A New York jury on Wednesday found embattled rapper Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs guilty of transporting women for prostitution and cleared him of sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Diddy, who was arrested on September 16, 2024, faced abuse and coercion of three alleged victims, including his former partner Cassie Ventura.
The prosecution also accused him of kidnapping, arson, and blackmail.
A 12-member jury, consisting of eight men and four women returned a verdit on the trial that started in May after 13 hours of delibration, spanning three days.
As the verdit is being read, the rapper held his hands in a prayer motion and hugged his counsel, Teny Geragos.
Sentences of the charges are follows: racketeering conspiracy carries a life imprisonment; sex trafficking carries a minimum of 15 years in prison; and transportation to engage in prostitution carries a maximum of 10 years for each count.
A sentencing hearing on the case is expected to happen in the coming months.
Shortly after the verdict, the prosecution reacted with a statement that read, “Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society.
“Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma. New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to Justice.
“Prosecuting sex crimes requires brave victims to come forward and tell their harrowing stories. We and our law enforcement partners recognize the hardships victims endure and have prioritized a victim-centered approach to investigating and prosecuting these cases.
“Today we recognize the important work of the SDNY’s Civil Rights Unit as well as the tireless efforts of the women and men at HSI who are devoted to combatting human trafficking.
“We thank the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, Digital Forensic Unit and the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement (CASE) Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
“We would also like to thank our partners at the NYPD for their assistance in this matter and for sharing our victim-centered approach to combatting sex crimes.”
The Bad Boy Records founder was accused of sexual abuse of at least 120 women and men, including a nine-year-old boy.
