Sean “Diddy” Combs’ family members were spotted smiling as they left a Manhattan federal court following a verdict in his sex trafficking trial on Wednesday, July 2.
The hip-hop mogul, 55, was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking. Diddy is facing a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison.
According to NBC News, Diddy’s entourage — including his mother, Janice Combs, and his son Justin Combs — smiled as they exited the courthouse. They entered a waiting van, which was reportedly mobbed by fans chanting, “Free Puff!”
Diddy’s defense attorney Marc Agnifilo has already requested in court that Diddy “be released on appropriate conditions” so he could return to his home in Miami. The lawyer told Judge Arun Subramanian that “any” member of Diddy’s family was willing to sign a $1 million bond to grant Diddy release pending sentencing, reported CNN.
“Mr. Combs has been given his life by this jury,” his defense attorney told the judge.
Agnifilo insisted Diddy would be “nothing short of a fool” if he were to violate the terms of a potential bond release and noted that the musician no longer has access to his private plane.
“He treasures, I assure you, the opportunity that he has been given, and he will not run afoul of anything this court imposes on him,” Diddy’s attorney promised.
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The judge is expected to make a decision on releasing Diddy following a 1 p.m. ET deadline for his lawyers to formally submit their request. Earlier, Judge Subramanian thanked the jury for reaching a verdict and formally dismissed them from the courtroom.
“I want you to know that it is inspiring to all of us,” the judge told the jury. “You listened, you worked together, you were here every day, rain or shine. You did so with no reward, other than the reward that comes from answering the call of public service. That should give all of us hope.”
The 12-person jury originally reached a verdict on four of the five counts on Tuesday, July 1, but informed Judge Subramanian that they were deadlocked on the racketeering conspiracy charge. The jury was given instructions by the judge to continue deliberating and ultimately rendered their verdict on Wednesday morning.
Diddy entered a not guilty plea to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution following his arrest in New York in September 2024. The subsequent trial focused primarily on allegations made by Diddy’s former girlfriend Cassie (real name Casandra Ventura) and an unnamed Jane Doe.
Following Wednesday’s verdict, Cassie’s attorney told reporters: “At the end of the day, [Diddy] needs to be sentenced pursuant to the guidelines and pursuant to what the law is. My understanding is that he faces significant incarceration.”
Diddy’s arrest came nearly one year after Cassie, 38, filed a lawsuit against him accusing him of sexual and physical abuse throughout their relationship, which lasted off and on from 2007 to 2018. The mogul denied her claims in a statement shared by his attorney.
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“Mr. Combs vehemently denies these offensive and outrageous allegations,” Diddy’s lawyer Ben Brafman said at the time.
One day after the suit was filed, Diddy and Cassie settled out of court. In May 2024, CNN published a hotel surveillance video of Diddy kicking and grabbing Cassie in 2016. He later apologized for his actions in a video shared via Instagram.
Following his arrest, Diddy has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His four requests for bail were denied by Judge Arun Subramanian.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
