Diddy Found Guilty On Two Counts, Acquitted Of Most Serious Charges. What's Next?
Just before 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and after three days of deliberation, a jury of eight men and four women found Combs guilty of violating the Mann Act, a federal law that prohibits the transportation of individuals across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. The two counts stemmed from his former relationships with Cassandra 'Cassie' Ventura and an anonymous woman who went by 'Jane.'
The verdict is already being criticized by advocates and observers as a setback for the dozens of women who came forward, sharing deeply personal accounts in pursuit of accountability. While the jury did not convict on the most serious charges, many see the partial verdict as a signal that power and proximity to fame can still sway outcomes, especially when the accused holds cultural influence. For some survivors, it raises hard questions about how the system treats allegations of abuse, and whether justice is equally accessible to those who speak out, like Ventura, Mia — a former employee who was identified by a pseudonym — and 'Jane.'
Ventura's lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, shared a statement with Variety in response to the verdict.
"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,' Wigdor said. '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."
On Tuesday, the jury submitted a verdict in which they were undecided on the racketeering count, which accused him of running a criminal enterprise powered by fear, violence and control, resulting in a hung jury, prompting the judge to send jurors back for further deliberation.
Upon hearing the verdict, Combs' defense attorney, Marc Agnifilo petitioned the U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian to release Combs, noting that his present family members could sign a bond.
Prosecutors objected to the hip-hop mogul walking free, arguing that he still faces up to 20 years in prison and could be a flight risk. The judge is expected to rule on the matter soon.
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The verdict is already being criticized by advocates and observers as a setback for the dozens of women who came forward, sharing deeply personal accounts in pursuit of accountability.
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When the trial began, the three-time Grammy winner pleaded not guilty to five charges: one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
From the beginning, prosecution argued that Combs, 55, was the center of a criminal enterprise in which he allegedly 'used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted,' including coercing women into sex, often under the influence of drugs, and maintaining control through manipulation and assault.
But the defense lawyers convinced the jury otherwise. They leaned heavily on Combs' text messages with Cassie and Jane to prove that he was engaged in a consensual swinger lifestyle that involved drug usage and domestic abuse. During the trial, the defense never called a single witness.
Combs did not take the stand to testify. Ahead of closing arguments, he told the judge that he was doing an 'excellent job.'
Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since being arrested on Sept. 16, 2024 by U.S. Homeland Security investigators in Manhattan.
For seven weeks, the jury listened to 34 witness testimonies, including ex-girlfriends, sex workers, former employees and others. Especially damning remarks came from Ventura, who testified she experienced drug-fueled sex marathons with multiple sex workers, physical abuse and manipulation during her nearly 11-year on and off relationship with the Bad Boy Records founder.
Her testimony was followed by extended surveillance footage from a 2016 hotel showing Combs dragging and kicking Ventura in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel. The video was critical evidence prosecution used to attempt to show that Combs did not allow Ventura to leave without his consent. Jurors were also shown footage of the drug-induced sex parties known throughout the trial as 'freak offs' — the name witnesses used for drug-induced sex parties allegedly organized by Combs.
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For some survivors, it raises hard questions about how the system treats allegations of abuse, and whether justice is equally accessible to those who speak out, like Ventura, Mia, and 'Jane' courageously did.
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Two other women who said they were sexually assaulted by Combs also took the stand: Mia said she was subject to hostile work environments and violence; 'Jane,' an unnamed woman who dated Combs from 2021 to 2024, also recounted violence and a pattern of unwanted sex involving male prostitutes that she tried to end.
Former employee Capricorn Clark testified that Combs once kidnapped her and plotted to kill Scott 'Kid Cudi' Mescudi, who also took the stand to recount Combs breaking into his home and possibly being involved with setting his car on fire.
Ahead of closing arguments, the prosecution dropped several charges, including attempted kidnapping, attempted arson, and aiding and abetting sex trafficking. They sent a letter to the judge stating they would not ask jurors to consider attempted kidnapping, attempted arson and aiding and abetting sex trafficking while deliberating in an effort to 'streamline' the jury instructions.
Combs' family, including his children, were present while the foreperson read the verdict. Others, including Kanye West, attended during the duration of the trial in support as well.
