The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial reached a verdict on four out of five counts brought against him on Tuesday, but was unable to come to an agreement on the top charge, racketeering.
The jury told Judge Arun Subramanian on Tuesday that it reached a verdict on two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, according to the AP. CNN reported the jury said in a note to the judge that it had “unpersuadable opinions” regarding the racketeering charge.
Sean “Diddy” Combs was accused of five federal counts of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, all crimes he’s pleaded not guilty to. Racketeering conspiracy is the top charge and the most complicated, as it “requires the jury to decide not only whether he ran a ‘racketeering enterprise,’ but also whether he was involved in committing some or all of various types of offenses, such as kidnapping and arson.”
Count 1 (racketeering) carries the heaviest penalty, with a maximum sentence of life in prison. Counts 2 and 4 (sex trafficking) have a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison. Counts 3 and 5 (transportation to engage in prostitution) each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The prosecution and the defense both indicated they want Judge Subramanian to push the jury to continue deliberating. The jury was dismissed for the day and will resume deliberations on the outstanding count Wednesday.
Combs’ arrest and highly publicized trial followed years of misconduct allegations and open-secret knowledge of the mogul so-called “freak-offs” — but wrongdoing was thrown in a new light after 2016 footage of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles was released last spring. A litany of lawsuits and accusations followed later that year, beginning when Ventura sued Combs in November alleging sexual abuse and control. The former partners settled the next day for $20 million.
After seven weeks and 34 witnesses, the jury heard Combs’ team and the prosecution’s closing arguments last week.
During prosecution’s closing remarks, they spotlighted how Combs allegedly used his powerful influence to execute a series of “brutal crimes.”
“The defendant used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted,” assistant U.S. attorney Christy Slavik told the jury in the prosecution’s closing arguments, according to the Associated Press. “He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law.”
Prosecution presented evidence of his alleged criminal conspiracies that traced back over 20 years, noting the alleged kidnapping Ventura and his former assistant Capricorn Clark, which was detailed over the previous weeks of the trial. Another example mentioned was the alleged bombing of musician Kid Cudi’s car, among other crimes — all of which Slavik said Combs was able to orchestrate through his platform and his loyal staff.
Some of the other testimonies came from a former assistant who went by the pseudonym “Mia.” During her time on the stand she stated Combs put his hand up her dress and forcibly kissed her at his 40th birthday party in 2009. She also accused him of forcing her to perform oral sex on him and raping her in 2010. Combs denied all allegations. Additionally, Bryana “Bana” Bongolan claimed in her testimony that Combs dangled her over a balcony at Ventura’s home in 2016.
Witnesses George Kaplan, David James and Brendan Paul all shared experiences with Combs’ “freak-off” parties. James said he was tasked with stocking hotels with baby oil, condoms, viagra and other items Combs requested. Paul was instructed to purchase and bring Combs drugs, such as cocaine, ketamine, marijuana and other substances. Kaplan, who said he quit working for Combs after watching Combs fight Ventura, shared that he often cleaned up what was left after the “freak-off” sessions were finished. Kaplan, who noted that he still sends Combs birthday greetings, never reported Combs and shared that still has a “great deal of respect” for him.
When it was the Combs camp’s turn for closing arguments, his defense refuted and downplayed the racketeering and sex trafficking charges made against him on Friday, arguing that the prosecution team had failed to present any actual evidence of either crime.
“He did not do the things he’s charged with. He didn’t do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking,” attorney Marc Agnifilo told jurors, according to the AP. “Did any witness get on that witness stand and say, ‘Yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise — I engaged in racketeering?’”
Agnifilo went so far as to call Combs’ entire trial a “fake trial” and mocked the federal agents who seized hundreds of bottles of lubricant and baby oil from the rapper’s property. “Way to go, fellas,” he said of the government workers.
The attorney further argued that the prosecution had “badly exaggerated” the presented evidence against Combs — twisting his swinger lifestyle, recreational drug use, threesomes and domestic violence into a criminal case of racketeering and sex trafficking.
If convicted on the racketeering charge, Combs faces up to life in prison, as well as an additional statutory minimum sentence of 15 years if he’s found guilty of sex trafficking. Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided on March 25, 2024, and he was arrested in New York City on Sept. 16.
