- \n
- ombs pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution<\/li>\n
- Witnesses at the trial included Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, and artist Kid Cudi<\/li>\n
- On July 2, the rapper was found not guilty of three charges and guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Sean “Diddy” Combs<\/a>‘ sex trafficking trial has ended after several key players took their place in the courtroom.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nIn September 2024, the rap mogul was\u00a0indicted on charges<\/a>\u00a0of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. After several women came forward with claims that the musician had raped them, the Bad Boy Records founder denied all of the allegations in a statement to PEOPLE in December 2023.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAfter pleading not guilty, Combs\u2019 highly anticipated trial began on May 12. On day two, key witness\u00a0Casandra “Cassie” Ventura<\/a>\u00a0took the stand, delivering an emotional testimony filled with explosive claims from their decade-long relationship.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nOver a month later, a jury\u00a0announced its verdict<\/a>: he was acquitted on three charges of racketeering and sex trafficking and was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.<\/p>\n
\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFrom the legal teams to the witnesses, here’s a guide to the key players in Diddy’s sex trafficking trial.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
What was Diddy charged with?<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n \n![\"Sean](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/mpvf7tSsKIl_6du9-bBFpKwjwCY=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(748x281:750x283):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-key-players-sean-combs-mugshot-051425-23a09f90c17445e1b0cd91f1e0a79d38.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Sean Combs was arrested by the NYPD in December 1999 and charged with possession of a firearm following a shooting at a Manhattan nightclub.<\/span>Bureau of Prisons\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n In September 2024, Combs was indicted on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nA 2024 federal\u00a0indictment<\/a>\u00a0alleged that Combs used his power in the music industry to manipulate and lure women, forcing them to participate in orchestrated sex acts during so-called “freak off<\/a>” parties.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAccording to prosecutors, \u201cfreak offs\u201d were “elaborate and produced sex performances” that Combs allegedly coerced women into performing with male sex workers. After authorities raided Combs’ home in Miami and Los Angeles in March 2025, prosecutors said they found “freak off supplies,” which included drugs and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nProsecutors alleged that the rapper used various controlled substances \u2014 sometimes without the victim’s knowledge \u2014 to maintain control over them, per the indictment. He was also described as the mastermind behind a “criminal enterprise” linked to allegations of kidnapping, arson and drug offenses.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
What was the verdict in Diddy’s trial?<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n \n![\"Sean](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/e44wxFqt-1YLeGaDgEOZMtLNDA0=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)\/diddy-1-070524-e00612cf69954b80a85e6f5c87aede6a.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Sean “Diddy” Combs attends Sean “Diddy” Combs Album Release Party For “The Love Album: Off The Grid” on September 15, 2023 in New York City.<\/span>Shareif Ziyadat\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n After over a month of trial, in which prosecutors called 34 witnesses over the course of 29 days of testimony, a jury announced on July 2 that it had reached a split verdict.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nDiddy was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering and convicted of two lesser prostitution charges. While he faces up to 20 years in prison, the acquitted charges could have amounted to life in prison, making the verdict a win for the rapper.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
When was Diddy’s trial?<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n \n![\"Marc](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/_JFWTKrzdIMKEcDJH7QnZTCEn40=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-courtroom-sketch-3-050125-7c07cb78cbdc4a9fba788099680f460b.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Marc Agnifolo, Alexandra Shapiro, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Tony Riccio listen during a hearing in federal court on Nov. 24, 2024, in New York.<\/span>Jane Rosenberg via AP<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Following juror selection on May 5, the trial officially began on May 12 in downtown Manhattan and lasted through the end of June. The jury\u00a0began deliberating<\/a>\u00a0on June 30 before announcing its verdict on July 2.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/span><\/p>\n
