Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs verdict live updates: Hip-hop mogul found guilty on 2 of 5 counts in sex trafficking trial

Throughout the trial, Combs has been seen in court holding a copy of The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, which is described by its publisher as “an engaging, deeply researched guide to flourishing in a world of increasing stress and negativity.”

After the jury left the courtroom to begin deliberations, Judge Arun Subramanian commended the attorneys for both the prosecution and defense for what he called “great lawyering.”

“The case was really exceptionally tried by both sides in this case,” he said.

After receiving nearly two hours of instructions from Judge Arun Subramanian, jurors have begun deliberating behind closed doors.

The jury was provided with a laptop loaded with all of the exhibits shown in court during the six-week trial, including text messages, photographs and videos of the sexual encounters at the heart of the case.

There is no timetable for a decision. Subramanian told the 12-member panel made up of eight men and four women that they can choose how long to deliberate each day, and to send a note to notify the court when they’ve reached a verdict.

Judge Arun Subramanian is reading aloud lengthy instructions to the jury on how the law applies to each of the charges.

Combs is facing five criminal counts. Here is a rough breakdown of those counts and the maximum sentence he’s facing for each.

Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion (two counts)

Combs has been charged with sex trafficking two former girlfriends — Cassie Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.” Prosecutors allege Combs forced them to participate in the marathon sexual encounters with male escorts, which amounted to “commercial sex acts.”

Maximum sentence if convicted: Life in prison

Transportation to engage in prostitution (two counts)

Prosecutors say Combs arranged for the transport of male escorts who were paid for sex with Ventura and Jane across state lines.

Maximum sentence if convicted: 15 years in prison

Racketeering conspiracy (one count)

Combs has been accused of “conspiring with others to conduct and participate in the affairs of an enterprise through a pattern of racketeering activity.” Prosecutors allege that Combs conspired with members of his business empire, including assistants and bodyguards, to commit crimes. To convict, the jury must find that Combs agreed with at least one other member of the alleged criminal enterprise to commit two of eight underlying crimes within 10 years of each other.

Maximum sentence if convicted: Life in prison

In addition to Combs’s family members, including his mother and five of his children, members of the mogul’s defense team were seen arriving early at the courthouse in lower Manhattan. Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo, carrying a brown messenger bag, waved off questions from reporters as he walked in.

There’s also a large media presence, as expected, as jury deliberations are set to begin.

Judge Arun Subramanian reminded the jury that to find Combs guilty, the government needs to have proved Combs was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Subramanian defined “reasonable doubt” as doubt someone could feel after reviewing all of the presented evidence in a court case as to whether everything is 100% authentic and true.

Combs’s verdict must be found beyond a reasonable doubt, meaning the jury, after reviewing the evidence, hearing the testimonies and listening to the prosecution’s arguments, must feel entirely confident that the defendant is either guilty or not guilty without any second thoughts.

Subramanian reminded the jurors that they will be examining two kinds of evidence in this case: direct testimony from witnesses and whether the witnesses who testified are actually credible.

“There is no magic formula,” Subramanian told the group.

After receiving the instructions from Judge Arun Subramanian, the 12 jurors will meet to deliberate the case.

The jury, which is made up of eight men and four women, must unanimously decide whether Combs is guilty or not guilty on each of the five counts he’s charged with.

If the jurors cannot unanimously agree on one or all of the counts, they are encouraged to continue deliberating. However, if it seems nearly impossible for the group to agree — which is called a hung jury — it goes back to Subramanian, who has to decide whether to declare a mistrial.

Sean Combs’s sons, Quincy and Christian, and his eldest daughters Jessie, Chance and D’Lila, arrived at the Manhattan courthouse this morning, alongside Combs’s mom, Janice.

Christian, 27, released a song under his rapper name “King Combs” with Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, on Friday called “Diddy Free.” It features a chorus with the lyrics “Ain’t goin’ sleep till we see Diddy free.”

Judge Arun Subramanian will be giving the jury instructions before it begins deliberations. The pre-scripted instructions for the jury are expected to take over an hour for Subramanian to read.

Last week, Subramanian said the jury will determine its own schedule for the deliberations.

After defense attorney Marc Agnifilo wrapped up his four-hour closing argument on Friday, Subramanian told the legal teams he was going to emphasize to the jury that its focus should be on whether the prosecution actually proved each charge with evidence.

Last week, the jurors heard lengthy closing arguments by the prosecution and the defense teams.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik argued in her closing argument on Thursday:

• Combs was the “leader of a criminal enterprise” who forced former girlfriends like Cassie Ventura and “Jane” to participate in drug-fueled sex marathons with escorts called “freak offs” and “hotel nights.”
• Slavik revisited Ventura and Jane’s testimonies for the jury, where they both claimed to be victims of physical and sexual abuse.

“It is time to hold him accountable; it is time for justice,” Slavik said. “And it’s time to find him guilty.”

Combs’s lead defense attorney, Marc Agnifilo, presented the defense’s closing argument on Friday, arguing the government’s charges against Combs were inaccurate:

• While Combs personally used drugs and was guilty of domestic violence, he was not the “leader of a criminal enterprise” nor did he “do the things he’s charged with.”
• Ventura and Jane were part of a “swingers” lifestyle, which is why they participated in the “freak offs.”

“He sits there innocent,” Agnifilo said. “Return him to his family, who have been waiting for him.”

Judge Arun Subramanian is on the bench. He will give jurors instructions this morning before they start their deliberations in the case.