Sean Combs Found Guilty of Two Charges

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After seven weeks, the trial of Sean Combs has come to a close, with Combs being found not guilty of racketeering and not guilty of sex trafficking, but guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Last year, Combs was charged with two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering. The fallen music mogul and fashion designer denied all charges against him as well as any wrongdoing. The prosecution alleged that Combs had conspired with others to commit racketeering.
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After two days of deliberating, the foreman for the 12-person informed Justice Arum Subramanian late Tuesday afternoon that they had reached a partial verdict on four of the charges, but not for the racketeering one. That carried the steepest penalty of up to life in a federal prison. The prosecution argued that Combs ran a criminal enterprise with the help of his associates from at least 2004 to 2024. But the jury of four women and eight men were advised by the judge to continue deliberating late in the day Tuesday, and their deliberations were resumed Wednesday morning.
Combs reportedly could face up to 10 years in prison for each count. As the verdict was read, he was said to have fallen to his knees and placed his head in a chair, praying, as family members clapped and cheered. Later in the day Combs was denied bail and will continue to be held. A remote hearing is scheduled for July 8 to discuss sentencing scheduling.
The charge of racketeering required that the jury find that Combs agreed with at least one other member of his alleged enterprise to commit two qualifying crimes within 10 years of each other. Those qualifying crimes included sex trafficking, witness tampering, bribery, arson, forced labor, transportation to engage in prostitution, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and kidnapping.
Much of the testimony was given by Combs' former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, the singer known as Cassie, and another former girlfriend, who testified under the pseudonym 'Jane.' Combs was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution in relation to both women. The trial's testimony also included former staffers of Combs, male escorts and federal agents.
Ventura's attorney Douglas H. Wigdor of Wigdor Law said Wednesday, 'This entire criminal process started when our client Cassie Ventura had the courage to file her civil complaint in November 2023. Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice. We must repeat – with no reservation – that we believe and support our client, who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial. She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion. This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.'
Both Ventura and 'Jane' detailed their respective tempestuous relationships with Combs, and alleged incidents of violence, days-long drug-fueled sex marathons with hired escorts, and threats of ending financial support. Each also spoke of how they had loved Combs, as well as instances of anxiety at different points in their respective relationships.
Over the course of 28 days of testimony, the prosecution called to the stand 34 witnesses to try to prove that Combs coerced women into sex through violence and threats. The defense did not call any witnesses to the stand. Mylah Morales, a makeup artist who worked with Combs and Ventura, testified that she had been in a hotel suite with Ventura when she was allegedly harmed by Combs. A male escort claimed that he witnessed Combs harming Ventura. The musician Kid Cudi testified that Combs had entered his home without permission, and that he suspected that Combs was responsible for causing a fire in his parked car in retaliation for his relationship with Ventura.
Long before Combs faced federal charges, he was once ensconced in the fashion industry and played a key role in broadening the base of shoppers with streetwear. Asked to comment about Combs in advance of the verdict, 15 designers, photographers and models declined to comment.
As a cofounder of Bad Boy Records, Combs, who was then known as 'Puff Daddy' or 'Puffy,' ventured into fashion in the late 1990s, when the worlds of hip-hop and fashion were colliding and musicians were expanding into other categories for entrepreneurial pursuits. His Sean John collection, an ode to his Christian name, was first picked up by Bloomingdale's, thanks to the late Kal Ruttenstein, who was a driving force in setting trends as the retailer's senior vice president for fashion direction. Before hoodies and other types of athletic wear were staples in fashion, Ruttenstein routinely wore Sean John track suits. After starting his company in 1998, Combs turned it into a $200 million business within three years.
Adept at self promotion, Combs threw a star-studded birthday bash for himself in 1998 at Cipriani's Wall Street that was said to have cost $500,000. The 1,200 guests included Muhammad Ali, Ronald Perelman, Derek Jeter, Busta Rhymes, Martha Stewart, Missy Elliott, Naomi Campbell, Kevin Costner, Elle Macpherson, Harvey Weinstein, Sarah Ferguson, Michael Bolton, Kelly Klein, Aerin Lauder, Eliza Reed and Henry Winkler, among others. Combs told WWD that night, 'I spend a lot of money. I let people be people. It don't matter, if you're white or Black or straight or gay, when it's time to party, it's time to party. It's a celebration of life. I'm just trying to share my vibe.'
In 2001, Combs spent more than $1 million to produce the first nationally televised fashion show during New York Fashion Week. The next year, he spent $1.24 million on a fashion show extravaganza at Cipriani in New York. By 2004, the SEan John brand reached $450 million at retail.
When it came to Combs' fashion and fragrance collections, he was careful to keep things above board and focused on growing the business, according to one fashion executive who worked closely with Combs during the height of his success. 'We never saw anything,' the executive said. 'He called us 'The Suits,' because we were making a lot of money for him with Sean John. He was very gentle with us. We never saw what was depicted in court. He was always late, really late, but very professional. He looked at 'The Suits' as his gatekeeper.'
Along with other labels like Russell Simmons' Phat Farm and Jay-Z's and Damon Dash's Rocawear, Sean John was a key component in the burgeoning category of streetwear. Known then as 'urban,' the term irked Combs, as noted by Robin Givhan in her new book 'Make It Ours: Crashing the Gates of Culture With Virgil Abloh.' Givhan wrote how Combs once said, 'Urban. I was always insulted by the word. I would get insulted when they put us into [that] classification, because they didn't do that with other designers…that 'street, hip-hop sh*t.' That's what they said behind closed doors.'
Inducted into the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2003 with 14 others, Combs said at the event at Reed Krakoff's apartment, 'I'm just appreciative for the chance to be in the midst of all these designers,' he said. 'For me, as a young designer, I'm so excited to meet so many possible mentors and people who have more experience.'
In 2003, Combs faced allegations of using a Honduran factory that operated under sweatshop conditions, but those claims were later cleared by the Honduran government. The following year he won the CFDA's Menswear Designer of the Year award in 2004. That was the first time since 1981 that a Black designer had been honored in menswear, womenswear or accessories. Givhan wrote that if Combs' 'influence was boiled down to a singular, profound action, it was his bold representation of young men of color reveling in fashion — not just any kind of fashion, but luxurious fashion.'
By 2014, when sales of the collection slowed, 'he started slipping into darkness,' the aforementioned source said. 'He was so detached. We couldn't reach him and he just seemed to have descended into alcoholism, drugs and sex addiction.'
In 2016, Global Brands Group acquired a majority stake in Sean John. Five years later, the musician filed a lawsuit against GBG seeking $25 million for false endorsement, misappropriation of likeness and violating his publicity rights, over the launch the prior fall of a women's collection with U.K. fast-fashion retailer Missguided Unlimited. Later that year, after Global Brands Group files Chapter 11, Combs bought back the trademark for the Sean John brand in bankruptcy court for $7.551 million.
Combs has not been a CFDA member for many years, according to the CFDA's chief executive officer Steven Kolb, who declined any further comment Wednesday.
Before the verdict had been announced, Mylah Morales spoke with WWD about the impact of testifying. She said, 'It's been a very emotional time. I hadn't seen Sean for many years. It just triggered a lot of memories. It made me feel very disappointed. I wish he had done better with people and situations in his life. I was very sad about it. The years were flashing back. It made me think, 'Wow, here we are 25 years later in a courtroom.''
She added, 'If he had controlled his actions, a lot of things would have been so much better. He could have done so much more, because he's not an old guy. He just didn't make the right decisions.'
– with contributions from Jean Palmieri
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