- Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Acquitted of Sex Trafficking and Racketeering, Convicted on Lesser Charges
- The verdict was seen as a legal victory for Combs and his defense team
- Outside the courthouse, supporters chanted “Free Puff”
Sean “Diddy” Combs,a global figure in hip hop, was acquitted on Wednesday of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges but found guilty of lesser offenses.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the federal trial included disturbing testimony accusing him of sexual abuse and coercion involving drugs and private parties.
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COMBS NOT GUILTY OF SEX TRAFFICKING AND RACKETEERING
After three days of deliberation, the jury found Combs, 55, not guilty on one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. However, he was convicted on two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution.
The verdict was seen as a legal victory for Combs and his defense team, which presented no witnesses during the seven-week trial. After the decision, Combs’ family applauded from the gallery, and he dropped to his knees in prayer. As he exited the courtroom, he thanked his family and said, “Love you.”
ATTORNEY PLEADS FOR LENIENCY
Defense attorney Teny Geragos became emotional, while lead attorney Marc Agnifilo celebrated with the team. Combs still faces serious prison time — up to 10 years per count, with prosecutors planning to seek the maximum sentence of 20 years.
Agnifilo asked Judge Arun Subramanian to release Combs from federal custody, where he has spent nearly a year. He proposed home detention in Miami with a $1 million bond. The judge said he would review the request later that day.
FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FANS PAY SOLIDARITY
Outside the courthouse, supporters chanted “Free Puff” as his family, including his mother and son Justin, left the building. His mother later returned to greet fans.
Combs’ partial conviction marks a dramatic fall for the Harlem-born music mogul who once dominated the hip hop and R&B scene and built a wide-reaching brand through music, fashion, and reality TV. The turning point came when his former partner, R&B artist Cassie (Casandra Ventura), brought forward explosive allegations.
PROSECUTOR’S LAWYER DISAPPOINTED WITH OUTCOME
Throughout the trial, prosecutors argued that Combs used his power and influence to exploit women over two decades as part of a criminal operation.
The defense claimed the accusations were exaggerated and described Combs’ actions as part of a consensual but unconventional lifestyle.
Nearly three dozen witnesses testified for the government, including former employees and artists, with some receiving immunity. Key testimony came from three women, including Ventura, who described sexual assault, violence, and threats.
Ventura’s lawyer, Doug Wigdor, expressed disappointment that Combs was not convicted on the most serious charges but welcomed the outcome as a form of accountability.
Combs did not testify in his own defense, and his legal team relied heavily on cross-examination. The trial, held in a packed federal courtroom in Manhattan, was not televised. Combs’ mother and six adult children attended regularly, with Combs often showing silent gestures of affection toward them.
To convict on racketeering conspiracy, the jury had to find that Combs was involved in a coordinated enterprise committing at least two federal crimes. For the sex trafficking charge, the prosecution needed to show that Combs used force or threats to compel others into commercial sex acts for something of value.
During nearly five hours of closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik urged the jury to consider testimony from several government witnesses.
She highlighted the case of Capricorn Clark, a former assistant to Sean Combs, who she said was subjected to kidnapping and forced labor. Slavik also referenced the rapper Kid Cudi, describing an alleged incident in which his car was firebombed—an act prosecutors labeled arson—due to a romantic rivalry with Combs.
Another witness, a former assistant who testified under the name “Mia,” accused Combs of multiple sexual assaults and was also cited by Slavik as a victim of forced labor.
Addressing the two sex trafficking charges involving force, fraud, or coercion, Slavik explained that jurors did not need to believe that Combs’ ex-girlfriends, Cassie Ventura or “Jane” (a pseudonym), were forced into sexual acts in every instance.
She said their testimonies about “freak offs” and “hotel nights”—terms for drug-influenced sexual encounters with male escorts—demonstrated how Combs manipulated them. They feared that videos of the acts, allegedly recorded without their full consent, could be distributed.
Jurors and Combs were shown clips from those videos as part of the prosecution’s case, though they were not displayed in open court. Slavik emphasized that even a single instance in which Combs knowingly or recklessly exploited one of the women through lies, threats, or violence would justify a guilty verdict. “That’s it,” she said. “He’s guilty.”
DEFENCE ATTORNEY DESCRIBED COMBS AS A SUCCESSFUL BLACK ENTREPRENEUR
The defense countered that Combs ran a legitimate business and was being unfairly targeted by aggressive prosecutors. In his four-hour closing argument, lead defense attorney Marc Agnifilo described Combs as a self-made and successful Black entrepreneur.
While Agnifilo admitted that Combs struggled with jealousy and sometimes exhibited violent behavior—including incidents of domestic abuse—he argued that the women remained in relationships with him by choice. Those in his professional circle, he said, had the freedom to leave if they wanted to.
Describing Combs’ relationship with Ventura, which lasted intermittently from 2007 to 2018, Agnifilo stated, “If racketeering conspiracy had an opposite, it would be their relationship.”
One piece of key evidence presented repeatedly to the jury was security footage showing Combs physically attacking Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016. Ventura said he assaulted her because she tried to leave a “freak off.”
Addressing this, Agnifilo told jurors, “We own the domestic violence,” but insisted that Combs had not conspired with others to commit crimes. “If he was charged with domestic violence, we wouldn’t be here. He would have pled guilty. He did that,” Agnifilo said. “But he did not do the things he’s charged with.”
Since his arrest last fall, Combs has been held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
Regardless of the criminal trial’s outcome, Combs continues to face multiple lawsuits involving accusations of rape and sexual assault—claims he has denied.
He alleges that the lawsuits are financially motivated attempts to secure fast settlements.
