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A jury found music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted him on more serious racketeering and sex trafficking charges Wednesday morning, following a federal criminal trial that stretched for nearly two months with dozens of witnesses called to the stand.
Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal criminal trial stretched for nearly two months, with dozens of witnesses ... More
Combs faced five federal charges, pleading not guilty to all: two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering conspiracy.
The jury acquitted Combs of the most serious charges against him, as both the racketeering and sex trafficking charges could have carried life sentences, while the transportation to engage in prostitution charges could land him in prison for two decades.
Combs appeared to celebrate the verdict in the courtroom, pumping his fist in the air and hugging his defense lawyer Teny Geragos once the verdict was read, multiple outlets reported.
Jurors deliberated for more than 13 hours, and on Tuesday, they sent a note to Judge Arun Subramanian informing him they were deadlocked on the racketeering conspiracy charge but had unanimously decided verdicts on the other four counts.
The verdict came quickly Wednesday morning, as jurors sent a note to Subramanian at 9:52 a.m. stating they had come to a unanimous decision on all five counts.
Defense lawyers are arguing for Combs to be released until his sentencing, arguing the conviction is his first and is on the less serious charges, while prosecutors oppose his release, the New York Times reported.
Yes, Combs could still face prison time for his convictions on the transportation to engage in prostitution charges, though he escaped the possibility of life in prison with his acquittals on the other charges. Each conviction on the prostitution offenses carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and prosecutor Maurene Comey said shortly after the conviction the government intends to pursue a sentence of 20 years in prison for Combs, CNN reported. Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest, though his attorneys are pushing for his release. Subramanian told both defense lawyers and prosecutors to write letters arguing their positions on whether Combs should be released on bail, the Associated Press reported, and he adjourned court until the afternoon.
One of the transportation to engage in prostitution charges Combs was convicted on related to Cassie Ventura, his ex-girlfriend who was a key witness to the government’s case against him. The other prostitution count concerned ex-girlfriend “Jane,” who took the witness stand under a pseudonym. Transportation to engage in prostitution is illegal under the federal Mann Act, and prosecutors made their case that Combs had transported his former girlfriends and male sex workers across state lines to engage in “freak off” or “hotel night” sex performances.