Jurors will begin deliberations today in the explosive federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, tasked with determining whether the music mogul used his fame, fortune, and business empire to orchestrate a sprawling, decades-long criminal enterprise centered on sex trafficking, abuse, and intimidation.
Combs, 55, faces five serious federal charges — including racketeering, sex trafficking, and the transportation of individuals for the purposes of prostitution — that could land him in prison for life if convicted.
The 12 jurors — eight men and four women — have spent the past seven weeks absorbing often wrenching testimony from 34 witnesses and reviewing thousands of pieces of evidence, including financial records, text messages, and forensic analyses.
In a forceful closing argument on Friday, lead prosecutor Maurene Comey accused Combs of running an “organization of enablers” who enforced his control and silenced victims.
“He was so far past the line he couldn’t even see it,” Comey told the court. “In his mind, he was untouchable… The defendant is not a god.”
Comey urged the jury to consider the broader scope of evidence, including accounts of intimidation, bribery, arson, and forced labor allegedly orchestrated by senior staff in Combs’s inner circle. Though none of those individuals testified, several witnesses were granted immunity to testify freely.
Combs’s attorney, Marc Agnifilo, portrayed his client as a “self-made, successful Black entrepreneur” and argued that while his relationships may have been volatile, they were consensual — not criminal.
The defense conceded that Combs had engaged in domestic violence, but rejected any claim that his conduct amounted to sex trafficking or racketeering. They targeted the credibility of two central accusers — Casandra Ventura and another woman known as “Jane” — describing their testimonies as exaggerated and financially motivated.
“Were there bad moments? Yes,” Agnifilo admitted. “But that does not make a criminal enterprise.”
The prosecution contends that Combs manipulated and coerced women into degrading acts, often under the influence of drugs, and maintained control through a “climate of fear.”
The defense pointed to communications that, they argue, showed mutual affection and willingness, but the government responded with expert testimony explaining how abuse victims often maintain contact with their abusers due to psychological manipulation and fear.
Judge Arun Subramanian will today instruct jurors on the complex legal standards surrounding racketeering and sex trafficking charges. To convict Combs on the racketeering charge alone, jurors must unanimously find that he agreed with others to commit at least two of eight listed predicate crimes.
The deliberation process could stretch for days, as jurors comb through testimony and evidence to reach verdicts on each of the five counts.
The case marks a dramatic fall from grace for Combs, once a titan of the music and fashion industries, now facing the full weight of federal prosecution.
If convicted, Combs could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
