Description
NEW YORK (TNND) — After six weeks of Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex-trafficking trial, jurors are set to start deliberating charges on Monday that could put the music mogul in prison for life.
The 55-year-old has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment and faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on all charges. He was charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, transportation for purposes of prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy.
Combs was arrested in September 2024, about roughly six months after federal authorities raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami. He has been jailed in Brooklyn since his arrest and denied bail multiple times.
Prosecutors said last week they would no longer pursue theories that the music mogul was involved in attempted arson and attempted kidnapping.
Judge Arun Subramanian read instructions on the law to the jury of eight men and four women before they could start deliberating. The jury will go through weeks of graphic and emotional testimony to reach a verdict.
Combs' team has argued that the women he was involved with were willing participants in the sexual encounters and that some of the women had feelings for Combs and initiated some of the "freak offs" and "hotel nights."
Prosecutors tried to prove the music mogul ran a criminal enterprise involving sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.
In all, 34 witnesses testified, headlined by Combs’ former girlfriends Cassie — the R&B singer born Casandra Ventura — and “Jane,” who testified under a pseudonym. Both women said he was often violent toward them. Cassie said he forced her into hundreds of sexual encounters with paid male sex workers while Jane recounted numerous “hotel nights.”
Jurors also saw now-infamous security camera video of Combs beating, kicking and dragging Cassie at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 and clips from videos of sexual encounters.
If you or someone you know is struggling with abuse, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help.
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Editor's note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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