Sean Combs Sentencing: Essential Information to Know
The music mogul Sean Combs is due to receive sentencing on Friday by a federal judge in New York, following his guilty verdict earlier this year on charges related to prostitution.
Here is a overview of his legal proceedings: what he was indicted for, the trial events, and potential next steps.
What Was He Convicted On?
In July, after an eight-week trial, a panel of jurors found Combs guilty of two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution. He was found not guilty of the more severe allegations against him, racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, which could have resulted in the potential of a life imprisonment.
The charges on which he was convicted each have a maximum sentence of a decade. Combs had pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, who presided over the case, will deliver the ruling on the scheduled day, with the hearing due to begin at 10am ET in federal district court in lower Manhattan.
Combs, fifty-five, has been detained without bond at the Brooklyn metropolitan detention center since his apprehension in September last year. Since the verdict, the court has denied multiple bail applications from Combs’s lawyers, and earlier this week Subramanian also denied a motion to set aside the convictions.
What Allegations Was Combs Facing?
Government attorneys 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 engaging in drug-fueled sexual marathons with paid companions. Such sessions were often called by the accused as “freak-offs”, which they said Combs orchestrated, watched, masturbated to and occasionally recorded.
The prosecution asserted that for over twenty years, Combs ran a illegal operation – assisted by employees and associates – to carry out and hide crimes including sex trafficking, drug distribution, bribery and kidnapping.
Although found guilty on two charges, Combs has denied any misconduct. His attorneys have maintained that all sexual activity was consensual and that no illicit organization was present.
What Happened At Trial?
The government's case called 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 key witness for the prosecution. She testified that during her long-term relationship with Combs, he subjected her to various forms of mistreatment and to blackmail. The jury was presented with the 2016 video of Combs attacking Ventura in a corridor. Jane also told the court of a physical confrontation with Combs.
Other witnesses included former employees, escorts, law enforcement agents, hotel employees and celebrities including musician Kid Cudi and artist Dawn Richard. Combs did not testify.
Combs’s legal team acknowledged past instances of domestic violence, but disputed that any coercion or sex trafficking took place. They maintained 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 sentence of no more than 14 months in prison, which, considering time served, would allow for his release by year's end. They argue that Combs has already been “adequately punished” by spending over a year in the “harsh environment” at the facility.
The prosecution, however, have sought at least 135 months (over a decade) and a half-million-dollar penalty. In legal documents, they portrayed Combs as “unrepentant” and said that “his history and characteristics demonstrate years of abuse and violence.
What Statements Were Made In Victim Impact Statements?
The government submitted several victim impact statements to the court before the sentencing, including one from Ventura.
“While the jury did not seem to understand or believe that I engaged in freak-offs because of the pressure and intimidation the defendant used against me, I know that is the reality, and his punishment should reflect the reality of the evidence and my lived experience as a survivor,” Ventura wrote.
“I am so scared 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 those affected will never be secure,” she continued. “I hope that your decision takes into account the facts at hand that the panel failed to see.”
What Comes Next?
After sentencing, Combs’s attorneys could appeal against the decision. Combs’s team is also likely to appeal his conviction.
Additionally, Combs is confronting dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and further offenses. He has disputed every claim in those proceedings.