The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial has nearly decided the music mogul’s fate.
Jurors reached a partial verdict on Tuesday, July 1, before going home for the day, CNN reported.
The jury sent a note to Judge Arun Subramanian, saying they had decided on counts 2 through 5, but could not agree unanimously on count 1, which is the most serious charge of racketeering conspiracy.
The five charges as listed in the federal indictment are one count of racketeering; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs pleaded not guilty on all counts.
The courtroom sketch above shows the mogul’s attorneys surrounding him after they read the jury note regarding the verdict on counts 2 through 5.
The stunning news of a partial verdict came after about 12 hours of deliberations since Monday.
Judge Subramanian encouraged the jury to continue their deliberations on Wednesday morning.
Earlier in the day, jurors sent a note to the judge asking for transcripts of testimony from Diddy’s former girlfriend Cassie Ventura and from a male escort named Daniel Phillip.
Jurors wanted to go over Cassie’s comments regarding an incident at the InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles, where surveillance cameras recorded Combs kicking and dragging the R&B singer down a hallway as she tried to leave after a so-called “freak off” sex session in 2016.
The “Me & U” singer detailed the incident and said she received a $20 million settlement from Combs after filing a civil lawsuit in November 2023. Her attorney also negotiated a $10 million settlement from the hotel chain after security staff sold Combs the surveillance footage for $100,000 cash.
Phillip testified that he particpated in a “freak off” with Diddy and Cassie at the Essex House hotel in New York when the singer was “completely passed out.”
In her closing argument last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said Combs used his money and staff to run a violent “criminal enterprise” for two decades.
The prosecutor alleged he groomed, abused and trafficked women he dated. “He doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” Slavik told the jury.
Lead defense attorney Marc Agnifilo admitted the mogul could be violent. But said Combs enjoyed a “swingers” lifestyle, and the sex with his then-girlfriends was consensual.
“This isn’t about a crime. This is about money,” Agnifilo stated, claiming the mogul’s exes were gold diggers.
The Bad Boy Records founder was arrested in September 2024, following raids on his homes in Los Angeles and Miami. He has been jailed since then after being denied bail by three different federal judges, saying he posed a danger to the community.
Combs, 55, faces up to life in federal prison if convicted as charged.
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