Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs was found not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking Wednesday but convicted of a less serious prostitution charge after a high-profile marathon trial in New York. The jury, after 13 hours of deliberation, found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. But he was acquitted of a major racketeering charge and two sex trafficking charges that could have sent him to prison for life.Combs bowed his head, quietly pumping his fists in his lap and bringing his hands together in a prayer as the verdicts were read out. At one point, he looked towards the ceiling, appearing to express deep relief.He shook hands with one of his lawyers, who embraced each other – two of them teared up in joy – and mouthed thanks to the eight-man, four-woman jury as they filed out of the courtroom.The relatively quick verdict arrived after seven weeks of testimony, in which prosecutors had accused Combs of being the boss of a decades-long criminal group who directed loyal employees and bodyguards to commit myriad offences at his behest. Jurors announced a partial verdict late Tuesday and said they were deadlocked on the racketeering charge – but Judge Arun Subramanian instructed them to keep working.Combs, once one of the most powerful figures in the music industry, had vehemently denied all charges. Along with racketeering, Combs was charged with sex trafficking two women: singer Casandra Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane.Both were in long-term relationships with the entrepreneur and hip-hop pioneer, and they each testified about abuse, threats and coercive sex in wrenching detail.They both said they felt obligated to participate in Combs-directed sexual marathons with hired men.Combs’s lawyers insisted the sex was consensual. They conceded domestic violence was a feature of his relationships — one harrowing example of him beating and dragging Ventura was caught on security footage that has been widely publicised.Yet while disturbing, that did not amount to sex trafficking, the defence said. Jurors ultimately agreed.Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, released a statement saying she had made an “indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice.”Combs’s family, present throughout the trial that began in early May, clapped and cheered for him in court.
