Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is currently in the fight of his life in federal court as he stares down the prospect of decades behind bars.
The former rap mogul, aged 55, is facing charges of two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation for prostitution, and one count of racketeering.
Prosecutors claim that the rapper utilized his diverse business ventures to conduct criminal activities over the years, allegedly forcing victims into prolonged sexual encounters and using threats to keep them from speaking out.
The charges for racketeering and sex trafficking come with a minimum sentence of 15 years each, while the transportation for prostitution charge could lead to a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Authorities have issued three total indictments against Diddy, and in the superseding filing in April they added two additional counts of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Diddy has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and his attorneys said in court this week that the case ‘is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money’ over his on-off relationship with Cassie Ventura.
Here, DailyMail.com looks at what charges Diddy is facing and how they are playing out in his ongoing trial in Manhattan.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, pictured with ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, is in the fight of his life as he faces decades behind bars in his ongoing federal trial
What is racketeering?
The racketeering charges against Diddy are perhaps the most serious of the three charges he is facing.
Prosecutors typically only bring racketeering charges against multiple people as a ‘criminal enterprise’, under RICO – Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute law.
The legislation was created decades ago to allow law enforcement to go after organized crime bosses, particularly the mafia and cartels, who typically insulate themselves from crimes by delegating them to accomplices.
But prosecutors say RICO charges are attributable to Combs because he used his ’empire’ as a criminal organization to allegedly coerce victims into the ‘freak offs.’
This alleged ‘criminal enterprise’ carried out a litany of crimes including kidnapping, arson and drug offenses, according to prosecutors.
He also allegedly used various drugs including ketamine and GBH, often allegedly without victims’ knowledge, to manipulate them into the ‘elaborate and produced sexual performances’.
The disgraced rap mogul, 55, has been charged with two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering
What is transportation to engage in prostitution?
In the indictment against Diddy, he was accused of knowingly transporting female victims across state lines with the intent to force them into prostitution.
Prosecutors say he carried this out on multiple occasions, and allegedly often hired sex workers to take part in the ‘freak offs.’
The allegations, which also related to his sex trafficking counts, focus on three unnamed women noted only as ‘victim 1, victim 2 and victim 3’ in the indictments.
Victim 1 is widely understood to likely be Cassie as the allegations were so similar to her settled lawsuit, while victim 3 has caused a stir in the case after apparently going missing during the trial.
What is sex trafficking?
Diddy is facing multiple counts of sex trafficking in the indictment after allegedly recruiting, enticing and transporting women for ‘commercial sex acts.’
Prosecutors say he violated federal sex trafficking statutes by using ‘force, fraud or coercion’ to compel victims to engage in the ‘freak offs.’
Specifically, Diddy is accused of trafficking three women and manipulating them through a combination of money, drugs and violence.
Stripper Daniel Phillip previously told the court that he was paid thousands of dollars to perform sexual acts with Cassie and occasionally Diddy who he claimed would orchestrate and film the encounters.
Phillip also testified that he was plied with a cocktail of drugs before the freak-offs.
Exotic dancer Sharay Hayes, also known as ‘The Punisher’ made similar allegations when he appeared on the stand.
He testified that he first met the ex-couple at the Trump International Hotel and Tower in New York City where he was paid for his time.
In total he performed for them a further eight to twelve times, a court heard.
According to prosecutors, the rapper used his ‘multi-faceted business empire’ to carry out a ‘criminal enterprise’ for years, allegedly coercing victims into sexual ‘freak off’ marathons and threatening them into silence
Earlier in his trial, Cassie took the stand and gave harrowing testimony over how she was allegedly often beaten and abused when she was in a relationship with Diddy
What is Diddy’s defense?
Diddy has furiously denied the charges against him from the start, and insisted after his 2024 arrest that he, ‘has never sexually assaulted anyone – adult or minor, man or woman’.
Following the superseded indictment in April, he said through his attorneys that his accusers had been in ‘consensual relationships’ with him.
‘This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion,’ they said at the time.
Earlier in his trial, Cassie took the stand and gave harrowing testimony over how she was allegedly often beaten and abused when she was in a relationship with Diddy.
Diddy’s defense attorney Teny Geragos’ took a novel approach in her opening statement, by admitting that her client was a domestic abuser, but was not guilty of the federal charges against him.
She conceded the hip-hop impresario has a ‘bad temper’ and is prone to violent outbursts that are often fueled by alcohol, jealousy and drugs.
But she maintained that while his actions might have warranted domestic violence charges, they aren’t proof he engaged in sex trafficking and racketeering — the charges he faces.
Geragos argued that Combs’ sexual habits were part of a swinger lifestyle involving consenting adults and reminded jurors that ‘kinky’ sexual predilections don’t equate to sex trafficking.
‘Sean Combs is a complicated man. But this is not a complicated case,’ she said. ‘This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money.’
