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Trial of Sean Combs
2025 criminal trial of American rapper From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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United States v. Combs was a 2025 criminal trial held in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. The case involved American rapper and record producer Sean "Diddy" Combs, who faced multiple federal charges arising from allegations of sexual misconduct, racketeering, and human trafficking. Prosecutors alleged that Combs had operated a network of associates and employees who arranged interstate travel for women to engage in sexual acts with him and other individuals for money, in violation of federal law. Combs pleaded not guilty to all counts and maintained that the encounters were consensual and that he had been the target of what his defense described as a "public campaign of vilification."[2][3]
The trial, which began in early May 2025, drew intense media attention due to Combs's decades-long influence in the American music industry and the broader #MeToo and celebrity accountability movements. Over several weeks, jurors heard testimony from numerous witnesses, including former employees, alleged victims, and industry insiders. The prosecution presented evidence including text messages, flight records, and financial documents, while Combs challenged the credibility of the witnesses and argued that the U.S. government's case was built on conjecture and prejudice.
After three days of deliberation, on July 2, 2025, the jury acquitted Combs of the most serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, finding insufficient evidence of coercion or organized criminal intent. However, the jury found him guilty on two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution, in violation of the Mann Act, a federal statute that prohibits transporting individuals across state lines for illegal sexual activity.[4]
On October 3, 2025, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced Combs to four years and two months (50 months) in federal prison and imposed a $500,000 fine, to be followed by five years of supervised release. During the sentencing hearing, the judge cited the "exploitative nature" of the offenses and emphasized the need for accountability, though she also acknowledged Combs’s prior charitable contributions and lack of previous criminal convictions. Prosecutors had requested a sentence of six years, while defense attorneys sought probation and community service instead.[5][6][7]
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Background
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From 2017 onward, multiple civil suits have been filed against Sean Combs, alleging a pattern of sexual misconduct, abuse, and exploitation spanning several years. Combs has been accused in separate lawsuits of raping and sexually assaulting three men,[8] committing sexual battery against a former male employee,[9] and drugging and sexually assaulting a woman who claimed she had been lured to one of his parties through a radio contest.[10]
In 2023 and 2024, renewed scrutiny of Combs' alleged behavior led to a series of additional lawsuits and public accusations involving sexual assault, trafficking, and physical abuse. Among the plaintiffs was Combs' former longtime girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, who filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in November 2023. In her complaint, Ventura alleged that she had been repeatedly raped, trafficked, and physically assaulted by Combs over nearly a decade, claiming that he exercised coercive control and subjected her to ongoing violence and intimidation throughout their relationship.[11] The lawsuit was settled out of court the following day, although it prompted a wave of similar allegations and lawsuits from other alleged victims.
The subsequent cases filed between 2023 and 2024 detailed a consistent pattern of alleged abuse, with claimants asserting that Combs used his wealth, influence, and power within the entertainment industry to exploit and silence victims. These allegations, along with concurrent federal investigations into potential sex trafficking and narcotics offenses, have drawn significant public and media attention to Combs' personal and professional conduct.
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Investigation
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On March 25, 2024, federal agents questioned Combs at Miami–Opa Locka Executive Airport, where he was briefly detained before boarding a private jet for a planned vacation. During the encounter, agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seized several electronic devices belonging to Combs, including laptops, phones, and external drives, as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged sex trafficking and narcotics offenses.[12]
On the same day, DHS agents carried out simultaneous raids at Combs's residences in Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami, acting under federal search warrants issued in connection with the same investigation. The raids were coordinated by DHS's investigative division and supported by local law enforcement. Authorities reportedly confiscated computers, digital storage devices, documents, and other materials deemed potentially relevant to the case.[13]
According to reports released in the months following the raids, investigators discovered a variety of controlled substances, including ketamine, ecstasy, and GHB, as well as an assortment of weapons. Among the firearms seized were three illegally modified AR-15 rifles, which were reportedly unregistered and in violation of federal weapons regulations. Authorities also documented the presence of over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and various personal lubricants found throughout the properties, items that prosecutors later suggested might have been connected to Combs's alleged operation of coercive and exploitative sexual events sometimes referred to as "freak-offs."[14][15]
The March 2024 raids marked a significant escalation in the federal investigation into Combs’s activities, drawing widespread media attention and signaling potential criminal charges beyond the numerous civil suits he was already facing at the time.
