
A look at the potential sentence faced by Sean ‘Diddy' Combs in his sex trafficking trial
Here's what we know about the potential sentence:
The three-time Grammy award winner was convicted of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and paid male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters.
The government said Combs coerced women into abusive sex parties involving hired male sex workers, ensured their compliance with drugs like cocaine and threats to their careers, and silenced victims through blackmail and violence that included kidnapping, arson and beatings.
The jury, however, acquitted Combs of the most serious charges, which could have carried a sentence of up to life in prison.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs acquitted of most serious charges, convicted of a prostitution-related offenseCombs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, portrayed the Bad Boys Records founder as the victim of overzealous prosecutors who exaggerated elements of his lifestyle and recreational drug use to bring charges that resulted in what he called a 'fake trial.' He said the women were willing participants.
Combs defeated the racketeering conspiracy charge. Authorities had accused him of running a criminal enterprise that relied on bodyguards, household staff, personal assistants and others in his orbit to facilitate and cover up crimes.
It's commonly used to tackle organized crime, with prosecutors using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations act, or RICO, to take on the Mafia in the 1970s.
To prove the charge, prosecutors had to show that an enterprise existed and was involved in a pattern of racketeering activity. In this case, the alleged activity included kidnapping, arson, bribery and sex trafficking.
Deliberations began Monday.
The panel of eight men and four women finished its work Wednesday, a day after telling U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian that it was stuck on one of the five charges, racketeering.
The judge said it was too soon to give up and ordered the jury to keep trying to reach a unanimous verdict.
Combs pumped his right fist after hearing that he was acquitted of the most serious charges.
Prosecutors said they would seek a prison term. The maximum is 10 years.
The judge in the case may provide updates later Wednesday.
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USA Today
16 hours ago
- USA Today
'Making the Band' singer Sara Rivers dealt legal blow in Sean 'Diddy' Combs lawsuit
Sean "Diddy" Combs' legal battle with "Making the Band" alum Sara Rivers is nearing a close, after a New York judge ordered that all charges against the embattled music mogul be dismissed. Rivers, who appeared on Combs' early 2000s reality show "Making the Band 2" and became a member of hip-hop group Da Band, sued Combs in February on allegations of "unwanted touching," creating a hostile work environment, and fraud while filming the MTV show. The singer also sued several of Combs' companies and business associates for their alleged involvement, including Combs' mother, Janice Combs. In an Aug. 14 ruling in the U.S District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Jed S. Rakoff ordered that 21 of the 22 charges listed in Rivers' lawsuit, which span racketeering, assault and battery, forced labor, and false imprisonment, should be dismissed with prejudice, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY. As a result, Rivers will not be able to refile the dismissed charges in a new case. The remaining charge in Rivers' complaint, which alleges Combs violated the New York City Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Act through his alleged sexual abuse of Rivers, has not been determined with or without prejudice, leaving the possibility that Rivers could renew her claim in a new lawsuit. Judge Rakoff said he is holding off on a definitive ruling on the gender-motivated violence charge pending a decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on the parameters of the New York law. USA TODAY has reached out to Rivers' attorneys for comment. Combs' attorney, Erica Wolff, celebrated the ruling in a statement to USA TODAY. "From the outset, we have said these claims were meritless, time-barred and legally deficient," Wolff said. "The court agreed, finding no legal basis to allow them to proceed. We are pleased the court carefully analyzed and swiftly dismissed these baseless claims." Combs, who was arrested in September 2024, remains in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn following his trial earlier this summer on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. In July, the rapper was found guilty on two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution and acquitted of the remaining offenses. Diddy's legal troubles: Every lawsuit and sex abuse allegation against the music mogul Sara Rivers alleged Diddy sexually assaulted her at music studio In her February lawsuit against Combs, Rivers alleged that Combs sexually assaulted her during her time on "Making the Band 2," a music competition series that centered on the creation of Combs' hip-hop group, Da Band. The singer said she had a confrontation with Combs during a trip to Washington, D.C., after Combs demanded Rivers drink a cocktail he provided that she refused. Around this time, Combs also reportedly claimed that Rivers and her bandmates "lacked drive and initiative" because they didn't visit Combs' studio, Daddy's House, to record music. Heeding Combs' criticism, Rivers said she later went to the studio on her own to record. The "Making the Band" alum claimed that shortly after entering the music facility, Combs abruptly approached her, backed her into a corner, and "ran his left hand across her breasts." After Combs let her leave, Rivers reportedly left the studio "in shock and disbelief" that the rapper assaulted her. As a result of Combs' alleged sexual abuse, Rivers "has sustained and will continue to sustain, monetary damages, physical injury, pain and suffering, and serious psychological and emotional distress," the lawsuit stated. 