Combs jury says it has verdicts on four counts, will keep deliberating on final count
A federal jury in Manhattan is continuing to deliberate in the criminal trial of Sean Combs, the hip-hop tycoon also known as Diddy or Puff Daddy.
A note the jurors sent to Judge Arun Subramanian on Tuesday afternoon said they had reached agreement on two of the three charges against Combs: sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Those charges revolve around accusations involving two of Combs’ ex-girlfriends, the singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.” The government alleges that Combs forced Ventura and Jane into elaborate sex and drug marathons that included male sex workers.
The jury also stated, however, that they have been unable to reach a unanimous agreement so far on a racketeering accusation against Combs, in which the government alleges that Combs and some of his associates and employees used his legitimate business empire to hide criminal activities, including bribery, drug distribution and obstruction of justice.
In all, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York are seeking to convict Combs on five total criminal counts:
- Count One: Racketeering, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison
- Count Two: Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion of Cassie Ventura, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment
- Count Three: Transportation to engage in prostitution (also known as the Mann Act) of Cassie Ventura, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years
- Count Four: Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion of Jane, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment
- Count Five: Transportation to engage in prostitution of Jane, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years
Judge Subramanian instructed the jury to keep deliberating on the racketeering charge. The jury has finished its deliberations for the day, and will continue its discussions on Wednesday.
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