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Indictment
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On September 16, 2024, Combs was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of felonies: Racketeering Conspiracy; Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion; and Transportation to Engage in Prostitution.[1]
Combs was arrested by U.S. Homeland Security investigators in Manhattan on the same day,[16][17] and detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.[18]
During his arraignment, on September 17, Combs pleaded not guilty.[19] Southern District of New York Judge Robyn Tarnofsky denied Combs bail and ordered that he remain in federal custody.[19] The following day, District Court Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. denied the defense's appeal for bail, citing concerns regarding potential witness threats and intimidation.[20]
The defense argued, among other points, that a 2016 surveillance video from a hotel hallway showing Combs kicking and dragging Cassie Ventura[21] reflected "a ten-year loving relationship" that ended due to Ventura's alleged "jealousy over [Combs'] infidelity." The judge rejected this explanation, reportedly asking, "What's love got to do with that?"[20]
In June 2025, prosecutors agreed to drop three additional charges related to arson, attempted kidnapping, and aiding sex trafficking.[22]
Trial
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The trial of Combs commenced on May 5, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, with Federal Judge Arun Subramanian presiding.[23][24]
Jury selection
On May 12, 2025, the process of jury selection began in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.[25] Over the course of nearly a week, approximately one hundred potential jurors were questioned by Federal Judge Arun Subramanian, as well as by the prosecution and defense teams.[26]
A final panel of twelve jurors and six alternates was selected and sworn in on May 13, 2025.[27] The jury consisted of eight men and four women, aged between 30 and 74, residing in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Westchester County.[27]
Opening statements
During opening statements, the prosecution argued that Combs operated his business enterprises not only for legitimate purposes but also to facilitate and conceal criminal conduct for which he had been indicted. Prosecutors alleged that Combs used his "status and power" to "violently" coerce two former girlfriends into unwanted sexual acts, and that he "victimized" multiple employees through threats, abduction, and sexual assault.[28] They asserted that the charges of conspiracy and racketeering were directly connected to the same series of illicit activities.[29]
The defense,[n 1] while conceding that Combs "has a temper" and "can be physical," contended that his former partners were engaged in consensual—albeit "toxic"—relationships with him. The defense characterized the allegations as financially motivated, describing them as a "money grab," and argued that Combs' personal relationships were unrelated to his professional ventures.[28]
Witness testimony
Combs' former girlfriend Cassie Ventura, in four days of testimony, said that the defendant had subjected her to a decade of intense abuse. She was followed by witnesses who testified they saw the defendant commit violent acts toward Ventura, including a makeup artist and a male escort who both testified they witnessed Combs' violence. Two witnesses who worked as escorts testified they were paid by the defendant. Rapper Kid Cudi said that Combs had broken into his home and organized the firebombing of his car to avenge Cudi's relationship with Ventura.[30] Judge Subramanian instructed the jury to disregard testimony about the destruction of fingerprint cards that occurred months after Cudi's car was set ablaze, and, after the defense, on the basis of that testimony, submitted a motion for mistrial, "immediately" rejected it.[31] After Cudi's testimony, judge Subramanian said the trial should "wrap up" by the 4th of July.[32]
On May 28, Ventura's former stylist testified he had witnessed the defendant being violent towards his then girlfriend, adding that he and Ventura hid "too many times to count" to avoid being "attack[ed]" by Combs,[33] followed by a former Combs assistant, anonymously testifying as "Mia," who claimed she also was abused personally by the defendant.[34] Defense attorney Brian Steel suggested that the former assistant is lying to the court, to which the prosecution objected, claiming that the defense's line of questioning bordered on harassment. The bench overruled the objection but assured the two parties he'd be "on the lookout for abusive conduct."[35] A security guard from the hotel where the CCTV video captured Combs brutalizing Ventura testified on June 3 that the defendant paid him $100,000 to "bury" the clip. The prosecution has argued that the payment was a bribe and one of the underlying episodes supporting their claim that the defendant has engaged in racketeering conspiracy.[36]
On June 5, the judge warned the defense that he might have the defendant removed from the court if he attempts again, as he saw him do, to make any facial expressions to jury members or attempts to have any interaction with or influence the jury.[37] A woman who'd heckled the proceedings had been removed from the court two days previously.[38]