Though defense is likely to appeal the charges, Combs' troubles don't end with this trial. Along with a major blow to his career as a musician and entrepreneur, he's facing a significant number of civil suits with allegations ranging from sexual assault, drugging and sex trafficking. The latest was filed June 30 — while deliberations in his federal trial was underway — and obtained by USA Today in which an Orange County man accused Combs of drugging and raping him.
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Sean Combs' ‘Diddy Inc.' empire of mansions, cars and jet likely spared by verdict
With Combs not guilty of racketeering, the US is likely limited in what it can seek through asset forfeiture, legal experts and former prosecutors say Sean 'Diddy' Combs's acquittal on the most serious criminal charges, including racketeering, doesn't just mean he'll likely serve significantly less prison time. The music mogul will likely also get to keep his vast 'Diddy Inc.' empire of mansions, business entities, exotic cars and other perks of his high-flying, near-billionaire lifestyle accumulated over several decades, legal experts told USA TODAY. 'The government overreached. They wanted a RICO conviction so they could then go seize Comb's assets under RICO forfeiture laws,' said Los Angeles-based civil trial lawyer David Ring, who specializes in high-profile sexual assault cases. 'Thats not going to happen now.' 'He was facing life in prison if convicted of the RICO charges,' Ring said of Combs. 'Instead, he likely serves a couple years in prison and returns to his business empire.' The sweeping indictment of Combs under a federal racketeering, or RICO, statute, meant the Justice Department intended to go after anything of Combs' that was used to help facilitate his alleged crimes, said James Trusty, the former longtime chief of the DOJ's Organized Crime and Gang Section. On July 2, in finding Combs guilty only of transportation to engage in prostitution, the jury also effectively shut down the Justice Department's ability to go after most of Combs' assets, Trusty said. 'I think that with the acquittal on the most serious counts, the universe of potential harm to his empire is greatly diminished,' said Trusty, who now specializes in representing clients in RICO and other complex federal cases. Inside the trial: Abusive lifestyle vs. a criminal enterprise: Inside the Diddy trial and what the verdict means The Justice Department had no immediate comment about whether it would seek to go after any of Combs' assets. According to Trusty and another former top DOJ official, it is still possible for the U.S. government to seek forfeiture of a far narrower range of Combs' assets. To do so, they must prove they were used in furtherance of the two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution in connection with 'freak offs' involving Combs' two former girlfriends, Cassie Ventura Fine and 'Jane,' a pseudonym. But, Trusty said, 'I think that the RICO case told a decades-long story' of how Combs allegedly used his empire as part of a criminal racketeering enterprise from 2008 to the present. Without Combs' conviction on the RICO and sex trafficking charges, Trusty said, 'The forfeiture is going to be much narrower in terms of both time and reach.' 'There may be some property, there may be some financial component, that is considered either facilitating property or proceeds' of those two counts, Trusty said. What Combs was convicted of, he said, 'Is really a glorified prostitution charge. It's just literally like prostitution across the state lines.' Trusty told USA TODAY in May that federal prosecutors wrote a "very broadly worded forfeiture allegation.' That included places where so-called marathon sex 'freak offs' between two of his girlfriends and paid escorts occurred and any vehicles used in getting the participants there. Combs was also indicted on federal charges of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Hiring a former DOJ asset forfeiture expert When Combs was first charged, his all-star defense team was so alarmed that it hired as a consultant Stefan Cassella, the former deputy chief of the Justice Department's Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section, USA TODAY reported exclusively at the time. At the time of his hiring, and after the verdict, Cassella said he could not comment on the specifics of the case because of his involvement in it. Broadly speaking, though, he said that by charging Combs under RICO, formally the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, the government was taking an aggressive approach to seizing as many of Combs' assets as possible. 