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Jury returns split verdict in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial, not guilty on most serious charges

BBG News

In a federal court trial in New York, music entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs was found guilty by a jury for his involvement in transporting prostitutes, but he was acquitted of the gravest accusations such as racketeering and human trafficking.

The verdict, being a split decision, could potentially see the celebrity spending up to a decade behind bars. This ruling, however, represents at least a partial triumph for Combs, as his legal team maintained that the prosecution had exaggerated the charges and failed to present conclusive evidence.

The Manhattan court’s decision concludes a sensational legal case that drew worldwide interest and exposed, in gruesome detail, the life of a prominent American music mogul and his nearly billion-dollar business empire. Testimonies were given by three women, two ex-girlfriends and an assistant, who portrayed an environment within the organization that prosecutors compared to a criminal syndicate akin to mob racketeering, with instances of coercion, kidnapping, threats, and beatings used to conceal a longstanding pattern of sexual misconduct, sex trafficking, and prostitution.

Following the delivery of the verdict, Judge Arun Subramanian asked both the defense team and the prosecution to write statements expressing their views on whether Combs should be granted bail prior to sentencing. Since his arrest last year, Combs has been detained.

“Mr. Combs has been given his life by this jury,” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo told the judge.

Combs faces up to 10 years in prison for each of the two counts of prostitution.

At the trial, the prosecution painted a picture of Combs and his companions enticing their female victims, frequently under false promises of romantic involvement. Once they had captured their attention, the prosecutors claimed that Combs resorted to using physical force, threats, manipulation, and drugs to persuade them into performing sexual acts with male prostitutes in events that Combs referred to as “freak-offs,” where he occasionally observed.

Under oath, witnesses declared that Combs provided the females with ketamine, ecstasy, and GHB to ensure they remained submissive and cooperative throughout their stage acts.

As a passionate film enthusiast, I’d rephrase it like this: The authorities accused me, as a head of Bad Boy Entertainment, of operating a criminal family akin to a mob, involved in various illegal activities over the years. These alleged crimes ranged from threats and abuse against women, kidnapping, sex trafficking, bribery, arson, forced labor, and obstruction of justice.

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Behind the calamitous fall of hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

Following a series of legal disputes, people close to Combs have shared with The Times that accusations of his inappropriate behavior towards women span over several decades.

The government’s argument mainly depended on three crucial witnesses: First, Combs’ past girlfriend, Cassie Ventura (also known as Casandra), whose 2023 lawsuit significantly impacted Combs’ business empire; second, his latest ex-partner, who was simply referred to as Jane in court proceedings; and third, his former assistant, Mia, whose identity remained anonymous during the trial.

At the court hearing, Mia declared under oath that Combs had subjected her to a sexual attack, while Jane attested to the fact that the disturbances persisted beyond when Ventura had initiated legal action against him, and even after Combs’ properties were searched by Homeland Security agents.

However, it was R&B artist Ventura, who had been in an 11-year relationship with Combs, who offered some of the trial’s most unsettling testimonies.

Authorities accused Combs of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a law that demands a defendant belongs to an organization carrying out at least two criminal acts among the 35 crimes specified by the government. These crimes can be murder, bribery, or extortion, among others.

While RICO cases are often linked to organized crime groups like the mafia, street gangs, and drug cartels, it’s actually just a matter of two or more individuals being connected that is required, as explained by former federal prosecutor Neama Rahami. In the Combs trial, demonstrating such a case involved proving the group exhibited a consistent pattern of criminal activities, known as predicate acts, over a decade-long period. These acts could include bribery, kidnapping, or prostitution, among others, according to Rahami.

California

As the Comb’s trial moves to the jury, the prosecution provided gruesome, awe-inspiring evidence over several weeks. Will it be sufficient?

During the court proceedings, Ventura stated that she experienced a prolonged pattern of both physical and sexual abuse at the hands of Combs. This pattern included numerous beatings, coercive sexual acts, and an instance of rape. Furthermore, she expressed feeling ensnared, or trapped, in this abusive cycle.

I asserted that Combs had warned he would expose intimate videos of me engaging in sexual activities with multiple male escorts, under the influence of drugs, while I was coated in baby oil and he was overseeing and instigating these unusual encounters.

In March 2016, one heated argument resulted in a regrettable incident that later became widely known as the hotel beating. The security camera footage from that night reveals me (Sean Combs) striking and kicking someone identified as Ventura, who was attempting to shield herself while huddled near an elevator bank in a Los Angeles hotel. Subsequently, I dragged her along the hallway by her hooded sweatshirt towards our hotel room.

From another camera’s viewpoint, Combs is shown tossing a vase at her. Subsequently, she sustained injuries such as an eyelid bruise, a swollen lip, and a visible bruise that persisted even during a film premiere two days later. At this event on the red carpet, she wore sunglasses and heavy makeup to conceal these marks.

During the court proceedings, the prosecution asserted that Combs and his associates were actively trying to conceal the event in question. Ventura testified about a visit from the police to her apartment. She responded to some of their inquiries, but expressed a desire to shield Combs, stating this to the jury.

Eddie Garcia, previously employed as a security officer at the InterContinental Hotel, declared under oath that Sean Combs handed him a brown paper sack filled with $100,000 in cash as compensation for the footage of the event.

As I wrap up my review, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik asserted that Sean Combs relied on the quiet consent and embarrassment of victims to perpetuate and prolong his abusive actions. She further claimed that he utilized a vast team of employees as a covert operation to inflict harm on women and conceal it effectively, based on Associated Press reports.

Combs, he said, “doesn’t take no for an answer.”

World & Nation

In its prime, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment was a dominant force in the entertainment industry, blending music, videos, fashion, spirits, and style into a lucrative business that catapulted Combs to billionaire status. However, was it truly a criminal operation? That’s a question open for debate.

Instead of calling any witnesses, Combs’ legal team decided to jump directly to their closing arguments during the trial. According to Rahami, a former federal prosecutor, the defense anticipated that jurors might wonder why no one who testified had reported Combs’ behavior to authorities when it was happening, and in some instances, continued to associate with him.

Marc Agnifilo, one of Combs’ defense attorneys, argued to the jury in closing statements that the federal prosecutors had overstated their case against the hip-hop entrepreneur. They aimed to portray his playboy lifestyle as the gravest of federal crimes, such as racketeering and sex trafficking, but lacked sufficient evidence to support these charges. In actuality, according to Agnifilo, Combs struggles with substance abuse and his relationship with Ventura was a contemporary romance, where Combs takes responsibility for the domestic violence incidents that emerged during the trial.

As stated by Combs’ defense, there was no instance of Capricorn Clark being abducted, contrary to her claims of being detained for several days and coerced into taking a lie detector test regarding missing jewelry. Moreover, they claim that there is no proof indicating that Combs was responsible for the arson of Kid Cudi’s Porsche. The payment made to the InterContinental Hotel security guard for the video showing an altercation between Combs and Ventura, according to his defense, was aimed at averting negative publicity, not as part of a police investigation.

As a supporter, I’d rephrase it like this: I myself noted that my attorney emphasized that Ventura, who received a $20 million settlement from Combs in her lawsuit, as well as Mia and Jane, were driven by financial incentives. Agnifilo, in turn, underlined an interesting point – the government neither indicted any other suspected accomplices nor called upon any members of Combs’ inner circle to testify during the proceedings.

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2025-07-02 19:01

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