TRANSCRIPT
Sean “Diddy” Combs, once a major figure in hip-hop, has been cleared of the most serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges he was facing but is still heading to prison.
After a seven-week federal trial, a New York jury convicted him of transporting people for prostitution across state lines, a lesser yet still serious offence.
After the verdict, Combs knelt down prayerfully, then smiled at supporters, visibly relieved.
Though spared life sentences, he awaits sentencing on two felony Mann Act counts.
The Mann Act makes it a felony to engage in interstate or foreign commerce transport of any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose.
Outside court, his family appeared, with his mother, Janice Combs, giving a thumbs-up alongside his children.
But not everyone was celebrating.
Douglas Wigdor, lawyer for one of Combs’ accusers, Casandra ((Cassie)) Ventura, says justice was at least partially served.
"We're hopeful that ultimately he receives a substantial sentence for what he's done. And we're pleased that Cassie has brought to light everything that has happened in this trial. I just spoke with her and with the US Attorney's Offices team and she's in a good place. She's pleased that, again, that the jury has found him liable - guilty - of two federal crimes."
The trial featured harrowing testimony from Ms Ventura and another woman known as Jane, both describing brutal abuse, coercion, and what prosecutors called “freak offs”, which were days-long sexual marathons involving drugs and male sex workers, allegedly orchestrated by Combs.
Prosecutors had hoped to paint him as the head of a criminal enterprise.
But that’s where their case fell short.
Legal scholar Anna Cominsky explains what probably swayed the jury.
“So we had the two counts of sex trafficking, which he was found not guilty of, and then two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, which he was found guilty of. And the key difference between the two, and the reason why it appears that the jury made the decision that they made, is because with respect to the two charges of sex trafficking, there was a requirement that the jury find that the, that the transportation, so to speak, that that was forced or coerced or that some kind of fraud was involved in that. And the jury just did not find that the government met their burden there.”
The prosecution presented damning evidence: 1,000 bottles of baby oil, disturbing hotel footage of Combs assaulting Cassie, and messages between Combs and the women.
But in the end, it wasn’t enough to prove racketeering or sex trafficking beyond a reasonable doubt.
Former Federal Prosecutor Mitchell Epner explains the fine legal line.
“The question in this case from the very beginning has been whether Cassandra Ventura and ‘Mia’ were victims or volunteers. Everybody was in agreement that the sex happened. Everyone was in agreement that it went on for many years, and everyone was in agreement that, at least at the beginning, it was voluntary. The prosecution's case was that at some point, Cassandra Ventura and ‘Mia’ stopped being volunteers and became victims who were only continuing to participate in the freak-offs because they were being coerced.”
Despite the acquittals, Combs' reputation is in tatters.
His career, once glittering with Grammys and record deals, has been halted.
Civil lawsuits from other alleged victims are still pending.
Combs' lawyers asked for him to be released on bail pending sentencing, as he's been in jail since his arrest last September.
The lawyers argued that the circumstances have changed because of his acquittals on those big charges and they proposed that he be allowed to spend time at his mansion near Miami and travel to California and New York, but adhere to all other conditions set by the court, and that he would surrender his passport and comply with all other regulations.
But the presiding judge opted not to grant Combs bail, and he remains in custody.
Outside court, legal analyst Dina Doll says Combs’ celebrity status both helped - and hindered.
“Case after case, I have really come to see that jurors often come to a conclusion that those of us who have watched the trial all along have a very similar conclusion. Did the prosecution prove their case or not? And regardless, actually, of the fame, I think the one area where the fame really matters, honestly, is that he was able to retain like a dream team of lawyers, whereas maybe a typical criminal defendant cannot do that. And I think that's where his fame and celebrity helped him."
So, what happens next?
Combs faces up to 10 years on each prostitution count, though legal experts suggest his sentence will likely be shorter due to time already served and poor prison conditions.
Mitchell Epner again.
“Under the federal sentencing guidelines, the likely sentence will be measured in months – not years. The starting point that the judge will work from under the sentencing guidelines will likely be 15 to 21 months. That can go up or down based upon certain considerations. One of the things that the judge will have to take into consideration is the time that Sean Combs has already spent in prison, and he spent it in Metropolitan Detention Center, MDC, which is one of the worst prisons in America. Many judges in the Southern District and Eastern District of New York have reduced sentences or let people out on bail on the basis that conditions at MDC are so horrific."
No date has been set for sentencing, and appeals are expected.
