Vanessa Obioha

After an eight-week trial, music mogul Sean Combs, also known as Puff Daddy and Diddy, has been acquitted by a US federal jury of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, offences that could have earned him a life sentence.

Combs, 55, had faced two counts of sex trafficking, one count of racketeering conspiracy, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Federal prosecutors painted him as the head of a criminal enterprise who used violence, fear, financial control, and threats to coerce his girlfriends into physically demanding sex acts with hired men, while he watched, filmed and masturbated.

One of the key witnesses was his former girlfriend, singer Cassandra Ventura, better known as Cassie, who testified about Combs’ so-called “freak offs,” a form of orgy where women were allegedly subjected to sex marathons with male escorts.

Ventura first brought physical and sexual abuse allegations against Combs into the public eye in 2023 when she filed a lawsuit against him, which was settled within 24 hours. It was revealed during the trial that Combs paid her $20 million, although she had initially demanded $30 million.

Another former girlfriend, testifying under the pseudonym “Jane,” also accused Combs of coercing her into unwanted sex with male prostitutes.

The 12-member jury, consisting of eight men and four women aged between 30 and 74, found Combs not guilty of the sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

However, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, each count carrying a possible sentence of up to 10 years.

Despite the mixed verdict, reports described Combs as visibly relieved, thanking his legal team, who were, at the time of this report, seeking his release following the acquittal on the more severe charges. Combs has been in custody since September 2024.

The court adjourned briefly as the judge considered arguments from both sides on whether he should be released pending sentencing.