On Wednesday, July 2, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was found guilty on two of the five charges brought against him after a jury reached a unanimous decision.
The 55-year-old faced accusations including two counts of sex trafficking, one count of racketeering conspiracy, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He was found guilty of the latter. During the 28-day trial, the jury heard testimonies from several witnesses, including his former partner Cassie Ventura, male sex workers involved in ‘freak-offs,’ and hotel employees. Combs denied all charges.
The jury began deliberations on June 30 following the closing arguments from the prosecution and defense teams. Their task was to determine if Combs was too intoxicated to have intentionally committed the alleged crimes or if he intended to commit them despite his intoxication.
The jury’s verdict concluded that Combs was guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
However, he was acquitted of two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, and one count of racketeering conspiracy.
The case against Combs included a charge of racketeering conspiracy, along with charges related to sex trafficking and transportation for prostitution. The racketeering charge involved allegations of kidnapping, drugging, and coercing women into sexual activities, sometimes involving violence and firearms.
In total, Combs faced five counts, which led to some confusion regarding the distinction between transportation for prostitution and sex trafficking.
There is curiosity as to why he was guilty of one crime but not the other, particularly when both involved the same two women.
The legal definition of sex trafficking under 18 U.S.C. § 1591 requires the defendant to “recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide, obtain, or maintain by any means a person…” and have knowledge or reckless disregard that force, threats, fraud, or coercion will be used for a commercial sex act, according to Cornell Law School.
In contrast, transportation for prostitution under 18 U.S.C. § 2421 involves knowingly transporting an individual across state or international borders with the intent that the person engages in prostitution.
The requirement for § 2421 is proving the intent to transport a person for prostitution or other criminal sexual activity, without needing to demonstrate force, fraud, or coercion. For adults, prosecutors must prove coercion, while for minors, consent is irrelevant.
Thus, § 2421 specifically targets the action of moving someone for prostitution, whereas § 1591 covers the broader act of exploiting people, especially minors, through coercion, force, or fraud for commercial sex.
The maximum penalty for transportation for prostitution is 10 years in prison. Federal prosecutors have indicated they will seek a total of 20 years for the two charges Combs was convicted of.