Sean “Diddy” Combs acquitted of most serious charges, convicted of a prostitution-related offense

NEW YORK AP Sean Diddy Combs was convicted of a prostitution-related offense but acquitted Wednesday of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put one of hip-hop s majority of celebrated figures behind bars for life The mixed product came on the third day of deliberations It could still send Combs to prison for as long as a decade and is likely to end his career as a hitmaking music executive fashion entrepreneur brand ambassador and reality TV star The foreperson authenticated the verdict reached was unanimous After they read the verdict Combs held his hands up in a prayer motion looking at jury and hugged his defense lawyer Teny Geragos Combs was convicted of flying people around the country including his girlfriends and paid male sex workers to engage in sexual encounters a felony violation of the federal Mann Act But the jury of eight men and four women acquitted Combs of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges related to charges that he used his money power and frightening physical force to manipulate his girlfriends into hundreds of drug-fueled sex marathons with the men Combs and his defense crew argued that the women were willing participants and that none of his violence justified the severity of the charges After the verdict was read the judge gave the jury guidance on speaking about the event to the media to the society and more Combs continuing to pump his right fist subtly seemingly satisfied that he was acquitted on the greater part serious charges Combs seemed buoyant arriving in the courtroom earlier Wednesday morning a contrast to his mood a day earlier after he learned that the jury at his sex trafficking trial had reached a yet-to-be-disclosed verdict on all but one of the five charges the hip-hop mogul faces Combs smiled and clasped his hands together in the air toward his family and supporters before hugging several of his lawyers and sitting down to await the outcome of the jury s third day of deliberations A short while later Combs his head bowed stood several feet from his family for less than a minute as they sat with their heads bowed in prayer As they did on Monday Combs and family members then applauded before he was led from the courtroom by U S marshals The family later got in a van and left the courthouse On Tuesday U S District Judge Arun Subramanian ordered the jury to continue its closed-door discussions for a third day after the panel of eight men and four women declared it was unable to reach consensus on the top count racketeering conspiracy The judge agreed with prosecutors and Combs defense unit that less than hours of deliberations was too soon to give up on reaching a verdict on all counts The jury s decision on the other charges two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution remains under wraps for now In a note to the court late Tuesday the jury disclosed unpersuadable opinions on both sides among various jurors had prevented the group from reaching a unanimous verdict on the racketeering conspiracy charge Racketeering conspiracy is the the majority complicated charge in the trial and carries a foreseen maximum sentence of life in prison The sex trafficking charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of years in prison and a maximum sentence of life Transportation to engage in prostitution carries a maximum sentence of years in prison The disclosure of the jury note about the partial verdict seemed to put defense attorneys and their client in a dour mood even before it was read in open court by the judge Eight defense lawyers formed a half-circle behind Combs as the smiles and lighthearted mood that accompanied the arrival of other jury notes over two days seemed absent as the attorneys contemplated the possibility that jurors had reached agreement on counts that carry the heaviest sentencing penalties Combs appeared morose as his lawyers spoke with him At one point the hip-hop mogul solemnly read a piece of paper that attorney Marc Agnifilo handed to him After the jury came in for instructions and then exited the room a subdued Combs sat in his chair for a limited minutes As he stood to leave he faced his relatives and supporters in the audience blew a kiss and tapped his heart as he frequently has done at the start and end of each day Then he paused before his mother and exchanged a sparse words telling her Love you and I ll be all right Marshals then led him from the room Earlier in their deliberations the jury sought to review testimony from Cassie the R B singer who was Diddy s former longtime girlfriend as well as from Daniel Phillip a male stripper Diddy is accused of paying to have sex with Cassie Prosecutors say Combs coerced two girlfriends into drug-fueled sex marathons with male sex workers Lawyers for the Bad Boy Records founder contend prosecutors are trying to criminalize Combs swinger lifestyle They say his conduct if anything amounted to domestic violence not federal felonies