How Sean ‘Diddy' Combs dodged sex trafficking, racketeering charges after feds built ‘weak' case - that likely cost $15 million: experts
Jurors found Combs, 55, not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, while convicting him on lesser prostitution counts — ultimately making his closely watched case one of the most expensive prostitution trials in American history.
'Diddy likely spent eight figures or more than $10 million ($15 million AUD) on defense fees in this trial,' former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani said, adding that his 'top-tier' attorneys Mark Agnifilo and Brian Steel typically charge retainers of $1 million or more in cases like Diddy's.
'The irony of it all is that if Diddy wasn't so cheap and he had paid the additional $10 million to Cassie to settle her case before she filed her lawsuit, we probably wouldn't be here.'
The case was doomed from the start, according to veteran defense attorney David S. Seltzer, managing partner at Seltzer Mayberg, LLC.
'They tried to put a square peg in a round hole, using mobster-like charges, when all they had were glorified State Court charges,' he said, referring to the racketeering counts.
He said the feds proved that Combs abused women and enjoyed voyeuristic sex, but failed to prove that the mogul's sins and kinks were part of a Mafia-like criminal enterprise.
The mixed verdict is a blow to the powerful Southern District of New York – a formidable institution that earned the nickname the 'Sovereign District' because of its reputation for independence and success in winning complex convictions.
The storied US Attorney's office successfully prosecuted shaggy crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried, gold bar bribe bearer former Sen. Robert Menendez and a host of New York mafia figures in the 1980s.
But SDNY recently saw its corruption case against Mayor Eric Adams collapse as President Trump's Department of Justice told prosecutors to dismiss charges – a request that prompted an exodus from the office.
Southern District prosecutors, then led by former US Attorney Damien Williams, pursued an ambitious Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act — or RICO — case against the Bad Boy Records mogul, alleging he used his business empire to conceal sordid crimes, including forcing his girlfriends into degrading, drug-fueled sex romps he dubbed 'freak-offs.'
The case's outcome hinged on whether prosecutors could prove Combs ran a criminal enterprise, said Rahmani, a defense attorney.
'Like I've said all along, this case will come down to racketeering,' Rahmani predicted ahead of the verdict.
'If the government doesn't get a RICO conviction, this will be a huge loss and the most expensive prostitution trial in American history.'
And it's a huge loss financially for taxpayers, as well.
'The federal investigation into Diddy involving countless raids, surveillance, and cooperation across agencies like Homeland Security and the FBI, likely resulted in taxpayers' seven- or eight-figure dollar bill, taking in staff wages, travel, legal fees, and administrative costs,' said New York trial attorney Nicole Brenecki.
'Despite this questionable investment, no guilty verdict has been secured raising serious concerns about prosecutorial discretion and the use of taxpayers' funds. This case simply appears to be a costly misfire. Potentially $10 million.'
During the sensational two-month trial, Combs' former girlfriends Cassie Ventura and a woman only identified as 'Jane' emotionally testified they were coerced into disturbing, baby oil-soaked 'freak-offs' with escorts.
The women's testimony was often harrowing, such as when Ventura – who was pregnant on the witness stand – alternately detailed Combs' abuse and the humiliating sex acts he desired she carry out for his sick pleasure.
'Jane' also recounted how Combs choked, kicked and punched her during an hours-long abusive at her Los Angeles home in 2024 — before forcing her into a 'freak-off' that same night.
But Brenecki said the evidence still indicated that Combs' ex-girlfriends appear to have 'willingly taken part in 'freak-offs.''
'Voluntary participation, no matter how controversial, doesn't equal organized crime,' Brenecki said.
The prosecution's case fell apart because it was 'built more on sensationalism than a solid legal basis,' Brenecki opined.
Originally published as How Sean 'Diddy' Combs dodged sex trafficking, racketeering charges after feds built 'weak' case - that likely cost $15 million: experts
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