Diddy Acquitted of Sex Trafficking, Convicted on Prostitution Counts

A federal jury in Manhattan on 2 July acquitted Sean “Diddy” Combs of racketeering conspiracy and both sex-trafficking counts that could have carried mandatory minimum sentences of 15 years and a potential life term. Jurors instead convicted the 55-year-old music impresario on two lesser counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, violations of the Mann Act that each carry a maximum of 10 years in prison.

The mixed decision came on the third day of deliberations. On 1 July the panel informed U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian it had reached consensus on four of the five charges but was deadlocked on racketeering. The judge instructed jurors to continue, and they returned unanimous verdicts on all counts the following morning.

Prosecutors alleged Combs used his entertainment businesses and wealth to coerce girlfriends into what witnesses described as drug-fueled “freak-offs” and “hotel nights,” framing the enterprise as organized crime. Defense lawyers countered that the relationships were consensual and that the government overreached by applying racketeering statutes designed for mob cases.

Combs, who did not testify during the seven-week trial, was denied bail after the verdict. He faces up to a decade in prison at a sentencing hearing scheduled for 3 Oct 2025, a ruling likely to determine the future of his music and business empire.