Sean "Diddy" Combs is back to court Friday to find out his fate, three months after the embattled hip-hop mogul was convicted in his landmark federal sex-crimes case.

U.S. District Court Judge Arun Subramanian is expected to issue a ruling on Combs' prison sentence in Manhattan court after attorneys for the disgraced entertainment mogul and U.S prosecutors weighed in on the time he should serve.

Combs, who's been held in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, is scheduled to appear at the hearing.

Ahead of Combs' sentencing, the Grammy-winning rapper's legal team had recommended Subramanian hand down 14 months of prison time, while prosecutors sought an 11-year sentence.

The sentencing hearing comes shortly after Subramanian rejected a pair of motions from Combs' lawyers asking the New York judge to either overturn his criminal conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution or grant him a new trial. The court denied both motions in an opinion filed Tuesday, Sept. 30, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.

Subramanian rebuffed the defense's attempt to narrow the definition of "prostitution" for which Combs was convicted, as well as the defense's argument that the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence to prove Combs was transporting people specifically for the purpose of paying for sex.

The judge called the prosecution's evidence, including testimony that escorts were "paid thousands of dollars ... to have sex" with Combs' former girlfriends Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine and a woman identified as "Jane," "overwhelming."

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Where to watch Diddy trial

Combs' trial was not televised, and neither will his sentencing hearing.

Because Combs faces federal criminal charges, the presence of "electronic media" is expressly banned by a procedural rule passed in 1946.

Diddy speaks out in letter to judge ahead of sentencing

In a four-page letter to Subramanian, filed with the court on Thursday, Combs apologized "for all the hurt and pain that I caused others by my conduct," and asked the judge for mercy, saying, "I lost my way."

"Lost in the drugs and excess. My downfall was rooted in my selfishness," he wrote, adding that the ordeal of incarceration had left him "humbled and broken to my core." He also said he was now sober for the first time in 25 years.

What celebrities were named in the Diddy trial?

The most high-profile witness to testify against Combs was actor/musician Kid Cudi, who alleged that the hip-hop mogul broke into his house and blew up his car after learning that he was dating Ventura Fine. Danity Kane member Dawn Richard also testified that she witnessed Combs attack Ventura Fine.

Countless other big names were name-checked throughout the trial: Michael B. Jordan, whom Ventura Fine allegedly dated while on a break from Combs; 50 Cent and Suge Knight, whom Combs apparently feuded with; and Kobe Bryant, whom Jane compared herself to in flirty text exchanges with the rapper about their intimate relationship.

Prosecution in Diddy trial makes case for 11-year sentence: 'His currency was control'

Prosecutor Christy Slavik is making the government's case for a lengthy sentence. The prosecution is asking Subramanian to hand down at least 135 months of incarceration, or just over 11 years.

"Today is about accountability and justice," Slavik said, adding that the victims' lives were shattered by Combs' conduct, and asking the judge to step back and consider all the information. "This isn't just a case about 'freak offs' and hotel nights."

Combs made the victims question their own self-worth and will to live, and did "horrible things" that had "devastating effects on the victims."

"His currency was control," Slavik continued.

The prosecution said it believes 135 months reflects his conduct appropriately, and Slavik mentioned that the probation office recommended 60 months of incarceration, but she doesn’t believe that adequately affects the harm done to Ventura Fine and "Jane."

Slavik said the defense has tried to paint Combs' life as the "sex, drugs and rock and roll lifestyle," but she called it a "gross miscategorization" of "serious federal crimes." Slavik said Combs "doesn't appreciate the gravity" of his conduct, and "his respect for the law is just lip service."

Prosecutors allege Diddy already has speaking engagements booked

In a plea to the judge, prosecutors alleged Combs has speaking engagements booked in Miami next week, calling his expectation to be released so soon "the height of hubris, Your Honor."

