The trial of American music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is accused of running a sprawling sex trafficking operation, is almost over. The 12 jurors at a federal court in New York have announced they have come to a decision on four of the five counts faced by Mr Combs, although these decisions have not been disclosed. But the jurors are unable to decide on the racketeering charge, the most serious of the five, which carries a possible life prison term.
Mr Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations against him. He is charged with two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution – alongside the racketeering conspiracy charge. Separately, Mr Combs faces a number of lawsuits accusing him of rape and assault.
Racketeering conspiracy, or directing an illegal enterprise under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (Rico), is the formal name for the charge. The law was created to take on mob bosses, but it has since been used in other trials, including for sex trafficking – such as in the case against disgraced R&B singer R Kelly.
To convict Mr Combs on this charge, prosecutors must prove he used his loyal network of associates to run a criminal enterprise to commit crimes including sex trafficking, kidnapping, drugging and obstruction of justice. In this case, that network would include his employees, who prosecutors say played a part in setting up the “freak-offs” at the centre of the case.
These were prolonged sexual encounters at which the prosecution’s key witnesses say they were coerced to have sex with male escorts while Mr Combs watched. In a raid on his Los Angeles mansion, police found supplies that they said were intended for use in freak-offs, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.
The defence has sought to undermine the racketeering allegations by asking witnesses whether Mr Combs’ employees ever witnessed the freak-offs. Cassie Ventura, the star witness for the prosecution, said she did not think they were present. Defence lawyers argue that the case cannot be considered to be racketeering if members of Mr Combs’ staff were not knowingly complicit.
If convicted on the racketeering charge, Mr Combs faces up to life in prison. He faces another statutory minimum sentence of 15 years if he is found guilty of sex trafficking. Transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Mr Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, since his arrest on 16 September 2024.
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