Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs vows ‘I’m gonna be home soon’ after prostitution conviction, acquittal on major charges

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been found guilty of two prostitution-related offences but cleared of the most serious charges, in a significant development in his high-profile federal trial.

The jury convicted Combs on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, while acquitting him of racketeering conspiracy and both counts of sex trafficking—a partial win for the former hip-hop mogul, who faced the possibility of a life sentence if found guilty on the most severe allegations.

After the verdict was read, Combs knelt and appeared to pray before standing to address the courtroom, telling supporters, “I’m gonna be home soon”, he said.

“I love you. Thank you, I love you,” as his family and friends erupted into applause.

The verdict follows a dramatic seven-week trial that featured testimony from 34 witnesses, including ex-partners and federal agents, and focused heavily on allegations from Cassie Ventura, who described years of alleged control and abuse by Combs. Prosecutors argued that Combs used his influence to coerce women into exploitative situations, while the defence denied the most serious accusations.

Combs now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison—10 years for each count of which he was convicted—with sentencing yet to be scheduled. A US judge has denied Combs’ request for release from jail ahead of sentencing.

At a hearing in Manhattan federal court hours after the verdict was read, US District Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs must remain in federal lockup in Brooklyn for now given the ample evidence presented at trial of violent acts Combs had committed.

“It is impossible for the defendant to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he poses no danger,” Subramanian said.

The verdict on Wednesday was overall a win for Combs, a former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture.

The 12-member jury unanimously convicted him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. It acquitted Combs of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking two of his former romantic partners: the rhythm and blues singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane.

Prosecutors acknowledged in a court filing that federal sentencing guidelines appeared to recommend a maximum sentence of five-and-a-quarter years. Combs’ lawyers argued that two years would be the outer limit.

Once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, Combs had pleaded not guilty to all five counts. He faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence on each of the two prostitution counts.

Combs’ lawyers had urged Subramanian to release Combs on $1 million bond, arguing in a court filing the prostitution offences were “far less serious” than the sex trafficking and racketeering charges he faced at the time he was ordered detained pending trial.

Prosecutors argued Combs should remain in jail because he remained a danger to the community, pointing to Jane’s testimony at trial that he assaulted her and coerced her into sex with a male prostitute in June 2024 while he was aware he was under federal investigation.

The seven-week trial focused on prosecutors’ allegations that Combs for two decades used his business empire to force Ventura and Jane to take part in drug-fuelled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as “Freak Offs” with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed.

Prosecutors unsuccessfully argued that Combs’ conduct toward both women amounted to sex trafficking because he compelled Ventura and Jane to take part in the performances using physical violence and threats to withhold financial support or leak sexually explicit images of them.

After the verdict, Combs’ family left the courthouse to chants of “love, love, love” from Combs’ supporters. During his career, Combs’ stage monikers included Love, Puff Daddy and P. Diddy.

In a statement after the verdict, Manhattan US Attorney Jay Clayton and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said sex crimes were “all too present” across society and that Americans wanted it to stop.

Combs still faces dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of abuse. Ventura sued him in November 2023 for sex trafficking, and they settled a day later for $US20 million ($A30 million).

Combs, once feted for turning artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars, has denied all wrongdoing. After the verdict, Ventura’s lawyer Douglas Wigdor said in a statement that she had “paved the way” for Combs’ conviction.

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- with Reuters