NEW YORK (ingleside index) — A jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial found him guilty of prostitution-related charges while acquitting him of sex trafficking and racketeering counts.
Here’s what we know about his potential sentence:
The jury convicted the three-time Grammy winner of transporting people across state lines, including his girlfriends and paid male sex workers, for sexual encounters. This violates a 115-year-old federal statute known as the Mann Act, which bears the name of James Mann, an Illinois congressman.
The original law banned the interstate transportation of women or girls for “prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.” Lawmakers later revised it to include all genders and any sexual activity “for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey estimated in a court filing that Combs’ sentencing guidelines will likely recommend a prison term exceeding four years, considering various technical factors. He will receive credit for the time he has already served in custody since his September arrest.
Combs’ legal team expects the guidelines to fall significantly lower, estimating approximately two years. While the maximum potential sentence reaches 10 years in prison, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian will exercise considerable discretion in determining the final punishment. The judge has scheduled sentencing for Oct. 3.
Prosecutors alleged that Combs forced women into abusive sexual encounters involving hired male sex workers, maintained their participation through drugs like cocaine and career threats, and kept victims silent using blackmail and violence that included kidnapping, arson, and physical assault.
Combs guilty on 2 charges, acquitted of racketeering
After seven weeks of sometimes graphic and emotional testimony in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking case, jurors found the music mogul guilty of two prostitution-related counts but acquitted him of more serious counts including a racketeering charge.
The jury acquitted Combs of the most severe charges, however — racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking — which carried potential life imprisonment sentences.
What is racketeering conspiracy?
Combs successfully beat the racketeering charge. Prosecutors had alleged that he operated a criminal enterprise that used bodyguards, household staff, personal assistants, and others in his circle to enable and conceal crimes.
Law enforcement commonly employs this charge against organized crime, with prosecutors utilizing the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, to target the Mafia during the 1970s.
To establish the charge, prosecutors needed to demonstrate that an enterprise existed and engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity. In this case, the alleged activities included kidnapping, arson, bribery, and sex trafficking.
Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, presented the Bad Boys Records founder as a target of overzealous prosecutors who inflated aspects of his lifestyle and recreational drug use to pursue charges that led to what he termed a “fake trial.” He argued that the women participated willingly.
How long did the jury deliberate?
The jury started deliberations on Monday during late morning hours.
The panel of eight men and four women delivered a note announcing they had reached a verdict at 9:52 a.m. Wednesday, one day after informing the judge they were deadlocked on one of the five charges—racketeering. The judge stated Tuesday that it was premature to abandon deliberations and instructed the jury to return Wednesday to attempt reaching a unanimous decision.
Combs raised his right fist in the air after learning about his acquittal on the most serious charges.
What’s next?
The judge rejected Combs’ request for bond release while he awaits sentencing, observing that trial evidence indicated Combs demonstrated a “yearslong pattern of violence.”
Subramanian scheduled a July 8 hearing to address the sentencing process.