'As alleged in the Indictment, for years, Sean Combs used the business empire he controlled to sexually abuse and exploit women, as well as to commit other acts of violence and obstruction of justice,' U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said after Combs' arrest in September 2024. A forfeiture target with $400 million in assets By becoming a successful entrepreneur in the music, fashion, liquor and other realms, Combs had amassed a personal wealth of at least $740 million by 2019, according to Forbes magazine. (Combs and his team would later claim he had reached billionaire status.) At its founding in 2013, Combs Enterprises included his New York City-based Bad Boy Entertainment, Combs Wines and Spirits, the AQUAhydrate water firm, Revolt Media, Sean John fashion and fragrances, Capital Preparatory Charter Schools and The Sean Combs Foundation. Over the years, it expanded to include new business units and ventures such as Empower Global, Our Fair Share and Love Records, which focused on R&B. Combs owned multimillion-dollar mega-mansions in Los Angeles and Miami and a Gulfstream G550 jet valued at more than $25 million, which he used to ferry his entourage from one party hotspot to another. Also potentially open to forfeiture was Combs' Bad Boy Records, which has generated big profits from recordings and music publishing rights since he launched the company in 1993. Combs is also believed to have an extensive art collection, including works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. In 2018, he was revealed as the mystery buyer of the renowned painting 'Past Times' by Kerry James Marshall for $21.1 million. And at one time, his fleet of at least 20 luxury cars included a Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini and an ultra-luxury Mercedes known as a Maybach. 'A much narrower basis' to go after Combs' assets In November 2023, Combs' empire began to crumble following allegations of rape, beatings and abuse by his former girlfriend Cassie Ventura Fine. In her testimony against Combs during the trial, Ventura Fine said she settled that case with Combs agreeing to pay her $20 million. He has also lost significant other business after Ventura Fine's allegations prompted a spate of other lawsuits and accusations. Forbes more recently estimated his net worth at closer to $400 million. Now it will likely be up to the jury that found Combs not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking to determine whether any of his assets should be forfeited, said Trusty. He said it's likely that Combs and his legal team could offer up some small piece of his empire to settle that aspect of the case. 'With the acquittal, you just have a much narrower basis, factually and legally, to go after his assets,' Trusty said. 'I think it cries out for an agreement where the defense will offer up something like $100,000 or a million, and use that sentencing to say, he's already paid this severe price. He's had civil settlements with complainants, and now he's forfeiting X amount of dollars.' 'So now we'll see how hyper aggressive the government wants to be about it,' Trusty said. Combs still faces dozens of civil lawsuits Besides the federal criminal case, Combs still faces dozens of civil lawsuits from men and women who claim the rapper abused them, which could also cut into his fortunes significantly. To date, more than 70 lawsuits have been filed against Combs. In October, Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee announced he would represent 120 individual accusers. Alleged victims represented by Buzbee now account for about half of the lawsuits filed so far. The music mogul was hit with yet another civil suit as jurors began deliberating in the sweeping federal sex-crimes case against him. In that one, Combs was accused in a civil complaint of drugging and raping an Orange County, California man in 2021, according to the lawsuit obtained by USA TODAY. In a statement to USA TODAY June 30, Combs' legal team said, "No matter how many lawsuits are filed, it won't change the fact that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted or sex trafficked anyone — man or woman, adult or minor."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
What's next for 'Diddy' after his guilty verdict? Sean Combs awaits sentencing date, faces maximum prison time of 20 years
Sean 'Diddy' Combs was denied bail by a federal judge late Wednesday, after he was acquitted by a jury of sex trafficking and racketeering but convicted of transporting prostitutes to participate in drug-fueled sex marathons, and will remain in jail as he awaits sentencing. The ruling capped a roller coaster day in federal court for the 55-year-old hip-hop mogul, who hours earlier pumped his fist and fell to his knees after the mixed verdict was read. Combs could have been sentenced to life in prison had he been convicted of racketeering or sex trafficking. He now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, though he could receive significantly less. After more than 12 hours of deliberations across three days, the jury of eight men and four women reached a verdict, finding Combs guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution under the federal Mann Act but not guilty of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and racketeering conspiracy — charges that each carried maximum sentences of life in prison. Count 1: Racketeering conspiracy — NOT GUILTY Count 2: Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion regarding Victim 1 (Cassie Ventura) — NOT GUILTY Count 3: Transportation to engage in prostitution regarding Victim 1 (Cassie Ventura) and commercial sex workers — GUILTY Count 4: Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion regarding Victim 2 ("Jane") — NOT GUILTY Count 5: Transportation to engage