Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial is almost over, but the jury is yet to come to a unanimous verdict on the most serious charge of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a life sentence
The jury in Sean ‘Diddy’ Comb’s sex trafficking trial have reached a verdict on four out of five counts against the disgraced star, but they say they are currently unable to reach a decision on the most serious charge.
Insisting that two days of deliberations were too soon to give up on reaching a verdict on all counts, the judge instructed the jury of 12 to continue weighing the charge of racketeering conspiracy.
At 4.05pm on Tuesday, Judge Arun Subramanian received a note confirming that they were unable to reach a unanimous verdict because there were jurors with “unpersuadable views” on both sides.
Juries have a right to deliver a partial verdict, but they were encouraged to continue deliberations, given that they had only started on Monday. As soon as the note was delivered in court, the hip-hop mogul’s lawyers surrounded him to explain the situation as he appeared agitated, with the moment captured by a courtroom artist.
What is racketeering?
Racketeering is the practice of making money from organized illegal activities. Prosecutors accuse Combs of running a criminal enterprise to commit crimes such as sex trafficking and forced labor since at least 2008.
According to the Government, this was done so Combs could coerce and abuse women and those around him to fulfill his sexual desire while also concealing his behavior. The racketeering conspiracy charge, the most serious of all charges, is the most complicated because it requires the jury to decide not only whether he ran a “racketeering enterprise”, but also whether he was involved in committing some or all of various types of offenses, such as kidnapping and arson.
What is Rico?
The charge falls under Rico — the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act — which is best known for being used in organized crime and drug cartel cases. Comb’s defense lawyers argue that prosecutors are attempting to criminalize the singer’s swinger lifestyle and claim that his conduct, if anything, could amount to domestic violence, but not federal felonies.
If convicted of all charges, the 55-year-old could face life behind bars as the charge carries a maximum sentence. In order to obtain a verdict, the jury is reviewing the critical testimony from Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, with whom he was in a relationship for around 11 years.
Jurors questions explained
Jurors requested the testimony about 75 minutes into their second day of weighing charges that Combs used his fame, wealth and violence to force two girlfriends into drug-fuelled sex marathons with male sex workers known as “freak-offs” or “hotel nights”.
The panel of eight men and four women asked for Ms Ventura’s account of Combs beating, kicking and dragging her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 — an assault captured on now-infamous security camera footage.
They also asked to see Ms Ventura’s testimony about an incident in which she said Combs accused her of taking drugs from him and kicked her off their yacht at the Cannes Film Festival in France in 2013. On their way back to the US, she said, he threatened to release explicit videos of her having sex
P Diddy charges in full
Combs has denied all charges made against him which include:
- Count 1 – Racketeering conspiracy
- Count 2 – Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion – pertains to Victim 1 (Cassie Ventura)
- Count 3 – Transportation to engage in prostitution relating to Victim 1 (Cassie) and commercial sex workers
- Count 4 – Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion (relating to Jane Doe – Victim 2)
- Count 5 – Transportation to engage in prostitution, relating to Victim 2 (Jane Doe) and commercial sex workers
Counts two and four both carry minimum sentences of 15 years. The maximum sentence on the counts is life. Counts three and five carry a maximum sentence of ten years.
The jurors will return to the court in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday, July 2, at 9am New York time, which is 2pm in the UK.
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