Share
Sean "Diddy" Combs was found guilty on Wednesday of prostitution-related offenses but cleared of more serious charges, in a blow to prosecutors who had urged a jury to find him guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking
Combs was convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking, a partial win for the former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture.
The verdict followed a criminal trial in which two of the music mogul's former girlfriends testified that he physically and sexually abused them.
Combs faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence on each of the two prostitution counts. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian will determine Combs' sentence at a later date.
The acquittals on the sex trafficking counts means he will avoid a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence. He could have faced life in prison if he were convicted on sex trafficking or racketeering conspiracy.
After the jury read its verdict, defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo asked Subramanian to release Combs on bail.
"He has been acquitted of very, very serious charges. He has been convicted of a far less serious charge," Agnifilo said.
Prosecutor Maurene Comey urged Subramanian to keep Combs behind bars pending sentencing, citing testimony about Combs' alleged physical abuse. She said prosecutors would still be seeking a "substantial period of incarceration" at sentencing.
"It is clear that the defendant does pose a danger," Comey said.
Prosecutors say Combs for two decades used his business empire to force two of his romantic partners to take part in drug-fueled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as "Freak Offs" with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed.
During raids of Combs' homes, authorities found drugs and 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant that he would use in the performances, prosecutors said.
Combs, 55, had pleaded not guilty to all five counts. His lawyers acknowledged that the Bad Boy Records founder, 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 domestic relationships. But they said the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.
The seven-week trial in Manhattan federal court exposed the inner workings of Combs' business empire and gave the 12-member jury an intimate look into his volatile romantic relationships with the rhythm and blues singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane.
Ventura sued Combs in November 2023 for sex trafficking, the first of dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of abuse. Combs, also known throughout his career as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy and once feted for turning artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars, settled with Ventura for $20 million. He has denied all wrongdoing.
