Jurors on Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ case have reached a verdict on four of the five counts against him but remain split on one charge: racketeering.
They’ve reached a verdict on four counts
The jurors have reached a unanimous verdict on two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution after 12 hours of deliberations, but they remain split on count one of racketeering.
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Diddy was arrested last year
The rapper was arrested in September last year and charged with five counts: two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering conspiracy.
If the jury finds him guilty on all five counts, this could land him life in prison.
A final decision is expected soon
Both the defense and prosecution want the jury to keep deliberating on count one of racketeering and a final decision is expected in the coming days.
The verdict on the other four counts has not yet been read in court.
Diddy’s trail saw many witnesses
The jury heard from 34 witnesses in the 55-year-old rapper’s trial. Witnesses included his ex-girlfriends, former employees, male escorts and federal agents, per the BBC.
A lot of the allegations come from Cassie Ventura, one of his former partners, who shared horrifying claims around the rapper’s infamous ‘freak-off’ parties.
Racketeering is a complex charge
Count one which the jury has yet to make a decision on is a complex charge. If someone is found guilty of racketeering, it basically means they’ve run or conspired with a ‘criminal enterprise’.
In the rapper’s case, the count claims he used his businesses, including his music label Bad Boy Records, ‘to fulfil his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct’.
Racketeering can take many forms including drug trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, cyber extortion or illegal gambling.
One analyst weighed in on what could happen next
If found guilty of the counts against him, Diddy is likely to spend a long time in prison as counts two and four have a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of life while counts three and five carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.
CNN Senior Legal analyst Elie Honig weighed in on the possible outcome, arguing that he’s likely to spend a long time in prison.
He explained the likely situation
“It is hard for me to fathom, logically, that there are multiple jurors who basically say he is guilty of racketeering, but he’s not guilty of all the other crimes, the other sex trafficking crimes and interstate prostitution crimes,” Honig said.
“So honestly, that would be the conversation I’d be having right now if I was in the prosecution room. I would take some heart in that. I would be encouraged by that as a prosecutor, that that suggests we might have guilty verdicts on the other counts.”
A verdict is expected in the coming days
Another day of deliberation is still taking place where a verdict may be reached by the jury on count one of racketeering.
If it remains a hung jury, or a deadlocked jury, where the judicial jury cannot agree on a verdict after an extended period of deliberation, this may result in the case being tried again.