The music mogul has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. Here’s what has happened in court.
Sean Combs, one of America’s most influential music moguls, is standing trial on federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors accuse him of leading a criminal enterprise that committed a series of crimes including kidnapping, arson and obstruction of justice. He has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have said all the sex at issue in the case was consensual. Read the indictment here.
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The Jurors Deliberate
The jury, an anonymous panel made up of eight men and four women, began deliberating on Monday after receiving legal instructions from the judge.
Shortly after deliberations had begun, the foreperson reported an issue with one juror, identified as No. 25, “who we are concerned cannot follow your honor’s instructions.” After about 40 minutes of negotiations among lawyers for both sides over how to respond, the judge announced that he would send a note back to the jurors, encouraging them to continue deliberating. He said he would remind them to follow his instructions on the law, and instruct the panel to have its foreperson send another note if any further issues arise. After five and a half hours of deliberations, the jurors wrapped for the day without a verdict.
At about 4:05 p.m. on Tuesday, the jury sent a note to the judge saying it had reached a verdict on four of the five counts against Mr. Combs — two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution — but was unable to come to a decision on the racketeering charge. The note from the panel said there were jurors “with unpersuadable opinions on both sides.”
Week 1
Opening Statements and Cassie’s Testimony
In her opening statement for the prosecution, Emily Johnson portrayed Mr. Combs as a man who ordered the performance of sex acts and “called himself the king.” She told a jury of eight men and four women that the case would center on the testimony of three women, including Casandra Ventura, whose bombshell 2023 lawsuit started the federal investigation. For the defense, Teny Geragos described Mr. Combs as a “complicated man,” and admitted that he committed domestic violence against women in his life. But those women, Ms. Geragos said, were not coerced: “This case is about voluntary, adult choices made by capable adults” in what she called “consensual relationships.”