The next day in court, a former girlfriend testifying anonymously described being pressured into "hotel nights" often lasting as long as thirty hours, during which she would have unprotected sex with male escorts in front of the defendant.[39] In total, the prosecution called 34 witnesses over a twenty-nine day period.[22] The defense team did not call any witnesses[40] and, on June 24, 2025, after six weeks of testimony, both prosecution and defense teams rested their cases.[41][40] When asked directly by the judge, on June 26, Combs confirmed that he would not testify in his own defense.[42]
Closing arguments
On June 25, 2025, jury instruction arguments were concluded, and the next day, closing arguments began as the court had instructed.[22][43] Assistant US attorney Christy Slavik presented her closing arguments[44][45][46] in a five hour address, with the court then adjourning for the day.[47] Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, presented the defense closing arguments on June 27[48] in an address lasting more than four hours.[49] Afterwards, prosecutor Maurene Comey delivered her rebuttal to the defense argument.[49][48] Following the prosecution's rebuttal, the jury was sent home for the weekend, with the presiding judge expected to issue instructions to the jury and allow them to begin their deliberations on June 30.[49][48]
Verdict and sentencing
Jury deliberations began on June 30, 2025. The following day, the jury deliberated for twelve hours before announcing that they had arrived at a verdict on all counts except the racketeering charge.[50][51]
On July 2, 2025, after three days of deliberation, the jury found Combs not guilty of racketeering conspiracy, and of sex trafficking charges involving Ventura and another, unidentified, woman. He was found guilty on two counts of transportation for the purposes of prostitution involving Ventura, another former girlfriend and male sex workers.[52] His convictions carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Prosecutors announced they would seek a sentence of at least 51 months (4.25 years), and requested that Judge Subramanian deny bail to Combs through sentencing.[53] Combs's lawyers requested a bail of $1 million, and said that if released, he would give up his passport and limit his travel to his residences and court appearances.[54] Later that day, Subramanian denied the request for bail, noting that the defense had admitted in their arguments that Combs had a history of domestic violence. Combs thus remained in detention through his sentencing on October 3, 2025.[55][56]
On September 22, 2025, the defense requested a prison sentence of 14 months. Including the time already spent in detention, this would equate to additional prison time of just over one month.[57] On September 29, 2025, the prosecution requested Combs be sentenced to 135 months (11.25 years) in prison.[58]
On October 3, 2025, Judge Subramanian sentenced Combs to four years and two months in federal prison, and fined him $500,000.[59][60]
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Public opinions
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Throughout and following the trial, public reactions to Combs varied. Some members of the public, particularly those who closely followed the proceedings and evidence, expressed the view that the verdict was insufficient and did not impose as severe a punishment as expected.[citation needed] Others expressed satisfaction that Combs was held accountable, regardless of the severity of the sentence.[citation needed] A further segment of public opinion suggested that the trial itself was unfair, with some asserting that the allegations were fabricated or intended to discredit Combs.[61]
The trial also generated significant online engagement, including a proliferation of internet memes referencing alleged incidents at parties hosted by Combs, including jokes about baby oil and "surviving Diddy parties."[62] These memes also inspired several Roblox games referencing the jokes and have circulated widely across social media platforms, including Instagram and TikTok, sometimes employing phrases such as "no Diddy" in the context of avoiding accusations of homosexuality.[63]
Cassie Ventura's testimony
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Public reaction
Public opinion regarding the testimony of Cassie Ventura has been divided. Ventura's detailed and emotional description of alleged decade-long abuse drew significant media attention, with some reports indicating that members of the jury and audience were moved to tears.[citation needed] Supporters of Ventura viewed her testimony as a credible and impactful account of abuse, while critics characterized it as financially motivated, citing her 2023 civil suit against Combs that resulted in a reported $20 million settlement. During cross-examination, Ventura acknowledged the settlement, stating, "I'd give that money back if I never had to have freak-offs. If I never had to have freak-offs, I would have agency and autonomy... I wouldn't have had to work so hard to gain it back."[64]
Following her cross-examination, comparisons were drawn between Ventura's statements and those of other witnesses, including Dawn Richard. Defense attorneys and some commentators argued that Ventura's testimony appeared inconsistent compared with Richard's, while others maintained that any discrepancies did not undermine the overall credibility of her claims.[65]
The differing views on Ventura's credibility have been analyzed through the framework of the ideal victim theory, which examines how societal expectations influence perceptions of victimhood. Under this concept, individuals may face victim blaming when aspects of their lifestyle, choices, or behavior after an assault are used to question their legitimacy as victims.
