What happens next in Diddy trial as jurors fail to agree on racketeering charge?
The 55-year-old is charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs, who denies all charges, could spend the rest of his life behind bars if he is found guilty.
During the trial at the Federal District Court in Lower Manhattan, New York, which began almost two months ago on May 5, the jury heard from 34 witnesses - including celebrities like Kid Cudi and Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie.
Deliberations began on Monday, June 30, and the trial appears to be nearing its conclusion after the jury reached a partial verdict on the celebrity rapper.
On Tuesday, July 1, the jury made their decision on four of the five counts. This led to a partial verdict, and a final decision is expected within the coming days.
The jury managed to decide on four of the five charges – counts two, three, four, and five, but is unable to decide on count one.
The counts against Diddy are:
Count 1 - Racketeering conspiracy
Count 2 - Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion – pertains to Victim 1 (Cassie)
Count 3 - Transportation to engage in prostitution relating to Victim 1 (Cassie) and commercial sex workers
Count 4 - Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion(relating to Jane Doe – Victim 2)
Count 5 - Transportation to engage in prostitution, relating to Victim 2 (Jane Doe) and commercial sex workers
Count one carries the biggest sentence, life in prison. Meanwhile, counts two and four have a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life. Counts three and five carry a maximum sentence of ten years.
What does Diddy's racketeering charge mean?
Racketeering conspiracy is a charge under the US Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The US government introduced this law in 1970 to take down crime gangs.
The aim was to tie crime bosses to the offences of those working under them. In the context of US law, 'racketeering' generally refers to the illegal activity of a criminal organisation.
But the RICO act defines "racketeering activity" as any act or threat that involves an array of different crimes like bribery, arson, extortion, kidnapping and murder.
'Conspiracy' is when two or more people agree to commit a crime and then take steps to further the plan, according to the US Department of Justice website.
Why was Diddy charged with racketeering conspiracy?
The prosecution accused Mr Combs of using his business, the Combs Enterprise, to violently coerce and blackmail women to perform sex acts, among other criminal acts.
The law allows prosecutors to combine related offences that otherwise would have had to be prosecuted separately in different states, the US Department of Justice website explains.
It also provides a way for prosecutors to ensure their case "adequately reflects the nature and extent of the criminal conduct involved in a way that prosecution only on the underlying charges would not".
In this case, it allowed the prosecutors to use evidence they would not have been able to use if Mr Combs was charged only with sex trafficking. To secure a guilty verdict on a RICO charge, prosecutors must show that:
Members of a so-called enterprise, or group of people engaged in a common purpose, committed or planned to commit two other crimes in connection with the enterprise within a 10-year period.
What happens next in the trial?
A unanimous decision is required for a conviction. Both prosecution and defence lawyers wanted the judge to encourage the jury to continue deliberating and reach a verdict.
Marc Agnifilo, representing Diddy, said the defence would like the judge to bring out the jury and instruct them to continue their deliberation. They are currently working on the wording of the instruction.
Significantly, two notes were passed to the presiding judge from the jury. The first note expressed a juror's difficulty in understanding the 61-page instructions which were given by the judge before deliberations began.
The jury's note-passing could actually be a positive sign for Combs, suggests Mitch Epner, a New York-based lawyer and former prosecutor.
He told the BBC: "First, it is unusual for the jurors to send a note to the judge this early, other than asking for logistical help. Second, this note indicates that there may already be a breakdown in the deliberative process."
Alternatively, the jury may be allowed to deliver a partial verdict. This means a jury giving a verdict on the charges they did agree on - while a mistrial may be declared for the other charges they didn't agree on.
The prosecution would have the option of running a retrial on the charge they couldn't agree on, the Legal Information Institute's website says.
If the jury finds Mr Combs not guilty on the other charges, the prosecution might be more inclined to push ahead with a retrial on the racketeering charge, according to ABC News.
But if the jury finds Mr Combs guilty and the prosecution is satisfied with the length of his jail sentence, it might be less inclined to go for a retrial. The prospect of a retrial would likely be highly distressing to prosecution witnesses.
