Published: 2025-07-02 17:10:23 | Views: 23
The jury has founded Combs:
NOT GUILTY of racketeering conspiracy
NOT GUILTY of the sex trafficking of Casandra Ventura
NOT GUILTY of the sex trafficking of “Jane”
GUILTY of the transportation to engage in prostitution, related to Casandra Ventura
GUILTY of the transportation to engage in prostitution related to “Jane”
Key events
Reporting from outside the courthouse:
Janice Combs, Combs’s mother, has just walked back into the courthouse. People are cheering as she walks in.
Meanwhile, a male fan has covered himself in baby oil and is dancing in the crowd.
There’s no date yet for sentencing, when the judge will decide on Combs’s punishment for the prostitution conviction, the Associated Press reports.
As we’ve noted, Combs faces a maximum of 20 years in prison but it is possible that he will receive a lesser sentence based on other factors.
An New York police department truck carrying dozens of barricades has just arrived.
Reporting from outside of the courthouse:
Outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan, there are more than 50 members of the press and dozens of supporters of the music mogul.
They are celebrating, smiling and playing music as they wait to hear whether Combs will be released today.
One supporter is wearing a T-shirt that reads “A freako is not a R.I.C.O.”
Court is currently adjourned for the next few hours, while the judge considers whether Combs should remain incarcerated or released on bail.
Combs was arrested in September and has been held in a federal detention center since.
The judge has told both sides to submit letters to him regarding Combs’s possible release by 1pm ET today. The prosecution is arguing that he should remain in custody, but his legal team is arguing that he ought to be released.
After the judge dismissed the jury and lawyers, Combs knelt before his chair and appeared to pray, Reuters reported.
He then rose and faced the courtroom gallery.
“I’m gonna be home soon,” Combs said, smiling and clasping his hands. “I love you. Thank you, I love you.”
The southern district of New York, the prosecutors in the case against Combs, released a statement after the verdict was announced:
Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society. Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma. New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to justice.
Prosecuting sex crimes requires brave victims to come forward and tell their harrowing stories. We and our law enforcement partners recognize the hardships victims endure and have prioritized a victim-centered approach to investigating and prosecuting these cases.
Today we recognize the important work of the SDNY’s Civil Rights Unit as well as the tireless efforts of the women and men at HSI who are devoted to combatting human trafficking. We thank the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, Digital Forensic Unit and the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement (CASE) Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. We would also like to thank our partners at the NYPD for their assistance in this matter and for sharing our victim-centered approach to combatting sex crimes.
The attorney for Cassie Ventura, Doug Wigdor, said outside the courthouse that his team is pleased that Sean “Diddy” Combs has “finally been held accountable,” NBC News reported.
“Of course, we would have liked to have seen a conviction on the sex crimes and Rico, but we understand that ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ is a high standard,” he said. “We’re just pleased he still faces substantial jail time.”
Here are some more images of the family emerging from court:
NBC News spoke to Christian Combs, who said his his father was feeling “great”.
Some supporters are putting their fists in the air outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan.
They can be heard chanting “Let Puffy go!”
Janice Combs, mother of Sean “Diddy” Combs, gives a thumbs up after hearing the verdict in her son’s sex-trafficking trial:
More of Combs’s supporters are showing up at the courthouse. Lots of smiles and clapping.
Outside the courthouse, supporters of Combs are saying, “If you’re being abused, come out right away” – seemingly going after Combs’s alleged victims for not coming forward about their alleged abuse sooner.
Patrick Lam, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was outside the courthouse after the verdict was read in Combs’s trial.
“Here to support Sean and his family,” he said. “Glad they found him not guilty for Rico because prosecutors tried to get whatever they wanted for political reasons.”
