Diddy not guilty of sex-trafficking and racketeering as he reacts to shock verdict

By Christopher Bucktin

Hip hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has been found not guilty of racketeering and of sex trafficking former girlfriend Cassie Ventura and another woman referred to as ‘Jane.’ The 55-year-old prayed in court today before a jury of eight men and four women acquitted him of the two most serious counts against him.

He was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution, relating to Ventura and Jane. During the two month trial, the court heart how Diddy flew people around the country, including his girlfriends and paid male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters, a felony violation of the federal Mann Act.

But Combs has been acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, relating to allegations that he used he forced his former girlfriends into drug-fuelled sex encounters – known as ‘freak offs.’

Before the verdict was read Diddy asked the courtroom to pray for his family, and received applause.

The mixed result came on the third day of deliberations. Mr Combs, 55, had pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.

The trial marks a stunning fall from grace for a man who once ruled the music world with Bad Boy Records and built an empire that spanned fashion, television, alcohol, and even political activism.

As well as a money-spinning artist, he founded his successful Sean John clothing line and starred in various reality TV shows.

Most recently, in 2023, he released his fifth record The Love Album: Off The Grid and earned his first solo nomination at the Grammy awards. The same year he was also named a Global Icon at the MTV Awards.

The verdict is expected to have wide-ranging repercussions for the music industry, where Combs has long been a dominant figure.

He discovered The Notorious B.I.G., launched multi-platinum careers, and amassed a personal fortune through brand deals and entertainment ventures. Numerous artists signed to his label – some of whom were present at various points in the courtroom – have remained silent as the trial unfolded.

On Tuesday, the 12-strong jury had come back saying they had agreed on four of the five counts. But jurors were unable to decide on the racketeering charge, which carries a possible life prison term.

Judge Arun Subramanian heard arguments from both the prosecution and the rapper’s defence attorneys on how to proceed, before urging the jurors to keep trying to come to a unanimous decision.

The prosecution urged the judge to use an Allen charge, which is a set of instructions given to a hung jury to press its members to reach a unanimous decision.

Over the course of the seven-week trial, the star had been accused of forcing women into days-long ‘Freak off’ sex parties. It claimed he led a sordid double life and used violence, fear and drugs against women.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors painted a chilling portrait of Combs. “You’ve learned a lot about Sean Combs,” Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik told jurors during closing arguments.

This included the testimonies of Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, Combs’ longtime partner, and another victim referred to only as “Jane.”

Both women described being coerced into so-called “Freak Offs” – forced sex acts with male escorts arranged by Combs while he watched and recorded them. “The rapper’s abuse of Ms Ventura was “constant and controlling,” Slavik said.

During the trial, Ventura described to jurors how her then-boyfriend “would smash me in my head, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down”.

Describing their time together, the 38-year-old said her former boyfriend subjected her to repeated physical violence. “He would smash me in my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head if I was down,” she testified. When asked how often the abuse occurred, she replied, “Too frequently.”

Ventura recounted injuries, including welts on her forehead, bruises, and busted lips. She was also asked to explain the context of a still image taken from widely circulated surveillance footage of the InterContinental Hotel in 2016.

Earlier, prosecutor Emily Johnson had told the jury that Combs paid a $100,000 bribe to ensure the video footage of the assault would never surface. Despite the hush money, the clip was eventually obtained and published by CNN in 2023.

Ventura said the incident followed what Combs termed a “Freak Off” – a voyeuristic sexual encounter arranged at his request. “He would watch me have intercourse with another man,” she said, adding that Combs first introduced the idea within the first year of their relationship.

“Eventually it became a job for me,” Ventura told the jury. “Sean set it up in the beginning. He was in charge.”

She reminded the jury of the viral hotel surveillance footage from 2016, shown multiple times during the trial, in which Combs is seen chasing and assaulting Ventura in a Los Angeles corridor. “This is what happened when Cassie said no,” she told jurors.

Ms Slavik described the video as “the moment the theoretical becomes real,” adding, “The cloud of abuse was hanging over Cassie’s head—always hovering.”

Grim-faced jurors watched the footage once more as the video played in the courtroom. Combs kept his head bowed. His daughters shifted uneasily in their seats.

They further argued that Combs used financial manipulation to exert control. In Jane’s case, he allegedly threatened to stop paying her rent if she refused to participate in sex acts.

“He plied them with drugs. He recorded them. He used money, violence and humiliation,” Slavik said. “Cassie and Jane did not want to have sex with escorts while the defendant watched.”

She read aloud text messages from Jane to Combs, one of which said: “I’m in fear of losing the roof over my head.” Another, sent ahead of a planned freak-off, read simply: “I don’t want to do this.”

Combs’s legal team called no witnesses and rested its case in just 20 minutes.

Their primary strategy was to argue that the relationships were consensual, portraying the encounters as part of a “swingers” lifestyle.

The defence attempted to introduce text messages showing affection between Combs and his alleged victims, arguing that they undermined claims of coercion.

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