Jury reaches verdict on all five charges as Diddy prays with family in court
The 12 jurors in his sex-trafficking trial continued their deliberations for just 56 minutes today after struggling to come to a unanimous decision regarding count one.
The embattled rapper, 55, was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, but found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution.
During the trial at the Federal District Court in Lower Manhattan, which began on May 5, the jury heard from 34 witnesses - including celebrities like Kid Cudi and Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie.
Diddy's lawyer Marc Agnifilo has requested that Diddy is released from federal detention now that he is no longer charged with sex trafficking.
Agnifilo has asked that he is released on house arrest in Miami and offered a $1million bond.
However, the government has asked for him to remain in custody.
Prosecutor Maurene Comey has said that the government will be seeking a 20-year maximum sentence for Combs.
Judge Arun Subramanian addressed the jury after the verdict was read out regarding the oncoming press attention.
He told the group that they are free to refuse interviews if asked by members of the media. The judge further warned the press against asking jurors about their specific deliberations, reminding all that what happened in the jury room stays in the jury room.
Judge Subramanian finished by asking them to go to the jury room so that he could personally meet with them and thank them for their contribution over the weeks.
Combs was found guilty on count three, the Mann Act Transportation of Casandra Ventura.
Combs has been found guilty of Count 5, the Mann Act transportation of former girlfriend Jane.
Diddy has been found not guilty on counts 1, 2 and 4.
The jury has returned to the courtroom after sending a note to the judge just 52 minutes into deliberations today confirming that they had reached a verdict on all counts.
Diddy and his defense team are back in the courtroom.
The music mogul held his hands in a prayer position as his family watched on.
The court has been alerted by the jury that they have decided on a verdict for all five of Diddy's charges, including racketeering.
Diddy prayed with his family court as jury deliberations continue.
He said: "Let us pray, please watch over my family. Amen.'
Afterwards, his family and some of their supporters clapped.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is back at the defense table and spoke to lawyer Marc Agnifilo.
Diddy appeared tense as he looked through a file folder while Agnifilo paced.
His other attorneys chatted amongst themselves in a huddle.
Diddy's mum Janice Combs has been pictured back at court to support her son as the jury continues its third day of deliberations.
The rapper's lawyers, Xavier Donaldson and Alexandra Shapiro, were also spotted making their way into the courtroom flanked by a horde of press waiting outside.
Cassie Ventura's lawyer Douglas Wigdor was also seen outside court as he made his way inside.
The jury will continue its closed-door discussions in just minutes at 9am Eastern Time (2pm GMT).
It will be the third day for deliberations for the four women and eight men on the jury, who have come to a decision on four of the five counts. They have been unable to reach a consensus on the racketeering conspiracy count.
A partial verdict may be allowed if the jury are unable to agree on the racketeering charge, according to ABC News.
This would mean that the jury would be allowed to give a verdict on the charges they do agree on, however a mistrial may be declared on any charges - in this instance, potentially racketeering - that they don't.
If Combs is found not guilty on the other charges, it is more likely that the prosecution will push for a retrial on the racketeering charge. Yet if he is found guilty and the length of his sentence satisfies the prosecution, they may decide not to go for a retrial.
Diddy is facing five counts with various potential sentences. These include:
Count 2 - Sex-trafficking of Cassie Ventura - a minimum of 15 years and maximum of life in prison
Count 3 - Transporting individuals including but not limited to Cassie Ventura to engage in prostitution - a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison
Count 4 - Sex-trafficking of Jane* - a minimum of 15 years and maximum of life in prison
Count 5 - Transporting individuals including but not limited to Jane to engage in prostitution - a maximum of 10 years in prison
If Diddy is found not guilty, he will be immediately released from custody, criminal appellate attorney Jason Ostendorf has told the Mirror US.
However, any belongings that Diddy came into jail with would need to be retrieved. Ostendorf said: "Belongings would typically be retrieved by his attorney or delivered by the facility."
Diddy was arrested in September 2024, remaining jailed in Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn after multiple failed attempts at bail.
If he's found not guilty, the time behind bars might seem wrong to him. However, there's not necessarily financial compensation in these situations from the state.
Eric M. Mark, the founder of the Law Office of Eric M. Mark, told the Mirror US, "While it seems fair and just to compensate persons found not guilty, that is not how the system works."
Mark added: "He could only be compensated if he sued for wrongful prosecution and was successful. The reason for both of these things is that being found not guilty is not the same as actually being innocent and it is not a finding of innocence.
"Not guilty means the prosecution did not meet its high burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. But a civil lawsuit is subject to a lower burden of proof."
The jury is struggling to come to a unanimous decision regarding Diddy's racketeering charge, but what exactly does it mean?
