Sean "Diddy" Combs was denied bail after being acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges but found guilty of lesser charges related to prostitution following a highly anticipated federal criminal trial in New York City.
"Today is a victory of all victories for Sean Combs and our legal team," an attorney for Combs said.
The final verdict was reached on Wednesday morning, a day after jurors told the court it had only reached a partial verdict.
The 55-year-old music mogul had been accused of two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
He was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution involving two of his ex-girlfriends, who testified during the trial. It's a lesser charge that does not carry as high a penalty as the more serious crimes he was accused of, which could have ended with life in prison.
Combs faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each of the two charges on which he was found guilty, but it remains unclear if prosecutors will seek that maximum sentence. The judge in the case has set a temporary sentencing date for Oct. 3.
Combs' defense attorneys filed a motion for him to be released from custody, which he has been in for about nine months, following the verdict.
The requested bail conditions included:
- $1 million bond co-signed by Combs, his mother, sister and the mother of his oldest daughter
- Travel restricted to the Southern District of Florida and Central District of California where he has residences, as well as certain parts of New York or New Jersey in order for him to attend court and meet with his counsel.
- Surrendering his passport
- Drug testing
- Other standard conditions of pretrial supervision
The prosecution filed a motion against his immediate release. One of the witnesses who testified during the trial, celebrity stylist Deonte Nash, submitted a letter in the motion requesting that Combs not be released from custody out of fear of retaliation.
"Mr. Combs has a long, well-documented history of violent, coercive, and retaliatory behavior. Over the years, he has repeatedly escaped meaningful accountability, and each time this has only reinforced his sense of impunity," Nash wrote. "If he is released now, I have no doubt he will see it as yet another license to continue intimidating, threatening, and harming people who challenge or expose him."
The judge appeared persuaded and denied bail ahead of Combs' sentencing.
How the Trial Unfolded
Just a few hours into its third day of deliberations, the jury alerted the court it had reached a final verdict.
In order to find Combs guilty on the racketeering conspiracy charge, the jury would have had to distinguish which five predicate acts within the charge Combs was guilty of. Those included, per the jury's verdict form, include kidnapping, arson, bribery, witness tampering and forced labor.
Watch below: Attorney and legal analyst Areva Martin breaks down the verdict
The jury — made up of eight men and four women residing in New York City — heard from 34 witnesses over the course of two months.
The key witnesses for the prosecution were two of his ex-girlfriends, a woman who testified under the pseudonym of "Jane" and singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine.
Cassie's civil lawsuit against Combs, filed in 2023, is seen as the catalyst for his criminal trial. In that lawsuit, which Combs settled for $20 million, she accused him of a decade of disturbing abuse. His attorneys in that case denied all of the allegations at the time.
Less than a year later, a sex trafficking investigation was launched and Combs was arrested in Manhattan. He has been held in prison since.
At the center of the criminal accusations were so-called "freak offs" or "hotel nights" — drug-fueled marathon sex encounters that often involved male prostitutes and were meticulously recorded by Combs. Cassie and Jane both testified that they felt like they had to participate in these sex acts to be in a relationship with Combs, with Cassie going as far as to say that she felt like the "freak offs" had become her job.
RELATED STORY | Baby oil, Glade candles, prostitutes: Cassie details 'freak offs' in Diddy's sex trafficking trial
The women also detailed countless instances of physical, emotional and mental abuse at the hands of Combs over the course of their relationships.
A former aide to Combs testified that he raped her, and a former friend to Cassie claimed that Combs once dangled her over a balcony, traumatizing her for life.
Several of the women claimed they never went to the authorities because they felt like Combs was more powerful than law enforcement, a message prosecutors harped on in the closing arguments.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said at the trial, “He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law.”
Combs' defense team admitted he had issues with violence, but insisted all of the sexual acts were consensual and that he had a "swinger lifestyle." He did not testify on his own behalf, and the defense did not call a single witness during the trial.
Defense Attorney Marc Agnifilo said during his closing argument that the government's charges against Combs were not justified and that prosecutors were targeting Combs' personal life.
“They go into the man’s bedroom. They go into the man’s most private life. Where is the crime scene? The crime scene is your private sex life. That’s the crime scene,” Agnifilo said.
Jurors were shown images from police raids inside Combs' homes in Miami and Los Angeles, which included the now-infamous 1,000 bottles of baby oil, and videos of the "freak offs." They were also shown the widely publicized video of Combs attacking Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel as she tried to leave.
“Over the last several weeks, you’ve learned a lot about Sean Combs. He’s the leader of a criminal enterprise. He doesn’t take no for an answer. And now you know about many crimes the defendant committed with members of his enterprise: Kidnapping of one of the defendant’s employees; arson by trying to blow up a car; forced labor, including of an employee the defendant repeatedly sexually assaulted; bribery of a security officer to keep damning evidence against the defendant buried; and of course, the brutal crimes at the heart of this case — sex trafficking,” Slavik said.
Prosecutors claimed that Combs' Bad Boy Records label and related enterprises were used to support a life of crime. Former assistants testified that they procured illicit drugs for Combs at his request and were tasked with cleaning up hotel rooms following "freak-offs."
Although no charges were filed, the prosecution accused Combs of setting fire to rapper Scott Mescudi's, known as Kid Cudi, car in retaliation for his relationship with Cassie at the time.
RELATED STORY | Witnesses say Sean 'Diddy' Combs controlled every part of Cassie's life
The jury heard from Mescudi during the trial, as well as a former employee of Combs, who claimed she was taken against her will to Mescudi's house with Combs.
In the end, the jury did not see enough indisputable evidence to find Combs guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Cassie's Attorney Speaks Out
Cassie's lawyer, Doug Wigdor, said in a statement obtained by CNN, "Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution."
RELATED STORY | 'We will continue to fight': Cassie lawyer reacts to Sean 'Diddy' Combs verdict
“By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice," Wigdor added, also lauding her "exemplary courage" that "brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion.”
