Sean “Diddy” Combs, the one-time global hip-hop titan whose criminal trial unveiled harrowing testimony accusing him of sexual abuse against women and forced drug-dazed “freak offs,” was acquitted on racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking but found guilty of lesser charges in his federal trial.
The jury’s verdict, delivered on the third day of deliberations, declared Combs, 55, not guilty of one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, but guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
At sentencing, the prostitution transportation charge carries as much as 10 years in prison.
The partial conviction caps an astonishing fall for Combs, a self-made rapper from New York who rose to the pinnacle of hip-hop culture and became a household name. After a three-decade run in the spotlight, it was allegations by his ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, that began his precipitous fall from impresario to convicted criminal.
Over the course of a seven-week trial in New York, a jury of eight men and four women heard the U.S. government accuse the Bad Boy Records founder of leveraging his power, wealth and influence as the head of a “criminal enterprise” to sexually abuse and exploit women for his own gratification over two decades.
His defense pitched to jurors that the case against Combs was “badly exaggerated,” and he was simply on trial for a “swingers” lifestyle — one tinged with violent behavior and included supplies of drugs and baby oil — that was ultimately consensual.
The dueling depictions cast a far-different image of the Harlem-born hitmaker, who once ruled the hip-hop and R&B charts, was a fixture in celebrity circles and propelled his exuberant personality, lavish lifestyle and business pursuits, including in reality television and fashion, as an entrepreneur and brand ambassador.
The trial heard from almost three dozen government witnesses, from former personal assistants to stylists to label artists, some willingly testifying against Combs, while others were granted immunity in exchange for their testimony.
Three women, including Combs’ former girlfriend R&B singer Cassie, were central figures in the case, as they provided graphic testimony of allegations of sexual assault and violence or threats of blackmail.
Combs’ lawyers called no witnesses of their own and the defendant himself decided not to testify, as much of the defense’s case was laid out during lengthy cross-examinations of government witnesses.
The high-profile trial at a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan was not televised. The main courtroom was routinely packed, as Combs’ mother and six adult children regularly showed up in support, with Combs — often in a sweater and khakis — mouthing, “I love you” or forming his hands in a heart shape.
On the racketeering conspiracy charge, a jury must be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant was involved in an enterprise among two or more people to engage in at least two criminal acts affecting interstate commerce — offenses that may include kidnapping, arson, bribery, forced labor, sex trafficking and other underlying crimes.
For the standalone sex trafficking charge, prosecutors must demonstrate the defendant by force or threat compelled others to commit commercial sex acts in which something of value, such as money, was received.
