault and other misconduct. He has denied all allegations in those proceedings.