Sean “Diddy” Combs was found guilty Wednesday of transportation to engage in prostitution in his federal trial in New York, but the music mogul was acquitted of the more severe charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Combs was convicted of two counts of the prostitution-related charge. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
When the verdict was announced, Combs turned around, kneeled down on the ground, put his hands on his chair and prayed. He and his family erupted in loud applause, cheering loudly and whistling.
Following the decision, Combs’ lawyers argued for him to be released from custody immediately and be able to return to his Miami home, emphasizing that this was his first conviction. Prosecutors opposed the defense’s request.
The judge asked both the prosecution and defense to submit letters as to why Combs should be released Wednesday or remain detained. Court was expected to resume at 1 p.m. Eastern time.
The developments come after jurors said Tuesday they’d agreed on four of the five counts against Combs but disagreed on racketeering conspiracy. They reached a verdict on all five counts Wednesday morning.
Jurors began deliberating in U.S. District Court in lower Manhattan on Monday. They said they’d reached a partial verdict Tuesday, but Judge Arun Subramanian sent them back to continue deliberating on the remaining count.
What are the charges against Sean “Diddy” Combs?
The grand jury indictment against the 55-year-old Combs, unsealed in September 2024, initially charged the hip-hop mogul with three counts following his arrest at a Manhattan hotel. In April, before the trial began, prosecutors filed additional charges, bringing the total number of counts against him to five.
Combs pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The charges against Combs are:
- Count 1: Rackeering conspiracy
- Count 2: Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion (Casandra Ventura)
- Count 3: Transportation to engage in prostitution (Casandra Ventura)
- Count 4: Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion (“Jane”)
- Count 5: Transportation to engage in prostitution (“Jane”)
“Jane” is a pseudonym used in court for an ex-girlfriend of Combs who testified against him.
What is the Mann Act?
The prostitution-related charges allege violations of the Mann Act, a law that makes it a federal crime to transport someone across state lines for prostitution.
The charge of racketeering conspiracy requires prosecutors to prove a number of elements: that there was an agreement among two or more people to participate in a pattern of activity that would affect interstate commerce; that the defendant willfully joined it; and that members of the conspiracy committed two or more racketeering acts. The charging document lists a number of alleged racketeering acts, including kidnapping, bribery, sex trafficking and forced labor.
Prosecutors alleged that Combs’ business empire created a criminal enterprise that he used for years to cover up acts of violence and abuse and to coerce women into fulfilling his sexual desires. Jurors heard from more than 30 witnesses over the course of seven weeks as the prosecution went through its case.
Combs denied the accusations but chose not to take the stand to testify in his defense. His attorneys did not call any witnesses during the trial, though they did conduct extensive cross-examinations of the government’s witnesses. Combs’ lawyers argued the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Freak-offs” part of emotional and graphic testimony
The high-profile trial, which started in May, included graphic and emotional testimony from two of Combs’ former girlfriends.
Casandra Ventura, the R&B singer known as Cassie who spent more than a decade with him, testified about drug-fueled sex sessions that Combs allegedly referred to as “freak-offs.” Ventura testified that he directed all the encounters, which could last for days, and that she felt forced to participate to make him happy.
Ventura testified that Combs controlled every aspect of her life, and that she often did things out of fear, since physical abuse was “frequent.”
Combs’ attorneys argued that the encounters were consensual. During cross-examination, the defense showed the jury a 2009 message from Ventura to Combs that read, “I’m always ready to freak off.”
Ventura also testified about a 2016 incident which was caught on surveillance video showing Combs beating and kicking her in a California hotel hallway. Combs apologized at the time, saying his behavior was “inexcusable” and that he took “full responsibility” for his actions.
Ventura testified that the attack happened as she was trying to leave a “freak-off” that had turned violent. A former hotel security officer testified that Combs offered him cash after the attack, which the officer said he understood to be a bribe.
Ventura had filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in 2023, accusing him of physically and sexually abusing her. Combs denied the claims and quickly reached a settlement with her. In his closing argument to the jury Friday, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said, “If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it’s hard not to pick Cassie.”
Another former girlfriend of Combs testified under the pseudonym “Jane” to protect her identity. She told the court she often participated in what she called “hotel nights,” which also involved drugs. Jane testified she would have sex with a male escort while Combs watched. She said she told Combs many times that she didn’t want to have sex with other men and didn’t like the “hotel nights.”
Combs’ lawyers displayed messages showing her setting up “hotel nights.” Jane said she felt pressured and that she had grown financially dependent on Combs.
In the prosecution’s closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik described Combs as “the leader of a criminal enterprise. He doesn’t take no for an answer. And now you know about many crimes he committed with members of his enterprise.”
She said he used a “small army” of employees to harm women and then cover it up. “He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law,” Slavik said.
Agnifilo countered by arguing that prosecutors “badly exaggerated” evidence of a swinger lifestyle and threesomes, combining it with recreational drug use and calling it a racketeering conspiracy.
“He did not do the things he’s charged with. He didn’t do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking,” Combs’ lawyer said.
“Sean Diddy Combs: The Verdict,” a one-hour special on the case, will air on CBS News 24/7 at 9 p.m. ET the night of the jury’s decision. Download the free CBS News app to watch on your mobile or streaming device, or stream on Paramount+.
Jericka Duncan and
contributed to this report.