If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
17 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Diddy's ‘cosy sweater strategy' and why trial style actually matters
Every morning when we stand in front of our wardrobes choosing what to wear, we make a series of decisions about how we want to present ourselves to the outside world: a tailored suit, for example, is often used to symbolise power. A tracksuit? Not so much. But never does 'a look' convey more than the sum of its parts than when it's worn in the high-stakes environment of a trial. Then it's not fashion, but carefully choreographed 'courtroom strategy' to let your clothes speak before you do. Take Sean 'Diddy' Combs, found guilty on Wednesday of two counts of transporting people for prostitution, but acquitted on the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, after an eight-week trial in Manhattan federal court. Combs, in the face of disturbing and lurid allegations spanning multiple years and several alleged victims, made a concerted effort to distance himself from his blinged-up alpha male hip-hop mogul image of old. Gone were the 'player' silken tracksuits, the confident heavy gold jewellery, the 'cartoon villain' OTT frills and grandeur of the floor-length black embellished coat featuring 600 Swarovski crystals and black pearls which he wore to the 2023 Met Gala – a custom piece from his own fashion label Sean John. Instead, court sketches showed the multi-millionaire music impresario sporting grey hair and a short grey beard (prison rules forbid hair dye), black rimmed studious-looking spectacles and soft sweaters in a range of sensible colours – beige, navy and grey; with the collar of a white shirt worn beneath the only notable feature. One day of his trial he sat patiently reading the Bible, a far cry from the ' freak-off ' swinger lifestyle he confessed to having enjoyed prior to his arrest. Who knows whether this appearance was a hitherto unknown quirk of Diddy's personal brand or part of what's been termed 'the nerd defence' by its originator lawyer Harvey Slovis (who once represented Mr. Combs during his trial on charges of gun possession in 1999). Either way, the phrase refers to the idea that glasses – accessories associated with thought rather than aggression – have a subliminal effect on a jury, predisposing them to assume a lack of guilt. Consider, too, his knitwear which took the 'just a regular guy'-vibe to a whole other level. Quite literally soft and cuddly, jumpers have been employed at several gruesome trials, from that of the Menendez brothers in 1993 (accused of shooting their parents) to those of Combs and Luigi Mangione, on trial for the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. In December 2024 Mangione, a case in point of the power of personal image, donned a sensible all-American boy next door uniform of a burgundy crewneck and khakis to face 11 charges including first degree murder and the furtherance of terrorism. Sweaters aside, disgraced former movie mogul and convicted sex abuser Harvey Weinstein has a strategy of his own, appearing a dishevelled shadow of his once-imposing self each time he appears in court on rape charges. Sometimes seen struggling up the courtroom steps stooped over and using a walking aid, in April this year a hospital band indicating he was a 'fall risk' hung out of his suit sleeve in full view of the court. 'Everything in a courtroom serves a symbolic purpose, including the wigs and robes of the legal profession – the use of wigs has been in place since the 17th century and judges robes date from much earlier than that,' explains Dr Liza Betts, senior lecturer in cultural and historical studies at London College of Fashion (UAL). 'They are used to convey formality and to distinguish status and power. As the courtroom is so symbolically loaded it makes sense that the clothing of everyone present will be read in the same way – subject to the level of fluency someone might have in the language of dress being employed.' These men are not, of course, the only people to use the soft power of their appearance to convey a subliminal message in a legal setting. It was Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who deftly mastered the art of trial style when, in 1972, the former First Lady sued New York's 'most unrelenting' paparazzo Ron Galella for public harassment, both of her and her children. Appearing in front of the judge, she cut an elegant, dignified figure bedecked in wool coats and button-up jackets. Onassis successfully obtained a restraining order against Galella (which he did not respect, causing the pair to later meet again in court). In 2002, actor Winona Ryder pushed the envelope when it came to courtroom dressing, entering fashion lore. Charged with shoplifting thousands of dollars' worth of goods from Saks Fifth Avenue, including pieces by Marc Jacobs, the star arrived at shoplifting trial dressed in a trompe l'oeil knit dress by none other than Marc Jacobs himself. Throughout proceedings, Ryder sported headbands, buttoned-up jackets over midi skirts and mid-height heels. Instead of three years in jail, the judge handed down a sentence of three years' probation and a fine. Billionaire reality star Kim Kardashian's