in prostitution regarding Victim 2 ("Jane") and commercial sex workers — GUILTY The defense team asked Judge Arun Subramanian to immediately release Combs, who has been held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., since his arrest last September. His lawyers proposed that he be released on $1 million bond, turn over his passport and submit to drug testing. "He needs and wants to be with — and remain with — his family," Combs's lawyers wrote in a letter to the judge. Federal prosecutors urged the judge to deny the defense's request, arguing that Combs is a 'danger' to society and should remain incarcerated while he awaits sentencing. "Over the course of seven weeks, the jury heard evidence of the defendant's violence, interstate transportation of numerous individuals for prostitution, drug use and distribution, and attempts to escape law enforcement detection," read their letter to the judge. "This conduct spanned two decades." Subramanian rejected the request from Combs's attorneys that he be released until sentencing, citing, in part, their admission that he had a history of violent behavior over the course of the trial. "At trial, the defense conceded the defendant's violence in his personal relationships," Subramanian said, adding that the defense had failed to prove that Combs poses "no danger to any person." Subramanian added that Combs's duties as a father and son did not rise to the level that's necessary to allow an exception under the law, which mandates detention in most cases. Combs faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. He was convicted of two prostitution-related offenses that each carry maximum sentences of up to 10 years. His lawyers said that under federal sentencing guidelines, he would likely face about two years in prison, including the time he has already spent in jail. Prosecutors, citing Combs's history of violence and other factors, said the guidelines call for a sentence of at least four to five years. The final decision will be up to the judge. Judge Subramanian set a tentative sentencing date of Oct. 3 but will consider the defense's request for it to be sooner at a virtual hearing next week. 'We are not nearly done fighting,' Marc Agnifilo, Combs's lead defense attorney, told reporters at a press conference outside the courthouse. 'We're not going to stop until he walks out of prison a free man to his family.' 'I'll see you when I get out,' Combs told family members in the courtroom after being denied bail. 'We're going to get through this.'
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
How does Wet Leg roll out a new album? It's just like 'rolling out the doughnut'
At Primavera Sound Barcelona, Rhian Teasdale, 32, emerges from smoke, stained the color orange by stage lights, gallantly flexing her arms in the air. She hovers over the mic, revealing bleached eyebrows and hair that fades from brown roots to pink. Her outfit is highlighted by a trimmed white shirt and neon fishnet leggings — a clear departure from the bohemian style that proved prevalent amid the release of 'Wet Leg' in 2022. Anyone who has seen the five-piece rock ensemble in 2025 will know that this is a visually different band than that of three years ago. 'It was five years ago that we made the 'Chaise Longue' video,' Teasdale says. 'People have seen your image as a certain way, and then you grow, you change. 'It's funny how much people expect you to stay the same, and it's somehow this big statement to grow and change.' She also notes that 'subconsciously,' she had chosen her former attire out of discomfort. Now, feeling more at home in her own skin, she can take a more authentic approach to herself. 'I did not want to be sexualized by men,' she reflects. 'The thought of showing any skin and anyone maybe thinking that it was for the male gaze made me want to cover up and not be noticed. 'It wasn't a conscious gear shift kind of thing, but there are a few things that I can look back on and pinpoint why I'm able to have so much more self-expression.' Still, their self-titled debut — as kitschy and cottagecore as it was in appearance and sound — certainly warranted the reception that it received, featuring tantalizing tracks such as 'Chaise Longue' and 'Wet Dream.' In the latter's music video, Teasdale and Chambers unforgettably prance around in long, blue dresses while sporting lobster claw gloves. But it would be 'Chaise Longue' that snatched up a Grammy award in the alternative music performance category; the band also won for alternative music album. For being stuck within the confines of an island populated by just 140,000 people, Wet Leg's rise was meteoric. Teasdale mentions that the lives of the Isle of Wight natives were 'completely changed'; she was a stylist assistant for commercials in London, bassist Ellis Durand was putting up scaffolding, drummer Henry Holmes was a surf instructor, guitarist Joshua Mobaraki worked in a café and Chambers had taken up a position making jewelry in the family business. Indeed, the 'very sleepy and small-minded' island off the coast of England, known for its beautiful coasts, isaltogether a grain of sand in the Channel, hidden underneath the mainland's shadow. 'You have to take a boat over there,' Teasdale says of the island. 