Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
New York, July 2, 2025 — Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has been found guilty on two counts of transportation for prostitution, following a high-profile, seven-week trial that concluded Wednesday. The jury’s verdict clears Combs of the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, but his legal troubles are far from over.
The conviction falls under the Mann Act (18 U.S.C. § 2421), a federal law that prohibits knowingly transporting individuals across state or international borders for the purpose of engaging in prostitution or illegal sexual activity. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The jury heard harrowing testimony, including from singer Cassie Ventura, Combs’s former partner, who detailed years of alleged coercion and abuse. Prosecutors argued that Combs organized so-called “freak-off” parties, flying women—including ex-girlfriends—on international trips, including to the Turks and Caicos Islands, to engage in exploitative sexual encounters.
Although Combs was acquitted of racketeering and trafficking, the guilty verdict on the transportation charges underscores a pattern of behavior and the calculated use of international travel to facilitate illicit activity.
Judge Arun Subramanian denied Combs’s request for bail, despite his legal team’s argument that his acquittal on the most serious charges warranted release. Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo insisted Combs had been a “model prisoner” and posed no flight risk. However, the judge sided with prosecutors, pointing to Combs’s admitted history of violence in his relationships.
Combs has now been in federal custody for nine months, and will remain behind bars until his sentencing, which has been scheduled for Friday, October 3, 2025. He faces up to 20 years in prison, though sentencing guidelines suggest a range of 51 to 63 months.
Public support has grown for Cassie Ventura, widely hailed as a hero for her courage in sharing “damning and deeply personal” testimony. Meanwhile, Combs still faces more than a dozen civil lawsuits, many from other alleged victims.