According to Cornell Law School, racketeering is "a set of illegal activities aimed at commercial profit that may be disguised as legitimate business deals". It is defined by a "coordinated effort by multiple people to repeatedly earn a profit", typically through fraud, bribery, extortion, violence, threats or other illegal means.
RICO, also known at Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act, is the primary law that outlines and criminalises racketeering activities.
Drug trafficking, money laundering and other forms of organised crime are all examples of racketeering activity.
In order for someone to be convicted of racketeering, prosecutors must prove five different criteria, according to the US Justice Department:
Diddy's dramatic case is finally nearing its conclusion nearly two months on from Cassie Ventura giving evidence during the first week of the trial in May.
Singer Cassie, who was called as an early witness due to being eight months pregnant at the time, testified about her on-off decade-long relationship with Combs.
During her testimony, Cassie told the court that their loving relationship quickly spiralled into him becoming violent towards her. She claimed that Combs pressured her to take part in drug-fuelled parties famously dubbed 'freak-offs'.
Following their split, Cassie claimed that Combs had sent threatening texts in 2019, one reading: "If I as you, I would get me my money." Reports suggest he was seeking repayment from his ex following her nuptials with Alex Fine. Combs had originally enlisted the fitness guru for Cassie.
Within her testimony, a number of celebrity names popped up. This included her recounting an incident from 2013 involving preparations to travel to Drake's music festival in Canada, which allegedly resulted in him throwing her onto a bed frame and causing a severe cut above her eye. She also referred to an image where she appears beside French Montana at the event.
Combs' full alleged attack on Cassie was also shown in new unedited footage from the Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Prosecutors initially played the entire video before replaying it while the hotel's assistant security director at the time, Israel Florez, narrated the sequence of events. Comnbs' lawyer later replayed the video and attempted to find discrepancies in Florez's account of the incident.
Legal experts now say they can understand why jurors may still be undecided on the racketeering charge - which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
"You have to prove that there was this big mass conspiracy where you have different people doing... different criminal acts, which I'm not sure that the prosecution did a very good job of," legal analyst, Eric Guster told CBS News.
"They may not have brought all of that evidence that they needed to prove that point."
A legal analyst has cited a grim clue in the jury's note to Judge Arun Subramanian on Tuesday which indicates that jurors have likely found him guilty on at least some of the charges against him.
Yesterday, jurors sent a note to say they had reached verdicts on two charges of sex trafficking and two charges of transportation for prostitution, but had been unable to reach a unanimous decision on the charge of racketeering conspiracy. Writing to US District Judge Arun Subramanian, they explained that there were those with 'unpersuadable opinions on both sides' of the issue.
Federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani gave his opinion on the jury, telling ABC their verdicts likely meant that Diddy would be found guilty on four of the five counts, saying: "It is possible that the jurors have returned a guilty verdict on prostitution and sex-trafficking and they're just trying to find that criminal enterprise or criminal agreement."
Meanwhile, CNN analyst Ellie Honig, said: "It is hard for me to fathom, logically, that there are multiple jurors who basically say he is guilty of racketeering, but he's not guilty of all the other crimes, the other sex trafficking crimes and interstate prostitution crimes.
"So honestly, that would be the conversation I'd be having right now if I was in the prosecution room. I would take some heart in that.
"I would be encouraged by that as a prosecutor, that that suggests we might have guilty verdicts on the other counts."
No one is following Diddy's court case more than his arch nemesis 50 Cent.
The rapper, real name Curtis James Jackson III, couldn't resist taking aim at the music mogul by sharing an AI picture of himself staring down at his phone.
He wrote as the jury continued to deliberate yesterday: "Diddy just told me to tell Yall don't worry about him, he gonna hold it down Real s*** ! @50centaction."
The beef between the two artists stems from a feud stretching back roughly two decades. Their conflict first emerged in 2006, when 50 Cent unleashed the diss track 'The Bomb."
Judge Arun Subramanian agreed to hold off on proposing scheduled scenarios to the jury while meeting with the defense and prosecutors before the end of court on Tuesday. This was suggested should the jury deliberate past today.
Both sides are open to the jury deliberating on Thursday, even though the courthouse is closed. If the jury declined to deliberate on Thursday, they would need to return on Monday due to the Fourth of July holiday.
Diddy's fate is still yet to be decided as the jury will continue to deliberate, with a verdict expected sometime today.
Combs, who denies all charges, could spend the rest of his life behind bars if he is found guilty. Deliberations began on Monday, but things took an unexpected turn when the jury passed two notes to the presiding judge.
The trial has seen a number of star witnesses, including Diddy's ex-girlfriend Cassie and Kid Cudi. Yesterday, however, those following the case were hit with a number of bombshell moments.
From the judge's demand to the jury to Diddy's five-word comment to his mum...
