After two months, the federal sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs came to a close on Wednesday with a mixed verdict. The jury acquitted the 55-year-old music mogul of the most serious charges – racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking – but found him guilty on the two lesser counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Still, this verdict marks only one chapter in Combs’s mounting legal battles. Combs, who remains incarcerated at the Metropolitan detention center in Brooklyn, is now awaiting sentencing and faces a growing number of civil lawsuits against him alleging sexual assault and abuse.
While the guilty verdict on two counts means that Combs is likely to face prison time, it spared him the possibility of a life sentence. The outcome was widely seen as the best outcome Combs and his legal team could have hoped for, outside of a full acquittal.
The federal criminal case against Combs began after singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura – one of his former girlfriends – filed a civil lawsuit against him in 2023.
In the civil suit, Ventura, who became the government’s key witness in this criminal trial, accused Combs of physical and sexual abuse, rape and forcing her to have sex with male escorts.
Combs denied the allegations, and the lawsuit was settled within 24 hours. During the federal trial, Ventura testified that the settlement amount was $20m.
Since Ventura’s 2023 lawsuit against Combs, more than 50 additional civil lawsuits have been filed against the music mogul by both men and women, accusing him of sexual assault, rape, drugging and physical violence. More lawsuits were filed as recently as this week and last week.
Combs has repeatedly denied all the allegations against him in the civil filings.
The judge overseeing the case denied his request for bail following Wednesday’s verdict.
The judge tentatively proposed October for sentencing, though Combs’s legal team has requested an earlier date.
Each of the two counts that Combs was convicted of carry maximum sentences of 10 years. The judge has discretion to impose a shorter sentence and may allow the two terms to run concurrently. The 10 months Combs has already spent in custody will also likely count toward his sentence.
Outside the courthouse on Wednesday, a crowd of Combs’s supporters gathered to celebrate the partial acquittal, chanting his name and cheering as members of his family exited the building.
But while his fans rejoiced, many victims’ advocacy organizations expressed disappointment in the verdict.
UltraViolet, a women’s rights organization that staged a demonstration last week outside the trial in support of sexual assault survivors, called the verdict “not just a stain on a criminal justice system that for decades has failed to hold accountable abusers like Diddy, it’s also an indictment of a culture in which not believing women and victims of sexual assault remains endemic”.
Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center and co-founder of the Time’s Up legal defense fund, issued a statement expressing solidarity with the “courageous and inspiring survivors who chose to tell their stories, hold their abuser accountable, and seek justice”.
Douglas Wigdor, an attorney for Ventura, said that “although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex-trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution”.
“By coming forward with her experience,” he said, “Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice.”
In the wake of the verdict, several celebrities took to social media to share their reactions and support for Ventura.
Singer Kesha posted on X: “Cassie, I believe you. I love you. Your strength is a beacon for every survivor.”
Actress Christina Ricci called Ventura a “hero” and “an inspiration” in a message on Instagram.
Singer Aubrey O’Day, who was previously signed to Combs’s Bad Boy Records label, shared a lengthy statement on her Instagram that read in part: “It is heartbreaking to witness how many lives have been impacted by their experiences with Sean Combs, only for those stories to fall short in the eyes of a jury.”
Actress Rosie O’Donnell expressed outrage online, writing: “I guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion- wow – they just think women stay because what? money – fame – ‘they love the abuse’ – what a fucking joke – this decision got me angry.”
And actress Evan Rachel Wood also weighed in, writing on Instagram that “there is no consent in a domestic violence relationship. Period. Once the threat of violence is there, you comply. You do not consent, it is self preservation and survival.”
