Diddy found guilty: Federal jury convicts Sean Combs on two counts but rap mogul escapes most serious charges

Sentencing for the rapper and music icon will be at a later date

Sean “Diddy” Combs was found guilty on two counts tied to prostitution, but the rap mogul was acquitted on the most serious charges in his sex trafficking trial at a federal court in New York City.

The convictions cap his public downfall after a trial in which his penchant for kinky sex “freak-offs” was aired almost daily, but also serve as a win for the music icon, who escaped other charges that could have led to life imprisonment.

Combs was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and not guilty of a racketeering charge and two sex trafficking counts.

The guilty verdict comes nearly 10 months after federal prosecutors arrested the 55-year-old music tycoon, accusing him of running a criminal enterprise and of abusing, threatening and coercing victims to “fulfill his sexual desires” from 2004 to 2024.

The counts he was found guilty of carry a punishment of up to 10 years in prison.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been convicted of two counts but was acquitted on the most serious charges. He faces up to 10 years in prison on the guilty counts, but escaped the charges that carried a sentence of up to life behind bars. (AP)

As the verdict came in, Combs sat and shook his fists victoriously. When each juror was asked if this was a “true and correct verdict,” Combs looked at each and nodded at them.

“Mr. Combs has been given his life by this jury,” his lawyer told the court when he pleaded for his client to be released from custody and allowed to return to his home in Miami ahead of sentencing. The lawyer promised his client would not “run afoul” the opportunities this has given him.

Combs turned to his family, dropped to his knees and appeared to pray after the judge stopped talking. His family clapped and cheered after Diddy got up from his hands and knees.

An artist’s sketch of Combs reacting to the jury’s verdict. (Reuters)

Jurors reached their verdict after hearing eight weeks of testimony from Combs’s ex-girlfriends, associates and former employees that shed light on his dark private life, including decades of physical and sexual abuse toward women, drug addiction and graphic details about his sex life. His mother and children often sat in court listening to shocking witness accounts.

Cassie Ventura, a singer who was in an on-off relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018, testified about years of so-called “freak offs” — drug-fuelled, days-long sex marathons — and violence she endured at the hands of her boyfriend during their 11-year relationship.

Her testimony touched upon the infamous 2016 video capturing Combs beating her at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles. She testified that she had been trying to leave a “freak off” early when he came out to the hall to kick and drag her.

Janice and Chance Combs walk outside the US federal court after the jury reached verdicts in the trial (Reuters)

A Combs supporter outside the court after the verdict (Reuters)

A man outside court holds a Sean John T-shirt, a company created by Combs (Reuters)

He also threw a vase at her, she recalled. “I just remember it coming towards me. I remember it hitting a wall,” Ventura testified.

One security guard working at the hotel testified about how Combs offered him $50,000 to ensure the video was never released; the rapper ended up handing him a stack of cash worth twice that amount in a brown paper bag and had the guard sign a non-disclosure agreement.

These sex marathons typically occurred in hotels. Hotel records revealed Combs often booked suites under pseudonyms, including Frank Black and Ryan Lopez. His former assistants recalled setting up hotel rooms with candles, red lights, bottles of baby oil and lubricant. Over the years, the “freak offs” took place at an assortment of locations, including New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Ibiza and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Ventura had testified about how she feared that Combs would release video from the freak-offs and ruin her music career.

“I feared for my career. I feared for my family. It’s just embarrassing. It’s horrible and disgusting. No one should do that to anyone,” Ventura said.

Both Ventura and Jane Doe, a pseudonymous woman Combs dated from 2021 until his arrest in 2024, told the court how they frequently arranged for male escorts to come over at Combs’s request. They testified that he would pay the escorts thousands of dollars in cash at the end of the sex sessions. Doe recalled booking flights for some of the escorts, for which Combs later reimbursed her.

Although Combs’s defense team emphasized text messages that showed Ventura and Doe expressing support for the sex marathons, both women testified about how they despised these nights. Ventura said “freak offs” made her feel “worthless” while Doe said they made her feel “like an animal”. Each woman also recalled feeling like a “sex worker.”

During opening statements, defense attorneys swiftly denounced Combs’s history of domestic abuse, but underscored that he was not on trial for that. They argued that this case was about “love, jealousy and money,” often pointing out that many of the witnesses had separately launched civil suits against their client. Ventura revealed that she settled her suit against Combs for $20 million.

“I can't carry this any more. I can't carry the shame, the guilt, the way I was guided to treat people like they were disposable,” Ventura said during her testimony about why she took years to come forward. “What's right is right. What's wrong is wrong. I'm here to do the right thing.”