appearance at a courthouse in central Paris last month is another case in point. There to give evidence in her own robbery trial (more than £7 million of jewellery was stolen from the star during a five-hour armed robbery ordeal in a Paris hotel in 2016) the American socialite turned up in a figure hugging power suit dripping in an estimated £6 million worth of jewellery. Arriving alongside her mother Kris Jenner to testify against the so-called 'grandpa robbers' – a group of nine men and one woman, with an average age of 70 – Kardashian donned a pair of Alaïa sunglasses, a waist-cinching vintage John Galliano black skirt-suit with a peplum and plunging neckline and slingback heels from Saint Laurent. Around her neck she wore a tear-drop diamond necklace containing a reported 52 carats of stones by New York-based rare diamond specialist Samer Halimeh alongside diamond earrings, including a 4.55 carat diamond over the ear cuff from Repossi and a £6,000 white gold and diamond pavé version by Briony Raymond. 'Ultimate power move,' said Raymond on her Instagram account regarding Kim Kardashian's appearance in her wares. 'A nod to jewelry as armour and a defiant statement that proves she will not be robbed of her love of jewelry and the joy it brings her.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Briony Raymond • New York (@brionyraymondnewyork) Not to mention, of course, Kardashian's ability to simply replace stolen gems worth millions of dollars and flex them in front of the accused. 'Clothes do communicate, we use them for this very purpose,' continues Dr Betts. 'To say who we are, who we think we are, who we would like to be, who we are told to be, or who we think others would like us to be.' Earlier this year, rapper A$AP Rocky appeared in a Los Angeles court facing charges of two counts of felony assault. Rocky arrived at his trial looking incredibly chic, as you would if you'd been kitted out in top-to-toe Saint Laurent (some items costing almost £4,000) by the brand themselves. Rocky was latterly found not guilty. Just goes to show, there truly is no such thing as bad publicity. The examples are numerous: Gwyneth Paltrow curated her courtroom image (soft, approachable in cashmere and wool from stealth wealth brands such as her own label Goop, The Row and Celine) after a personal injury claim resulting from a skiing accident saw her in front of a judge in 2023. Then there's fake heiress Anna Delvey – found guilty of grand larceny in 2019 after seducing Manhattan's glossy elite out of hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund her make-believe ventures – who employed the services of stylist Anatasia Walker to help create her courtroom 'look', which on day one consisted of a beige sweater, choker necklace and black dress that the New York Post claimed was from Miu Miu. 'Anna and I talked on the phone about what she was interested in wearing,' Walker told at the time. 'I couldn't show her photographs, but as people interested in fashion, we spoke in references about the themes she wanted to come through [in her outfits].' New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman notes that for those who don't regularly wear suits, donning one just to court in a pass notes bid for respectability can often backfire (in a departure from his normal style, R&B singer and now convicted sex abuser R Kelly wore them for his court appearances in 2021, ultimately being found guilty). But then again, so can being your authentic self. Martha Stewart who got it all wrong in 2004, turning up to court toting a £7,500 tan Hermès Birkin bag, multiple long strands of cultured pearls and a fake fur stole to defend herself against charges of insider trading. 'The Birkin did little to promote the image of an approachable woman who has struggled up from humble roots,' wrote the New York Times at the time. 'Instead, it cemented an image of her as a pampered fat cat seemingly willing to snatch money from an Average Joe Stockholder.' Stewart was convicted of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators and sentenced to five months in prison and two years' probation. Not only did Heather Mills McCartney defend herself during her divorce proceedings in 2008, but she also made her own three-piece suit to wear to court which apparently took inspiration from a court jester. But it seems Mills McCartney – who also threw a glass of water over Paul McCartney's divorce lawyer, the infamous Fiona Shackleton, in court – had the last laugh, walking away from proceedings with a cool £24.3m divorce settlement. The semiotics of courtroom style can sometimes reach the wrong audience. While battling addiction in the Noughties, actor Lindsay Lohan had multiple court appearances for earlier offences of driving under the influence which were heavily followed by the tabloid media. During one, in 2010, the star sat with her lawyer staring down press photographers with nails manicured with the words 'F--k U'. Whether or not the judge also read her not-so-subtle message is not known, but Lohan was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Celebrities rally in support for Cassie Ventura after Diddy's verdict