Slavik reiterated that the government's requested sentence of 135 months, or about 11 and 1/4 years, adequately reflects "the scope of the conduct" Combs is accused of. The music mogul engaged in "freak offs" and hotel nights for roughly 15 years, she said. "He knew he was engaging in illegal conduct over and over again," she argued, asking the judge again to consider the abuse and violence in his sentencing.

Will Diddy speak in court?

Combs' lawyers indicated he intends to "allocute," or make a formal statement in front of the court, "in the most dignified and respectful fashion possible," according to court documents submitted last week.

His attorneys also want to play an 11-minute video about him at the sentencing. The video shows Combs with his family, speaking to school children and running the New York marathon to raise money for charity.

Two to three of Combs' children are expected to speak on his behalf, as well as Dr. Rev. Gary Johnson.

Sean Combs' ex-assistant 'Mia' will not speak at sentencing

Prosecutor Christy Slavik said a former personal assistant to Combs who had been planning to speak at the sentencing had changed her mind.

The woman, known in court by the pseudonym "Mia," testified at his trial that he raped her multiple times. Slavik said her decision to no longer speak was due in part to a letter Combs' defense lawyers filed Wednesday accusing Mia of lying, which the prosecutor described as "bullying."

Subramanian said he agreed with Slavik. "The tone of the defense's letter was inappropriate," the judge said.

Slavik noted "a level of irony" in the defense opposing five minutes of Mia speaking but also wanting to bring forth multiple people to speak for Combs, Slavik said: "The defense is trying to drown out the voices of victims."

Diddy arrives in court

Combs, wearing a sweater and sporting a gray beard, hugged his lawyers as he entered U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian's courtroom in Manhattan shortly after 10 a.m.

What time is Sean Combs' sentencing?

The sentencing hearing is set to kick off Friday, Oct. 3, at 10 a.m. ET.

How much prison time could Diddy get?

The maximum sentence for a transportation to engage in prostitution charge is 10 years in prison, meaning Combs faces up to 20 years on the two counts.

Attorneys for the rapper recommended that the judge hand down 14 months of prison time. Meanwhile, the prosecution is seeking at least an 11-year sentence for Combs, following a review of federal sentencing guidelines.

Prosecutors previously said Combs could face 51 months to 63 months in prison, while the defense argued at one point that the same guidelines instead suggested a two-year sentence.

When was the Diddy trial?

Jury selection began on May 5 ahead of opening arguments May 12. Testimony lasted for nearly seven weeks. Combs' defense team called no witnesses and rested their case after roughly 20 minutes, while prosecution called myriad ex-employees, former collaborators and other acquaintances within the rapper's orbit.

Cassie and Jane spent several, grueling days on the stand, at times defiant as they were pressed about the explicit details of their years-long relationships with Combs; in other moments, they broke down in tears as they described the mental and physical toll that he took on them. A former assistant, who used the pseudonym "Mia," was overcome with emotion as she detailed how Combs allegedly sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.

Diddy charges explained

Combs faced federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling case that eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.

He was arrested in September 2024 following a sweeping sex-trafficking investigation and charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him.

Diddy trial verdict results: What was Diddy found guilty of?

On July 2, the 12-person jury in Combs' case convicted the music mogul on the two lesser counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Jurors found Combs not guilty of the racketeering and sex-trafficking charges.

The two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, which pertain to Combs' ex-girlfriends Ventura Fine and the anonymous "Jane," carried a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison on each count. If he had been convicted on the racketeering charge, Combs could have faced life in prison.

During the trial, Combs' lawyers acknowledged that the man once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez was at times violent in his relationships. But they argued that the sexual activity described by prosecutors, including an instance of an escort urinating in Ventura Fine's mouth, was consensual, not coerced.

Is Diddy in jail?

The disgraced music mogul is in custody, and despite repeated attempts at bail, has remained confined to the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. He has been in jail since his arrest on Sept. 16, 2024.

Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Anna Kaufman, Aysha Bagchi and Josh Meyer, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diddy sentencing hearing live updates – Sean Combs expected to speak

Reporting by Patrick Ryan and Edward Segarra, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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