USA Today — After nearly two months of daily court appearances in his hometown of New York City, Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing a split verdict, acquitted on the top charges and convicted of a lesser sex-crimes charge.
On July 2, a 12-person jury delivered a bombshell split decision in Combs' case, which started May 5 in Manhattan federal court. Jurors found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted him on the top charge of racketeering and both sex trafficking counts.
Combs, who was charged with two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering for leading what prosecutors alleged was a criminal organization over the course of two decades, has long maintained his innocence. He previously pleaded not guilty to all charges.
How long could Diddy be in prison?
Combs faced a maximum sentence of life in prison for the racketeering charge. Sex trafficking has a 15-year mandatory minimum and maximum of life in prison. Transportation to engage in prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Combs' verdict comes a year and a half after allegations of sexual assault and trafficking started mounting against the embattled music mogul following a bombshell lawsuit from his former girlfriend of a decade, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine, over alleged trafficking, sexual assault and abuse. The two "amicably" settled the lawsuit one day later for $20 million, but his team has claimed her legal action kicked off the criminal investigation into the Bad Boy Records founder's alleged behavior.
Federal prosecutors claimed Combs led a "criminal enterprise" that operated on sex trafficking, kidnapping, drug offenses and forced labor, among other crimes. Combs leveraged his wealth and celebrity status to "fulfill his sexual desires" in a "recurrent and widely known" pattern of abuse, investigators alleged.
The Grammy-winning rapper and producer, who once reigned with his A-list frequented White Parties, has also staunchly denied allegations brought forward in approximately 80 sexual assault lawsuits, which detail alleged incidents dating back to the 1990s.
Combs' trial marked one of the highest-profile legal battles since the Me Too movement gained steam in 2017.
What happened during Diddy's trial?
Among the more than 30 witnesses in the trial were well-known stars such as ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura Fine, Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi) and former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard. Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, also made a brief appearance to listen to some testimony on June 13.
In a long stretch of testimony from May 13 to 16, a nine-months-pregnant Ventura Fine laid bare the raw details of her complicated decade-long relationship with Combs. She emotionally opened up about her participation in his alleged sexual performances that were labeled "freak offs," the physical and emotional abuse she said she faced, and the drug addiction she'd developed after using various substances in part to cope with the "freak offs."
She also detailed alleged repeated physical abuse, which was captured in photographs shared with jurors.
Combs' ex-employees also testified about Combs' alleged pattern of physical and sexual abuse, with a witness list that included former personal assistant and Sean John marketing director Capricorn Clark, an ex-personal assistant and Revolt director of development who went by "Mia," former stylist Deonte Nash and former CFO Derek Ferguson.
The longest stretch of testimony was from an anonymous former partner to Combs, who used the pseudonym "Jane." The two were romantically involved from 2021 to 2024 – a time during which Combs was openly dating other women.
Over the course of six days, Jane shared all the ways Combs allegedly pressured her to do sexual performances – namely, so-called "hotel nights" with sex workers that could last days – that "disgusted" her by leveraging his control over her finances, convincing her to take drugs and taking advantage of her desire for his approval.
Like Ventura Fine, Jane also vividly described Combs' alleged abuse. In one episode, she said, he'd kicked, punched dragged her before coercing her into performing sex acts with an escort.
Despite this, Jane said on the stand, "I just pray for his continued healing, and I pray for peace for him."
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He and TD Jakes get to continue diddling young boys
**Submission Statement**
In a high-profile trial in New York City, Sean “Diddy” Combs faced a split verdict after nearly two months of court proceedings, from May 5 to July 2, 2025, in Manhattan federal court. A 12-person jury found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution, a lesser sex-crimes charge. However, he was acquitted of the more serious charges, including racketeering and two counts of sex trafficking. The charges stemmed from allegations that Combs led a criminal organization over two decades. Combs, who has consistently maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to all charges, has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest on September 16, 2024.