By Luc Cohen and Jack Queen
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. judge denied Sean "Diddy" Combs' request to be released from jail on Wednesday ahead of his sentencing, after the music mogul was cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life, but was found guilty of lesser prostitution-related offenses.
At a hearing in Manhattan federal court hours after the verdict was read, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs must remain in federal lockup in Brooklyn for now, given the ample evidence presented at trial of violent acts Combs had committed.
"It is impossible for the defendant to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he poses no danger," Subramanian said. The judge suggested sentencing Combs on October 3, but said he would entertain a defense request for an earlier date.
The verdict was overall a win for Combs, a former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture.
The 12-member jury unanimously convicted him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. It acquitted Combs of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking, two of his former romantic partners: the rhythm and blues singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane.
He faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence on each of the two prostitution counts. Prosecutors acknowledged in a court filing that federal sentencing guidelines appeared to recommend a sentence of at most 5-1/4 years, well below the statutory maximum. Combs' lawyers argued that two years would be the outer limit.
As Subramanian denied bail, Combs stared straight ahead and one of his family members in the courtroom gallery hung their head.
It was a far cry from the jubilant reaction after the verdict.
“I’m gonna be home soon,” Combs said while facing the courtroom following the verdict, smiling and clasping his hands. “I love you. Thank you, I love you.”
Combs’ family and supporters erupted into applause and cheers.
Combs, once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, had pleaded not guilty to all five counts.
Combs' lawyers had urged Subramanian to release Combs on $1 million bond, arguing in a court filing that the prostitution offenses were "far less serious" than the sex trafficking and racketeering charges he faced at the time he was ordered detained pending trial.
Prosecutors argued Combs should remain in jail because he remained a danger to the community, pointing to Jane's testimony at trial that he assaulted her and coerced her into sex with a male prostitute in June 2024 while he was aware he was under federal investigation.
"The only things exceptional about this defendant are his wealth, his violence and his brazenness," prosecutor Maurene Comey said in court. "He's an extremely violent man with an extraordinarily dangerous temper who has shown no remorse and no regret."
The seven-week trial focused on prosecutors' allegations that Combs, for two decades, used his business empire to force Ventura and Jane to take part in drug-fueled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as "Freak Offs" with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed.
Prosecutors unsuccessfully argued that Combs' conduct toward both women amounted to sex trafficking because he compelled Ventura and Jane to take part in the performances using physical violence and threats to withhold financial support or leak sexually explicit images of them.
ACQUITTAL ON THREE CHARGES
The jury's acquittal on the most serious charges signaled that the prosecution failed to draw a direct line between Combs' abuse of Ventura and Jane and their participation in the sexual performances.
The defense acknowledged that Combs engaged in domestic violence, but argued that Ventura and Jane were strong, independent women who consensually took part in the sexual performances because they wanted to please Combs.
Sarah Krissoff, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan, said the jury may have viewed Combs' conduct as evidence of toxic romantic relationships, but not sex trafficking.
"It doesn't fit what they would expect to be sex trafficking," said Krissoff, now a partner at law firm Cozen O'Connor.
The Bad Boy Records founder could have faced life in prison if he were convicted of sex trafficking or racketeering conspiracy.
After the verdict, Combs’ family left the courthouse to chants of “love, love, love,” from Combs’ supporters. During his career, Combs' stage monikers included Love, Puff Daddy and P. Diddy.
In a statement after the verdict, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel said sex crimes were "all too present" across society and that Americans wanted it to stop.
Combs still faces dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of abuse. Ventura sued him in November 2023 for sex trafficking, and they settled a day later for $20 million.
Combs, once feted for turning artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars, has denied all wrongdoing.
After the verdict, Ventura's lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, said in a statement that she had "paved the way" for Combs' conviction.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen and Jack Queen in New York; Additional reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Nick Zieminski, Noeleen Walder and Bill Berkrot)