Kesha and many other celebrities have rallied in support of Cassie Ventura as her former boss and ex-boyfriend Sean Diddy Combs received a not guilty verdict after she testified against him American rapper-turned-mogul, Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been convicted on two charges of transportation for prostitution of former employee and ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura and another, unnamed woman, after a highly-publicised eight-week trial. The Bad Boy record label exec was acquitted of three more severe charges faced, including two counts of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Cassie Ventura accused Diddy of sexual assault and abuse in November 2023, before further details emerged of an alleged sex trafficking operation the 55-year-old rapper headed. Thirty-eight-year-old Cassie detailed horrific abuse she allegedly faced at the hands of her former boss, such as being forced to take part in drug-fuelled orgies that Combs infamously dubbed 'freak-offs," as well as physical abuse. The court was shown CCTV footage, from 2016, of Diddy violently attacking Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway. Despite this and other evidence presented by the prosecution team, Combs evaded the lengthier charges. A number of celebrities, some of whom are abuse survivors themselves, have come forward in support of Ms Ventura following the verdict. Kesha Kesha expressed her support for Cassie on social media, posting on X: 'Cassie, I believe you. I love you. Your strength is a beacon for every survivor.' For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror's Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox. The singer, who is the same age as Ventura, previously accused music producer and collaborator, Lukasz Gottwald, or 'Dr. Luke', of rape in 2014. Kesha fought for the termination of her contract with him, alleging he had "sexually, physically, verbally, and emotionally abused," her "to the point where [she] nearly lost her life". Gottwald has always denied the claims, and, in 2023, a settlement was reached between the pair. Rosie O'Donnell 'I guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion," comedian Rosie O'Donnell shared on Instagram following the Diddy verdict. She added: "Wow - they just think women stay because what? Money - fame - 'they love the abuse' - what a f****** joke - this decision got me angry #cassie." Evan Rachel Wood Elsewhere, actress Evan Rachel Wood, who accused her former partner Marilyn Manson of grooming and sexual abuse in 2021, which he denies, voiced her support for Cassie, too. 'There is no consent in a domestic violence relationship. Period,' she wrote. 'Once the threat of violence is there, you comply. You do not consent. It is self-preservation and survival. It is not freely or willingly given. It is forced and coerced out of you. We clearly have a long way to go in our understanding of this.' Aubrey O'Day Aubrey O'Day is a former member of Danity Kane, a group signed to Diddy's Bad Boy Records label. She has claimed she was fired from this role because she refused to do things "in other areas," under Combs' management. She too posted her support of Cassie. 'The cultural weight of this decision is immeasurable. It is heartbreaking to witness how many lives have been impacted by their experiences with Sean Combs - only for those stories to fall short in the eyes of a jury. "I can only hope these jurors never have to watch someone they love endure what so many survivors have described. My heart is with Cassie. A woman who could've had a life and career free of fear and control. A woman who told her truth in a courtroom, only to have the world dissect her credibility instead of her courage. 'Let's be clear: the courtroom operates by the law, but that DOES NOT mean it delivers justice.'
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Kesha reveals regret over grisly lyric referring to serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer
The pop star Kesha has expressed her regret at writing a song lyric referring to notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. 'Be too sweet, and you'll be a goner (Yep),' the 38-year-old wrote. 'I'll pull a Jeffrey Dahmer.' The lyrics were contained in her 2010 son Cannibal. Kesha (last name Sebert) admitted to People on Thursday: 'Oh my God, I got re-canceled for the Jeffrey Dahmer lyric. It was a controversial lyric. 'If some people aren't offended by what I'm doing, I'm probably not doing a very good job of being a pop star.' Between 1978 and 1991, Dahmer killer raped, killed, and dismembered 17 boys and men. He was beaten to death by a fellow prison inmate in 1994. Meanwhile, Kesha tweeted her support for Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura on Wednesday following the shocking split verdict at the Diddy trial. 'Cassie, I believe you,' Kesha, who boasts 43.1 million social media followers, tweeted. 'I love you. Your strength is a beacon for every survivor.' Diddy was facing life in prison before a jury of eight men and four women found him not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. Kesha and the Scissor Sisters will next bring their joint 26-date The T**s Out Tour to the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California, on Thursday night.
