New York (AFP) – Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was found not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking Wednesday but convicted of a less serious prostitution charge after a high-profile marathon trial in New York. Combs was denied bail after the jury found him guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
But the 55-year-old hip-hop pioneer — once one of music’s most powerful figures — was acquitted of a major racketeering charge and two sex trafficking charges that could have sent him to prison for life. Combs bowed his head, quietly pumping his fists in his lap and bringing his hands together in prayer as the verdict was read out. At one point, he looked towards the ceiling, appearing to express deep relief. He shook hands with one of his lawyers and mouthed thanks to the eight-man, four-woman jury as they filed out of the courtroom. He then fell to his knees at the defense table, where he had spent two months wondering if he would live out his days in a cell.
The verdict came after seven weeks of intense testimony, during which prosecutors accused Combs of being the boss of a decades-long criminal enterprise, directing loyal employees and bodyguards to commit myriad offenses at his behest. Jurors had been deadlocked on the racketeering charge on Tuesday — but Judge Arun Subramanian instructed them to keep working. Combs’s jubilance was deflated somewhat after the judge denied his request to be released on bail pending sentencing. Subramanian cited his confessed history of domestic violence in the decision — a defense that proved vital in his acquittal on key charges, but came with a price. “Domestic violence is violence,” Subramanian said.
Along with racketeering, Combs was charged with sex trafficking two women: singer Casandra Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane. Both were in long-term relationships with the entrepreneur, and they each testified about abuse, threats, and coercive sex in graphic detail. They both said they felt obligated to participate in sexual marathons with hired men directed and sometimes filmed by Combs. Combs’s lawyers insisted the sex was consensual. They conceded domestic violence was a feature of his relationships — footage of him beating and dragging Ventura was shown in court. Yet while disturbing, his actions did not amount to sex trafficking, the defense said. Jurors ultimately agreed.
Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, released a statement saying she had made an “indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice.” “She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion,” read the statement. “We’re pleased that he’s finally been held responsible for two federal crimes,” Wigdor told journalists outside the courthouse. Combs’s family members, present throughout the trial that began in early May, clapped and cheered for him in court when the verdict was handed down.
Combs has been incarcerated at a notorious Brooklyn prison since he was arrested in September 2024. Following the judge’s ruling, he will stay there until sentencing. The judge proposed October 3, but said he was open to expediting the process, which the defense said they wished. The convictions confirm that Combs transported both Ventura and Jane for purposes of prostitution during the sometimes days-long sex parties. It was the fourth time in less than a year that Combs was denied bail — but not without an impassioned plea from Agnifilo. “He is a man who is in the process of working on himself. He’s been a model prisoner,” the attorney said, saying that Combs had applied to a New York treatment program for abusive partners.
Agnifilo also said the case was “unique” enough to warrant an exception to the detention pending sentencing that his conviction would normally require. “The only thing exceptional” about Sean Combs “is his wealth, his violence, and his brazenness,” clapped back prosecutor Maurene Comey. “He’s an extremely violent man with an extraordinarily dangerous temper who has shown no remorse and no regret for his multiple victims,” she said. Ventura’s lawyer Wigdor had also filed a letter to the court on behalf of her, urging the judge not to grant bond. “Combs is likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case,” read the letter.
© 2024 AFP
