A jury has acquitted rapper-entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs of sex trafficking and racketeering, but convicted him of prostitution-related charges, in a widely watched New York federal court case.

The jury of eight men and four women reached the verdict after weeks of graphic testimony in which Combs’s former long-time girlfriend Cassie Ventura described a violent, abusive relationship that left her suicidal.

The case of Combs, a Grammy award-winning artist widely credited with helping bring hip-hop into the mainstream in the 1990s and 2000s, is among the most high-profile reckonings with sexual misconduct in the music business.

The verdict, which was seen as a victory for Combs, found the singer guilty of charges of transportation for prostitution, but not guilty of sex trafficking or racketeering. Combs nodded and pumped his fists in celebration as the judge read the verdict.

After the hearing he appeared to pray in the courtroom, then hugged his lawyers as family members applauded.

“Mr Combs has been given his life by this jury,” said his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, after the verdict. “He treasures, I assure you, the opportunity he’s been given.” Combs faced a potential life prison sentence if he had been convicted on the more serious charges, though the charges he was found guilty of carry a maximum possible sentence of 20 years.

The charges against Combs (55) – who at the height of his career socialised with people such as Bill Clinton and Leonardo DiCaprio – included two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, and one count of racketeering conspiracy.

Evidence included security footage of Combs in a bath towel brutally beating Ms Ventura at a hotel – an incident that even Combs’s lawyer described as “dehumanising violence”.

“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,” Ms Ventura’s lawyer Douglas Wigdor said. “This case proved that change is long overdue.”

Mr Agnifilo argued for Combs’s release to his Florida home, with a $1 million (€840,000) bond payment, saying “a considerable change in his conditions is warranted” and that he would not have access to his plane.

The government argued he should continue to be detained and said it would push for incarceration. The lawyers were due to return to court on Wednesday for arguments about his release.

Combs’s fans had gathered outside the courthouse for weeks.

Supporters brandished T-shirts with the slogan “a freako is not a R.I.C.O”, a reference to events that Diddy called “freak-offs” at which prosecutors alleged he had forced women to take drugs and have sex with hired male escorts. Rico refers to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Combs was known for promoting a lavish lifestyle and was photographed flashing diamonds and popping champagne at glitzy parties attended by celebrities.

Prosecutors had argued unsuccessfully that Combs’s use of his employees and businesses for his exploits amounted to a criminal enterprise from 2004 to 2024.

The government’s case portrayed him as a powerful man using his influence in the entertainment industry to keep women silent, while giving them drugs such as ketamine and ecstasy and offering money and career incentives to stay quiet. He filmed the sex acts as “collateral”, prosecutors alleged.

Combs denied the charges. His lawyers said the sex parties were consensual and represented a “swinger’s lifestyle”. His defence team contended that while there was evidence that he committed domestic violence, that did not mean he was a sex trafficker.

“You may think he’s a jerk or he’s mean,” lawyer Teny Geragos said during opening arguments. “But domestic violence is not sex trafficking. And being mean is not running a racketeering enterprise.”

As the trial unfolded, Combs sat in the courtroom each day wearing a sweater and glasses. His hair, which has turned white, gave him the appearance of a professor rather than a hard-partying rapper.

The case follows the high-profile conviction of singer R Kelly in 2021 on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

Combs founded Bad Boy Records in 1993 as a joint venture with Arista Records. He has won three Grammy awards and scored a hit with the song I’ll Be Missing You, a tribute to the rapper Notorious BIG after he was killed in a drive-by shooting. His celebrity later outgrew his music career, as he pivoted to businesses such as clothing and alcohol.

As recently as 2022, Combs was being celebrated, with Paramount’s BET channel honouring him with a “lifetime achievement” award. That changed when Ms Ventura sued him in November 2023 for rape and sexual assault. The lawsuit was settled the next day, but it inspired others to come forward. Combs has been hit with dozens of civil claims since 2023.

Combs was arrested last September after the Manhattan US attorney’s office charged him with sex trafficking. Last year FBI officers raided his homes in Miami, Florida and Los Angeles and seized supplies including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant, according to a court filing. He has been held in a Brooklyn jail. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2025