Who were the key players in Diddy’s trial?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Sean “Diddy” Combs<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n \n![\"Sean](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/qKw8I5X__Eczy0r7LAsW1mfnPpA=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(711x205:713x207):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-key-players-sean-diddy-combs-051425-de727759747d48709aefb03c7d6a002c.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Sean “Diddy” Combs attends Sean “Diddy” Combs Fulfills $1 Million Pledge To Howard University on October 20, 2023, in Washington, DC.<\/span>Shareif Ziyadat\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The rap mogul \u2014 who has been\u00a0sued by dozens of people<\/a>\u00a0accusing him of sexual misconduct and denied the allegations \u2014 pleaded not guilty to the federal sex crime charges he was facing.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThere were\u00a0several disturbing allegations<\/a>\u00a0made by prosecutors against Combs, including that he forced victims to participate in “freak offs,” used drugs and power to coerce women and physically abused multiple people.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nSince his 2024 arrest, Combs has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Complex in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nCassie Ventura<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n \n![\"Cassie](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/QQZLmCzSQ4TYVMmh_ZvsS-BErKM=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(762x224:764x226):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-key-players-cassie-051425-c2d9674bd8e847dd9a3e13d50e831b91.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Cassie attends the CFDA Fashion Awards on Nov. 7, 2022, in New York City.<\/span>Dimitrios Kambouris\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Ventura, who dated Combs for about a decade, was one of the key witnesses in the trial against him.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nThe R&B singer first sued Combs for sexual assault in November 2023, though the suit was\u00a0settled one day after it was filed<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nOn day two of the trial, Ventura \u2014 who shares three kids with husband Alex Fine \u2014 took the stand and described the abuse she allegedly endured by Combs, explaining that he “controlled” much of her life.<\/p>\n
Ventura testified that the rapper introduced her to the idea of sexual voyeurism early in their relationship and asked her about “freak offs.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\u201cThe longest was 4 days or even more with breaks. Then I was recovering from the drugs, dehydration \u2014\u00a0just trying to stay awake all the time,” she told the jury, adding that the “freak offs became a job.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nVentura also alleged that Combs filmed their sexual encounters and used the footage as “blackmail materials<\/a>,” leading her to live in fear that he would use his “many resources” to release them.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAs her testimony continued, she revealed\u00a0private details of their relationship<\/a>, which she noted had a 17-year age gap.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nVictim 2, 3 and 4<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n \n![\"Sean](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/NvjG6ZrJZPWqcGcPpuK37e2Uoh8=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(694x188:696x190):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-key-players-sketch-sean-combs-051425-ea71f95128e241208dab6b320e50b38c.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Sean Diddy Combs during the first day of trial at Manhattan federal court on May 12, 2025, in New York.<\/span>Elizabeth Williams via AP<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n In a motion filed in April 2025, prosecutors stated that three other victims would testify at trial, though their identities would remain protected. They requested that the women be referred to by their pseudonyms.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nOn day two of the trial, Victim 2 was given the pseudonym Jane, while Victim 4 was referred to as Mia, per\u00a0NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nDuring opening statements, prosecutors described Jane as a single mom who met Combs in 2020 and fell in love with the mogul. They said that she participated in a freak off, thinking it would be a one-time event, though it wasn’t.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nProsecutors outlined several other details about Jane’s relationship with Combs, including that he allegedly once kicked her to the ground and used threats to control her.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nMeanwhile, Mia is Combs’ former personal assistant who alleges that the musician sexually assaulted her.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nMarc Agnifilo<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n \n![\"Attorney](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/Ok0WM2PmGharLWaRWdY2f_6l-64=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(759x182:761x184):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-key-players-marc-agnifilo-051425-1a9c6e67a88b432293d6a2745b70f4be.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Attorney Marc Agnifilo speaks to the media outside federal court on Sept. 18, 2024, in New York.<\/span>AP Photo\/Stefan Jeremiah<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Leading Combs’ defense was Marc Agnifilo, the husband of Karen Friedman Agnifilo, who is\u00a0representing UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect<\/a>\u00a0Luigi Mangione<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nIn response to the charges against Combs, Agnifilo said he would “fight like hell” to get the rapper released.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n\u201cHe\u2019s going to fight this<\/a>\u00a0with all of his energy and all of his might and the full confidence of his lawyers, and I expect a long battle with a good result for Mr. Combs,” Agnifilo continued.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAhead of the trial, Marc said his client was a “swinger,” but not a sexual predator, per\u00a0ABC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n“There’s a lifestyle, call it swingers, that he was in that he thought was appropriate,” the lawyer said. “The reason he thought it was appropriate is because it’s so common.”