Not long after a jury reached a verdict in music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs' sexual misconduct trial — acquitting him on the most serious charges — a lawyer for singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura said his client "paved the way" for a jury to convict her ex-boyfriend on some of the counts against him.
A few hours into its third day of deliberations, the jury on Wednesday found Combs not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, but did find him guilty of lesser charges related to prostitution, including transportation to engage in prostitution involving two of his ex-girlfriends — Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym of "Jane."
ADDITIONAL REPORTING | Jury acquits Sean 'Diddy' Combs on most serious charges in sexual misconduct trial
“This entire criminal process started when our client Cassie Ventura had the courage to file her civil complaint in November 2023," her lawyer, Doug Wigdor, said in a statement obtained by CNN. "Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution."
Ventura's civil lawsuit against Combs, filed in 2023, is seen as the catalyst for his criminal trial. In that lawsuit, which Combs settled for $20 million, she accused him of a decade of disturbing abuse. His attorneys in that case denied all of the allegations at the time, but Combs was later arrested after a sex trafficking investigation was launched.
“By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice," Wigdor said, also lauding her "exemplary courage" that "brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion.”
He added, "This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors."
At the center of the criminal accusations were so-called "freak offs" or "hotel nights" — drug-fueled marathon sex encounters that often involved male prostitutes and were meticulously recorded by Combs. Ventura and Jane both testified that they felt like they had to participate in these sex acts to be in a relationship with Combs, with Ventura going as far as to say that she felt like the "freak offs" had become her job.
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In order to find Combs guilty on the racketeering conspiracy charge, the jury would have had to distinguish which five predicate acts within the charge Combs was guilty of. Those included, per the jury's verdict form, include kidnapping, arson, bribery, witness tampering and forced labor.
The jury — made up of eight men and four women residing in New York City — heard from 34 witnesses over the course of two months.
Combs' defense team admitted he had issues with violence, but insisted all of the sexual acts were consensual and that he had a "swinger lifestyle." He did not testify on his own behalf, and the defense did not call a single witness during the trial.
In the end, the jury did not see enough indisputable evidence to find Combs guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
