Diddy Trial: Jury Delivers Partial Verdict in Sex Trafficking Case, Deadlocked on Racketeering

In a high-stakes courtroom drama, the jury in Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial delivered a partial verdict on Tuesday, resolving four out of five charges against the embattled music mogul. However, the jury remains deadlocked on the critical racketeering charge, a federal RICO violation that could carry a 20-year sentence. With potential penalties looming—up to 10 years for transportation to engage in prostitution and 20 years for sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion—the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Judge Arun Subramanian urged the jury to keep deliberating, emphasizing the need for a unanimous decision without abandoning individual convictions. The court re-read portions of the jury charge to refocus discussions, dismissing jurors to resume Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET. Diddy, visibly composed yet engaged, conferred quietly with his defense team, including attorneys Teny Geragos and Xavier Donaldson, as the courtroom buzzed with tension.

The seven-week trial, culminating in deliberations that began Monday, laid bare a saga of allegations. Prosecutors painted Diddy as the mastermind of a decades-long criminal enterprise, wielding money and power to evade accountability. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Slavik argued that Diddy’s influence ensured compliance, with testimony, texts, bank records, and audio evidence depicting a pattern of alleged crimes. Witnesses, including ex-girlfriends Cassie and Jane, detailed physical abuse, while a woman pseudonymized as Mia alleged rape. Former assistants described grueling work and procuring drugs for Diddy.

The defense, led by Marc Agnifilo, countered fiercely, labeling the trial a government overreach into Diddy’s private life. Agnifilo dismissed racketeering claims, arguing that Diddy’s businesses were legitimate and his employees likened their experience to attending "Harvard Business School." He framed incidents with Cassie as domestic violence, not sex trafficking, and challenged the prosecution’s narrative, particularly highlighting the seizure of Astroglide and baby oil during home raids as irrelevant to criminality.

As the jury grapples with the unresolved charge, the world watches whether Diddy faces life in prison or walks free. The trial’s outcome hinges on these deliberations, with the music mogul’s fate in the balance.