The judge overseeing Sean 'Diddy' Combs' trial has urged the jury to continue deliberating after they revealed they had only reached verdicts on four of the five charges.
This process will begin again at 9am local time (2pm GMT) to see if the 12 jurors can reach a consensus on the first and most serious of the five charges, a complex racketeering conspiracy allegation that has previously been used to put away mobsters.
'I received your note that you have reached verdicts on count 2-5 but not on count 1. I ask at this time that you keep deliberating,' Judge Arun Subramanian told the panel.
The P Diddy verdict is set to be delivered in the coming days. The jury was expected to announce its decision on Tuesday after a second day of deliberation.
However, they have since gone home for the day after deciding on four of the five charges made against the rapper, 55. They had reached a decision regarding counts two, three, four, and five, but had remained unable to decide on count one.
At the end of Tuesday, Judge Arun Subramania instructed the jury to continue deliberating, saying: "I received your note that you have reached verdicts on counts two to five but not on count one. I ask at this time that you keep deliberating."
Before leaving the court, Diddy turned to his children, who were sitting in the second row behind him, and whispered.
He told his mother, who had leaned in to ask him something: "I'll be alright. Love you," before tapping his chest.
The jury has sent a note to the judge, stating they have done their deliberations for the day and will continue at 9am local time on Wednesday (2pm UK time).
When dismissing the jury, the judge said he will not bring them all out in the morning and they can get started once everyone has arrived.
Judge Arun Subramania has instructed the jury to continue with their deliberation. He said: "I received your note that you have reached verdicts on count 2-5 but not on count 1. I ask at this time that you keep deliberating."
They have now left the courtroom. Meanwhile, Subramania is remaining on the bench as he may receive a note in the next couple of minutes.
The Mirror are bringing you the latest from outside the New York courthouse.
The jury is back in the room, and the judge is set to instruct them to continue their deliberation and to tell them if they're done for the day.
Judge Subramanian and the lawyers are now talking about how they will respond to the note from the jury to say they cannot reach a full verdict.
Subramanian said: "There's not much there," when responding to the defence team's proposed instruction. He added that telling the jury to "keep deliberating" would be non-responsive to their note which stated "unpersuadable opinions" to Count One.
Diddy's defence, Marc Agnifilo, said he believes the jury has been productive and efficient, so they do not need any more encouragement to continue with their deliberation. Meanwhile Subramanian, said that the government's proposal isn't an Allen charge as such but reiterates the section of the jury instructions relating to the duty of deliberation.
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'This conviction stands alone, but it shouldn't stand at all,' the Wednesday filing said. Combs's lawyers argue that his two felony convictions were a unique misapplication of the federal Mann Act, which bars interstate commerce related to prostitution. 'To our knowledge, Mr Combs is the only person ever convicted of violating the statute for conduct anything like this,' a Wednesday filing from Combs's legal team said. Combs, 55, was convicted in a New York federal court of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution for flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, for sexual encounters. While he was acquitted of more serious charges, he could still get up to a decade in prison at his sentencing, which is set for October 3. His lawyers argued that none of the elements normally used for Mann Act convictions, including profiting from sex work or coercion, were present here. 'It is undisputed that he had no commercial motive and that all involved were adults,' the filing said. 'The men chose to travel and engage in the activity voluntarily. The verdict confirms the women were not vulnerable or exploited or trafficked or sexually assaulted.' The lawyers said that Combs, 'at most, paid to engage in voyeurism as part of a 'swingers' lifestyle' and argued that 'does not constitute 'prostitution' under a properly limited definition of the statutory term'. Combs was acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, charges that could have put one of hip-hop's celebrated figures in prison for life. The new motion asks Judge Arun Subramanian to vacate the jury's verdict, or to order a new trial whose evidence is limited to matters related to the Mann Act counts, because of 'severe spill over prejudice from reams of inflammatory evidence' related to the more serious counts. ADVERTISEMENT Prosecutors insisted during the eight-week trial that Combs had coerced, threatened and sometimes viciously forced two ex-girlfriends to have sex with male sex workers to satisfy his sexual urges. They cited multiple acts of violence he carried out against them as proof that they had no say. A day earlier, Combs's team asked the judge to free him on a 50 million dollar bond while he awaits sentencing in October after a jury found him not guilty of the most serious federal charges he faced earlier this month. His lawyer argued that conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn are dangerous, noting that others convicted of similar prostitution-related offences were typically released before sentencing. Subramanian previously denied a request that Combs be released on bail while he awaits sentencing, citing a now-infamous video of Combs beating a former girlfriend and photographs showing injuries to another ex-girlfriend. The judge has not yet ruled on either of this week's motions.
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Sean ‘Diddy' Combs asks judge to throw out guilty verdicts or grant a new trial
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