Diddy Verdict: Guilty of Lesser Charges in Sex-Trafficking Trial | Invesloan.com

Sean “Diddy” Combs may have dodged a possible sentence of life in prison, but he’s not a free man yet.

At a Wednesday court hearing following a bombshell mixed verdict in Combs’ racketeering and sex trafficking trial, the judge denied the music tycoon bail and ordered him to remain jailed until his sentencing.

Earlier Wednesday, Combs was found guilty of two felony counts and was acquitted of the most serious charges he was facing in his Manhattan federal trial.

The jury’s mixed verdict against the hip-hop mogul convicted him of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, which are Mann Act charges, and cleared him of the more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.

Combs, who would have faced up to life in prison for either of the more serious charges, is now facing up to 20 years behind bars. Each Mann Act count comes with a maximum sentence of 10 years. Legal experts expect his sentence to be much lower.

Cheers erupted in the courtroom as the not-guilty verdicts rolled in earlier Wednesday.

“I love you!” Combs, with a beaming smile, shouted to his family after the verdict was read and as he was escorted out of the courtroom. “Love you! I’m gonna be home soon!”

The verdict came after 14 hours of jury deliberations and more than six weeks of testimony from 34 government witnesses, including the R&B singer Cassie Ventura, who dated Combs for 11 years beginning in 2007.

Combs, a 55-year-old self-made businessman and rapper once worth close to a billion dollars, was accused of sex-trafficking Ventura — the government’s key witness — and another ex, who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.”

Federal prosecutors had also accused the Bad Boy Records founder of running a two-decade racketeering conspiracy with the help of trusted inner circle associates who they said committed multiple underlying crimes, including sex trafficking, arson, kidnapping, bribery, witness tampering, forced labor, and drug distribution.

Diddy should be freed, his lawyers said

Combs’ lead lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, argued after the verdict was read that Combs should be released until sentencing from the notorious Brooklyn jail he’s been housed at since his September arrest and indictment.

“Mr. Combs has been given his life by this jury. He was charged with counts that could have given him life in prison. And he’s going to get far, far less than that. He’s going to have his life,” Agnifilo told US District Judge Arun Subramanian.

Prosecutors countered that Combs should not be released before sentencing. Their preliminary sentencing calculation showed Combs should serve at least four years and three months in prison, and as much as five years and three months — but that their ultimate request could be higher.

In a letter to the judge, they showed the work behind this math. Their calculations included adding up the total victims of the two transportation convictions. Their tally included not only Ventura and Jane, but also seven male escorts whom Combs caused to cross state lines to participate in acts of prostitution.

Combs’ sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

On Tuesday, the jurors sent a note to Subramanian after 12 hours of deliberations, saying they had reached a verdict on the counts of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution but were deadlocked on the racketeering charge.

The judge urged the jurors to keep deliberating.

The allegations against Combs dealt a major blow to his reputation as one of the most successful hip-hop stars in the entertainment industry.

Since Ventura’s quickly settled November 2023 lawsuit against Combs that paved the way for his indictment, Combs has lost many of his lucrative income streams.

He’s also facing more than 50 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, rape, drugging, and other forms of violence.

Combs has vigorously denied the criminal charges as well as all accusations of sexual assault against him.

In his criminal case, prosecutors alleged that Combs coerced Ventura and Jane into drug-fueled sex performances with male escorts that Combs would arrange, masturbate to, and often record. Combs referred to these sex encounters that were at the center of the case as “freak offs” or “hotel nights.”

Before Combs’ jury began deliberations on Monday morning, they heard about eight hours of closing arguments over two days.

Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik, in her closing argument, called Combs the “powerful” head of a criminal enterprise and a brutal man who refused to take “no” for an answer.

Combs’ team of defense attorneys argued that the sexual interactions cited in the case were consensual and that Combs’ business was not a criminal racket.

In his closing argument, Combs’ lawyer Agnifilo told the jury the case was about “love,” “jealousy,” “infidelity,” and “money.”

“This isn’t about a crime,” he said. “This is about money.”

Angifilo also argued that Combs’ violence and drug use did not make him guilty and that the real “winner” of his trial was Ventura.

During the trial, jurors spent nearly two weeks listening to, at times, tearful testimony from Ventura and Jane. Both women said Combs beat them, testimony corroborated by texts, photos of bruises, and accounts of witnesses.

They also recounted the anguish and fear they said they suffered from joining in years of sex performances.

Ventura, who dated Combs on and off between 2007 and 2018, testified that she felt “worthless” and “horrible” joining in on the freak offs.

She only partook, she said, to make Combs happy.

Douglas Wigdor, Ventura’s attorney, said in a statement that she “paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution.”

“By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice,” Wigdor said, adding: “This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.”

Combs’ defense lawyers used their cross-examinations of Ventura and Jane to paint them as jealous then and financially motivated now.

In addition to testimony from Combs’ accusers, the jury heard from the music tycoon’s ex-personal assistants; Ventura’s mother; the Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard; and the rapper Kid Cudi.

This story was updated on Wednesday with details from post-verdict court filings and proceedings.