During the trial, Ventura testified that she had frequently used drugs—including but not limited to ketamine, ecstasy, and cocaine—while in a relationship with Combs.[66][67] Analysts have noted that while this admission may have influenced some public perceptions of her credibility, it has also prompted broader discussion about gender, power, and victimhood within the entertainment industry.
Testimony of other witnesses
In addition to Ventura, several other witnesses provided testimony regarding their interactions with Combs. Dawn Richard testified about incidents she alleged involved sexual misconduct and coercive control, describing circumstances similar to those alleged by Ventura, although with differences in detail and timing. The defense highlighted perceived inconsistencies in witness statements across the testimonies, while prosecution representatives emphasized the overall pattern and corroboration of claims.
Multiple witnesses also described the use of drugs and alcohol in social and professional settings, and alleged that Combs encouraged or facilitated their use during incidents later characterized as abusive or coercive. Testimony included references to ketamine, ecstasy, cocaine, and other substances, with witnesses describing their effects on decision-making, consent, and memory.
Observers and analysts noted that the testimony of multiple witnesses contributed to a broader understanding of alleged systemic patterns of behavior, power dynamics, and potential exploitation within Combs' professional and personal environments. Commentary on the trial has frequently referenced the challenges of assessing credibility in cases involving high-profile defendants and complex social and psychological contexts.
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Possible pardon
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During a press conference on May 30, 2025, President Donald Trump was asked whether he would consider granting a pardon to Combs if he were convicted of the charges against him. Trump responded that he was not closely following the details of the case but stated that he would "certainly look at the facts" before making any decision.[68][69]
Trump’s comments quickly drew reactions from across the entertainment industry. Rapper 50 Cent publicly criticized the idea of a presidential pardon for Combs, posting on Instagram that he would attempt to personally dissuade Trump from doing so. "I'm gonna reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy," he wrote, referring to Combs and the allegations against him.[70]
Trump and Combs had previously shared a cordial relationship during their overlapping careers in the entertainment and business industries, frequently appearing together at social and media events in the 2000s. However, their relationship deteriorated after Trump's entry into politics. During the 2020 United States presidential election, Combs criticized Trump's rhetoric and policies, stating that "white men like Trump need to be banished," and publicly endorsed Democratic candidate Joe Biden.[69]
On July 29, 2025, Deadline Hollywood reported that Trump was "seriously considering" granting Combs a pardon ahead of his sentencing, though the White House declined to officially comment on the matter.[71]
In an August 1, 2025 interview with journalist Rob Finnerty, Trump suggested that Combs’ previous criticisms of his political career would make it "hard" for him to consider a pardon, adding that he was "leaning toward not issuing one." Trump further commented that he believed Combs was "half-innocent," a phrase that drew widespread media attention and public confusion over its intended meaning.[72]
On October 7, 2025, Trump confirmed during a press briefing that Combs had formally requested a presidential pardon in connection with his ongoing prostitution and sex trafficking case. The acknowledgment marked the first official confirmation that Combs himself had reached out to the White House seeking clemency.[73]
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See also
Notes
- Combs' defense team was led by high-profile attorney Brian Steel, who previously represented Young Thug in the YSL Records racketeering trial and former district attorney Jackie Johnson, accused of obstruction in the Ahmaud Arbery murder case. See Bethea, Charles (April 28, 2025). "A Lawyer Freed Young Thug. Now He's Defending Diddy". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on July 3, 2025. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
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References
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