Bad news for Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, but not as bad as some imagined. The presumption last night was convictions on at least two counts, when jurors indicated that they had reached verdicts on all counts except for the RICO charge. To be hung on the RICO count, the jury would have had to convict Combs on at least two of those counts, which is why last night seemed like very bad news for the defense.
The judge sent the jury back to continue deliberation after they first declared themselves hung on Count One. It didn’t take them long to change their minds. An hour later, the jury did indeed return convictions, but only on two lesser felony charges, and an acquittal on RICO and two sex-trafficking charges:
Sean Combs, the hip-hop mogul who once ran a sprawling business empire, was convicted on Wednesday of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution after an eight-week trial.
But a federal jury in Manhattan acquitted Mr. Combs, 55, of the most serious charges against him, sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, in a case that accused the famed producer of coercing women into unwanted sex with male prostitutes, aided by a team of pliant employees.
Even with a partial conviction, the result is something of a victory for Mr. Combs, who faced a possible life sentence had he been convicted of other counts in the case. The charge, under the federal Mann Act, carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The two convictions came on his Mann Act charges, which allege the transportation of two women across state lines for the purposes of prostitution. Those charges were considered the lightest of the five counts against Diddy, and the RICO charge was the count with the potential for a life sentence.
To some extent, the verdict seems to be incoherent. Given the testimony of the victims, the determination to traffic them for sexual purposes appeared undeniable. If these women were transported across state lines for the purposes of prostitution, as the jury decided, how can that not be sex trafficking?
The defense is already insisting on Combs’ release before sentencing, arguing the acquittal on the more serious charges. Prosecutors will argue that Combs still just got convicted on two felony counts and has massive resources to flee outside the jurisdiction of the US. It seems unlikely that the judge will grant bond, but as some are already remarking, it seemed unlikely that Combs could get acquitted on the sex-trafficking charges, even while the RICO count seemed like a reach at times.
We’ll have more as developments warrant. The judge may rule soon on the defense’s motion for bail. Bear in mind too that Combs has been locked up for over a year, and that time will apply to any prison sentence he receives. If the judge runs the prison time for the two counts concurrently, Combs may only serve six or seven years before becoming eligible for parole.
