On Wednesday morning, a Manhattan federal jury reached a verdict in the high-profile trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Combs was acquitted of the two most serious charges — racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking — but was convicted on two lesser counts related to prostitution.
Sentencing will be determined by the presiding judge, and Combs remains in federal custody pending that decision.
Verdict Summary
Acquitted:
- Racketeering conspiracy under the RICO Act
- Two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion
Convicted:
Jurors deliberated for approximately 13 hours over the course of two days. By Tuesday night, they had reached unanimous decisions on four of the five charges but initially reported being deadlocked on the racketeering count before ultimately delivering a full verdict on all counts.
As Mediaite reports:
Prosecutors have argued Combs masterminded a decades-long criminal enterprise that abused, threatened, and coerced his victims, including Cassie Ventura, his ex-girlfriend whom he was seen violently assaulting in a now-infamous hotel surveillance video from March 2016, and another ex-girlfriend, pseudonymously referred to as “Jane” during the trial. Combs’ defense counsel have argued that the sexual encounters were consensual.
The 55-year-old rap mogul had initially denied Ventura’s accusations against him when she sued him in November 2023 saying Combs had raped, abused, and sex trafficked her for years. The lawsuit was settled out of court one day later; Ventura testified during this trial that the settlement was $20 million. A few days after the hotel video was obtained and published by CNN in May 2024, Combs posted a video on his Instagram account admitting to his “inexcusable” actions and saying he was “disgusted” with himself.
Tuesday afternoon, the jury sent a note saying they had reached a verdict on counts 2 through 5, but had been unable to reach a verdict on count 1, for racketeering conspiracy. Subraminian sent the jury back to continue deliberating, and they resumed Wednesday morning.
At 9:52 am ET, the jury sent a note that they had reached a verdict. “We have reached a verdict on all counts,” the note read.
Prosecutors claimed Combs ran a sprawling criminal enterprise for more than 20 years, with alleged crimes ranging from arson to sex trafficking. Star witnesses included ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and a woman known as “Jane,” both of whom said they were pressured into drug-fueled sex parties dubbed “freak-offs.” The defense pushed back, pointing to messages they said showed consent and portraying the relationships as dysfunctional, even terrible, but not criminal.
Though the verdict eliminates the possibility of a life sentence, the disgraced music mogul remains at risk of serving a lengthy prison term.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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Money influences witnesses. Jurors fearful for their safety are careful to convict.