'There's no bridge, there's no tunnel.' Though she's since moved to London, leaving it in the rearview at 18, she notes that Chambers, Mobaraki and Durand still call it home. Holmes also made the mad dash to the city. 'We're all just living our little lives and all of a sudden you're touring the world,' Teasdale says. 'It's crazy going to the Grammys and looking at all the famous people off the telly and just feeling very odd.' Though, it now seems that the group are well adjusted to fame, as they return for their sophomore album, 'Moisturizer.' It's a far more sonically expressive, authentic and raw record than that of its predecessor. Though no one can deny the hypnotic nature of hits like 'Chaise Longue' and 'Wet Dream,' the group has undeniably evolved and it shows across the entire 12-track project. It opens up with the oh-so-smooth 'CPR,' the second single released off the album, which Teasdale describes as 'walking up to a great height [and] jumping into the abyss that is love.' This proves to be a consistent theme across 'Moisturizer,' which often feels like Teasdale's ode to an aching heart. 'CPR' is just the 'launchpad' for the 'rest of the tunes to spawn from.' This pours into 'liquidize,' which teems with a sense of yearning, questioning in heartache , 'So many creatures in the f— world / How could I be your one?' On the rougher 'jennifer's body,' Teasdale's soft delivery shines through to say 'Every day starts and ends with you / Hold me down I get high on you' before taking a backseat and letting Chambers' guitar wail away. 'I think before falling in love this time around with my current partner, I just had no interest in writing love songs,' Teasdale confesses. 'I'd only dated men up until my partner… I feel like the world is so saturated with love songs from a very heteronormative perspective and I felt no interest in it at all.' As for the change of heart: 'I think love just hit me really heavy this time… I'm just so very, very, very, in love.' Hilariously, she also compares the album rollout process this time around to a fairly obscure occupation she was thrown into prior to the band's rise. Teasdale, who once worked as a baker, says their debut was like 'when you start a new job and you've been told you have to make doughnuts.' 'You don't know where any of the stuff is, so someone has to teach you... where the cookie cutters are, and where the box of sugar is,' she says, laughing. 'You know, just like rolling out an album, rolling out the doughnut, rolling out that dough.' A highlight of the album comes in their third single, 'davina mccall,' a mellow and dreamy song that references the famed British 'national treasure' known for her work as a TV presenter on 'Big Brother.' Teasdale says she watched the show as a kid in the 2000s and was always fascinated when McCall would turn to the camera and say, 'This is Davina, I'm coming to get you' when a contestant was eliminated. 'It was a very dramatic moment when Davina McCall was coming to get you,' she says. 'It's kind of a little joke that I'll come and pick you up wherever you are.' Teasdale says McCall even recently came to a Wet Leg show after the band had told her they'd written a song using her name. Thankfully, she was 'so cool' and gave 'the best hugs ever.' But fans will also be pleased to notice that the group has still maintained their signature, bold tongue-in-cheek style of lyrics. On 'mangetout,' Teasdale sings 'You wanna f— me? / I know, most people do' over a smooth riff and declares on 'pillow talk' that 'Every night I f— my pillow / I wish I was f— you.' 'The more muscular sound that is on this album is just the result of five people that have been touring together for something shy of three years,' she says. 'I think my sense of humor will always be the same… it's kind of impossible to leave that behind.' In the last few tracks, the album noticeably slows down. '11:21' is a beautiful song that finds strength in its simplicity. The title is a call back to the day Teasdale met her partner: 'Time goes by / But I feel the same about you since the day we first met,' she sings. It's sandwiched between 'don't speak,' which falls short of capturing the same essence that the rest of 'Moisturizer' is peppered with, and 'u and me at home.' The latter is the album's closer and features some of Chambers' best performances on the album; it's a befitting farewell to an excellent project. 'I think when you're really close with someone, it just means that you don't have to use words,' Teasdale says of working with Chambers. 'It's just easy and joyful and the most natural thing.' 'Moisturizer' hits streaming services and music store shelves on July 11, with all the potential of outperforming their debut, even with it being as successful as it was. Together, the band sounds more refined than three years ago and — if their recent performances are anything to go off of — looks to light up the stage on their North American tour, which starts in September and makes a stop in Los Angeles on Oct. 17. 'I'm just excited for people to hear the rest of the album, because it's just a fun album,' Teasdale says. 'We made it to be played live, so I'm excited for when it's not a secret thing anymore.'
