The jury found Sean “Diddy” Combs guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution under the Mann Act, but acquitted him of conspiracy and sex trafficking.
The deliberation, which lasted more than 14 hours, culminated with the reading of the verdicts in a tense courtroom, where Combs' family was partially present and the artist himself, dressed in a light sweater and collared shirt, greeted his loved ones with a brief smile and a gesture of his hands in prayer before sitting next to his lawyers.
The case against Sean Combs began with a federal indictment filed in September 2024 charging him with sex trafficking by coercion, transportation for prostitution, and conspiracy to commit racketeering. Two additional indictments were later added. Combs pleaded not guilty to all charges. The indictment named him as the leader of an alleged organization that, according to prosecutors, “abused, threatened, and coerced women” to participate in prolonged drug-impaired sex parties, known as “freak-offs,” and then intimidated them into silence.
Combs himself maintained that all sexual relations were consensual, and while admitting to domestic violence, he denied any involvement in human trafficking. During the trial, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo argued that his client was simply part of a swinger lifestyle and that he “vehemently denies the allegations made by the SDNY.”
The courtroom, usually occupied by prosecutors and defense attorneys, remained nearly empty during the final hours of deliberations, with Combs sitting alone at the defense table, reviewing a ledger and taking notes, while his attorneys met separately.
Judge Arun Subramanian played an active role in the deliberation process. On several occasions, he instructed the jury on the importance of consulting with each other and deliberating with the goal of reaching an agreement, reminding them that “each must decide the case for himself or herself, but only after considering the case with his or her fellow jurors.”
He emphasized that "their verdict must be unanimous, but they are not required to waive their honest convictions about the effect or weight of the evidence just to reach a verdict or solely because of the opinions of other jurors." The judge also indicated that if the jury wished to adjourn deliberations and resume them the next day, they should send a note to the court.
On Tuesday, the jury reported that it had reached verdicts on four of the criminal charges against Combs — two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation for prostitution — but was deadlocked on the conspiracy charge.
The jury foreman informed Judge Subramanian,"We are unable to reach a verdict on Count One as there are jurors with unwavering opinions on both sides." To convict of conspiracy, the jury had to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that Combs cooperated with at least one other person to commit two underlying offenses, which the prosecution listed as kidnapping, arson, bribery, witness tampering, forced labor, sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution, and drug distribution.
Judge Subramanian reiterated to the jury that “what the government must prove is that there was a mutual understanding, whether spoken or unspoken, between two or more persons to cooperate and accomplish the unlawful objective.” After the deadlock, the judge urged jurors to continue deliberating on the conspiracy charge, emphasizing that “no juror should surrender their conscientious beliefs in order to return a unanimous verdict.”
Throughout the morning, Combs remained alone in the courtroom, reviewing documents and taking notes, while his lawyers and most of his family were absent. After about 30 minutes, Combs approached his family members, who applauded him before he left the courtroom and hugged his lawyer Brian Steel.
Most of his associates also left. When the session resumed, the lawyers and prosecutors took their places in the courtroom. The judge and jury had not yet entered when Combs sat back down next to his defense attorneys, briefly greeting his family.
Ultimately, the jury announced its decision: Combs was found not guilty of the racketeering conspiracy charge (count 1), not guilty of the sex trafficking charge of Cassie Ventura (count 2), guilty of the Mann Act transportation charge of Cassie Ventura (count 3), not guilty of the sex trafficking charge of his ex-girlfriend Jane (count 4), and guilty of the Mann Act transportation charge of Jane (count 5). The defense celebrated three acquittals, arguing that Combs was only found guilty of transporting his ex-partners, Cassie Ventura and “Jane,” for the purpose of prostitution, and not of running a criminal organization or engaging in sex trafficking.
