Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team is asking for the music mogul to be released immediately as he awaits sentencing, following a guilty verdict on two serious charges.
On Wednesday, July 2, a federal jury found Combs guilty of two counts of transporting individuals across state lines to engage in pr)stitution. Each charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
In court, Combs’ lead attorney, Marc Agnifilo, requested that his client be released on bond and allowed to return to his Florida home while awaiting sentencing.
“Is your proposal that Mr. Combs leave the courtroom and walk outside?” asked Judge Arun Subramanian. “That is my proposal,” Agnifilo replied.
Judge Subramanian directed both the prosecution and defence to submit formal letters outlining their positions by 1 p.m. that day, after which he would consider whether Combs would remain in custody or be granted temporary release.
Since his arrest by federal agents in September 2024, Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Centre in Brooklyn. Earlier that same day, the jury, which began deliberations on Monday, June 30, acquitted Combs of more severe charges, including racketeering conspiracy and s*x trafficking.
The high-profile trial lasted 29 days, with prosecutors calling 34 witnesses to paint Combs as the head of a sprawling criminal enterprise. The government alleged that he used his music and business empire as a front to coerce women into elaborate and non-consensual s*xual acts, often involving male s*x workers.
Among the witnesses were notable names like rapper Kid Cudi and singer Dawn Richard. However, the most detailed testimonies came from two of Combs’ former partners: singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and another woman who testified under the alias “Jane.” Both women described repeated experiences of coerced s*x acts during what they said were disturbing events referred to as “Freak Offs” and “Hotel Nights.”
Ventura also testified that Combs raped her toward the end of their 11-year relationship. Despite the lengthy prosecution case, Combs’ defence team chose not to call any witnesses. Instead, they focused on cross-examination, arguing that the encounters were consensual and that prosecutors failed to prove any criminal conspiracy.
Now visibly greying, Combs still faces multiple civil lawsuits alleging s*xual misconduct, all of which he has firmly denied, maintaining that the accusations are false.