<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nTeny Geragos<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n \n![\"Sean](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/_pZQuj6UkOuz3PFpqoKrBKkHDIE=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(756x151:758x153):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-key-players-teny-geragos-051425-c34feacf86ce4d3a9705bfc52433405e.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Sean Combs’ lawyer Teny Geragos arrives at court on May 12, 2025, in New York City.<\/span>Steve Sanchez\/Sipa via AP<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Combs’ legal team also included Teny Geragos, a\u00a0founding partner at Agnifilo Intrater LLP\u00a0<\/a>and the daughter of well-known defense attorney Mark Geragos, who has represented\u00a0Scott Peterson<\/a>, the\u00a0Menendez brothers<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Michael Jackson<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nDuring her opening statement, Geragos addressed hotel security footage in which Combs is seen assaulting Ventura. While she acknowledged that what Combs did was “horrible, dehumanizing, violent and terrible,” she argued that it was “evidence of domestic violence,” not sex trafficking.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nBrian Steel<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n \n![\"Attorney](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/cykoGEPu1Jdmb7HRItrmT5zbSZs=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(762x188:764x190):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-key-players-brian-steel-051425-f077c50a15894004ad82bf064c2077bc.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Attorney Brian Steel arrives to the federal courthouse on May 5, 2025, in New York.<\/span>AP Photo\/Seth Wenig<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n After representing\u00a0Young Thug<\/a>\u00a0(n\u00e9 Jeffery Lamar Williams) during a high-profile racketeering trial in 2024, Brian Steel\u00a0requested to join Diddy’s legal team<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nSteel defended Williams, who\u00a0pleaded guilty<\/a>\u00a0to drug charges, gun charges and one gang charge in October 2024, in what was the longest criminal trial in Georgia’s history.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nIn June 2024, the Georgia-based lawyer was\u00a0briefly sent to jail<\/a>\u00a0after he refused to tell the judge how he found out about a meeting between the judge, prosecutors and a prosecution witness, per the\u00a0Associated Press<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAccording to\u00a0The New Yorker<\/em><\/a>, Steel appealed the charge to the Georgia Supreme Court, which eventually overturned the decision.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nMaurene Ryan Comey<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n \n![\"Assistant](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/q4H8cP7_yCFJnKb_4b8E_m1rYmw=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(683x202:685x204):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-key-players-maurene-ryan-comey-051425-9fbe532c23454001b114e61282e33434.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey during a news conference on July 8, 2019, in New York.<\/span>AP Photo\/Richard Drew<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Maurene Ryan Comey was among the group of assistant U.S. attorneys on the prosecution’s team. She is the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, who prosecuted\u00a0Ghislaine Maxwell<\/a>\u00a0in her sex trafficking trial.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nU.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian<\/span><\/h3>\n
\n \n![\"Arun](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/0U3PfTtnud6qyPHFk1WNGWJhzrg=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(686x216:688x218):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-key-players-judge-arun-subramanian-051425-216a81a452e14fbeb5eb55565ac1602b.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Arun Subramanian District Judge for the Southern District of New York testifies on Dec. 13, 2022.<\/span>Tom Williams\/CQ Roll Call via AP<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian presided over the case. Subramanian was appointed to the bench in 2023 by former President\u00a0Joe Biden<\/a>, and previously clerked for the late Supreme Court\u00a0Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nWhich celebrities were mentioned during Diddy’s trial?<\/span><\/h2>\n
\n \n![\"Kid](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/DbVink96qBfvI40RnBqfg0ti-wE=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(745x154:747x156):format(webp)\/diddy-trial-key-players-kid-cudi-michael-b-jordan-kanye-west-051425-9d93cb76c74e4db981232d246aaecd73.jpg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>Kid Cudi attends the screening of ‘Severance’ season 2 on March 22, 2025, in Los Angeles ; Michael B. Jordan attends the ‘Sinners’ premiere on April 14, 2025, in London ; Kanye West attends the Fast Company Innovation Festival on Nov. 7, 2019, in New York City.<\/span>Monica Schipper\/Getty ; Samir Hussein\/WireImage ; Brad Barket\/Getty<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n During jury selection on May 5, potential jurors were\u00a0questioned about their knowledge of several high-profile celebrities<\/a>, including\u00a0Kanye West<\/a>,\u00a0Michael B. Jordan<\/a>,\u00a0Mike Myers<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Kid Cudi<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAlthough they were mentioned, most of the celebrities \u2014 apart from Kid Cudi \u2014 were not called as witnesses or involved in the proceedings. A source confirmed to PEOPLE that Jordan would “not be a witness at the trial<\/a>,” though they say he was mentioned because of his personal association with Ventura.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nAs for Kid Cudi, Ventura alleged in her lawsuit that Combs physically attacked her after finding out about her brief relationship with the “Pursuit of Happiness” singer.<\/p>\n