Rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs found guilty of prostitution-related charges

Sean “Diddy” Combs was denied bond Wednesday evening after a Manhattan federal district court found the rapper, fashion designer, and entrepreneur guilty on two counts of transportation for purposes of prostitution. The court said Combs violated the federal Mann Act, which criminalizes interstate or foreign transport of people for prostitution or illegal sex acts, according to the Associated Press.

The jury acquitted him of more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, which carried maximum sentences of life in prison. Combs pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. Jurors heard about seven weeks of testimony and deliberated for more than 13 hours, according to the Associated Press. The case against Combs began in September 2024, when federal prosecutors charged him with the crimes dating back to 2008.

What did the Justice Department say about the verdict? In a Wednesday statement that did not explicitly mention Combs, the department thanked officials, attorneys, and victims for standing against sex trafficking. It went on to characterize sex crimes as a scourge that must be stopped.

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