'You make me so mad, I want to eat your flesh' In January, Rivers appeared in Peacock's "Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy," a documentary that examined Combs' rise to fame and the damning criminal allegations that derailed his media empire. The former TV personality described Combs as a volatile boss who would routinely berate her and her bandmates. "When he got angry with one of my band members, he said, 'You make me so mad, I want to eat your flesh,'" Rivers recalled. Sara Rivers speaks out against Diddy: 'Making the Band' alum alleges 'inappropriate' touching in documentary The singer also accused Combs of sexual misconduct in the special, claiming that he "touched me in a place that he shouldn't have" during a one-on-one incident. "That was inappropriate, and I felt intimidated," Rivers said, later getting choked up. "I'm definitely nervous. ... I haven't said anything for so long, and it's built up." Contributing: KiMi Robinson and Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Kid Cudi 'hated' testifying in Sean Combs trial but wanted to support Cassie: 'She was living a nightmare'
The rapper said he later realized he had to "look out for" the R&B singer. Kid Cudi "hated every minute" of testifying in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial earlier this year, but he wanted to support his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. Speaking with Alex Cooper on Call Her Daddy, Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, recalled getting subpoenaed to speak as a witness in the federal trial. He said that he was reluctant to speak, but on the stand he realized he had to "look out for" Ventura. "I've always just wanted to see her, you know, thrive and do well and be happy," the artist said. "I know she was living a nightmare." In July, Combs was found not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering. He was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Federal prosecutors had alleged Combs "abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct," according to an who was in an on-and-off relationship with Combs for a decade, testified that the music mogul had forced her into participating in multi-day "freak-offs" involving sex workers. The R&B singer had previously alleged that Combs had physically abused and raped her in a 2023 lawsuit that was quickly settled. At the federal trial, Mescudi testified that Combs broke into his home and destroyed his Porsche after finding out he was dating Ventura in late 2011. A former employee also claimed that Combs threatened to kill the "Pursuit of Happiness" rapper. Mescudi said on Call Her Daddy that he was going through his own personal issues at the time, including coping with cocaine addiction. When the incident with Combs began, the "Day 'n' Nite" rapper said he was "willing to walk into the fire" for Ventura. "In the moment, it was just crazy," Mescudi said. "I had a hard time understanding if it was reality. I was like, 'Am I in a movie? What the f--- is going on?'" Listen to the full episode of Call Her Daddy with guest Kid Cudi below. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly


CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
South LA street gang members charged in Figueroa Corridor sex trafficking case, DOJ says
A grand jury indicted 11 members and associates of the Hoover Criminal Gang for sex trafficking children and adults along South Los Angeles' Figueroa Corridor, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. In addition to sex trafficking crimes, the 31-count indictment charges the following 11 people with one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act: The Justice Department described Armstead as the de facto leader of the 112 set, an offshoot of the Hoover Criminal Gang, and named her as the lead defendant in the RICO case. Federal and local law enforcement arrested all of the suspects except Isrel, as of Wednesday afternoon. If convicted, the defendants could face a maximum sentence of life in prison. "Today's operation is the first step in returning the Figueroa Corridor – long known as prostitution haven – back to its residents who have suffered for too long while criminals were allowed to run amok," Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. Federal prosecutors claimed the gang had controlled the sex trafficking and prostitution ring along the Figueroa Corridor between February 2021 and August 2025. Investigators said the gang recruited new victims through social media or in person, primarily focusing on vulnerable women and girls with financial or emotional struggles, some of whom were runaways or foster youth. The Justice Department said the gang provided the women with drugs, gave them false promises of a luxurious lifestyle and, in some cases, beat them. "The exploitation of vulnerable women and children through sex trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes our society faces," said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell. "The victims in this case – many of them minors, runaways, or from the foster care system – were preyed upon by individuals who sought to profit from their pain. The suspects forced sex workers to give up everything they had made, according to the indictment. The Justice Department said the women who refused or disobeyed were either beaten, berated, humiliated and starved of affection, drugs or food. Several of the women were branded with tattoos of some of the suspects' nicknames. "Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes perpetuated throughout the world," said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. "No human should be for sale – not here in Los Angeles or anywhere in our society. Today's operation is a result of our commitment to identify and rescue victims of trafficking and to hold accountable these criminal organizations exploiting them."