Jury in Diddy’s sex trafficking trial to resume deliberations after reaching partial verdict
NEW YORK AP The jury in Sean Diddy Combs sex trafficking trial is set to resume deliberations Wednesday after reaching a yet-to-be-disclosed verdict on all but one of the five charges the hip-hop mogul faces U S District Judge Arun Subramanian ordered the jury to continue its closed-door discussions for a third day after the panel of eight men and four women declared Tuesday that it was unable to reach consensus on the top count racketeering conspiracy The judge agreed with prosecutors and Combs defense group that less than hours of deliberations was too soon to give up on reaching a verdict on all counts Related Articles Wall Street futures mixed ahead of crucial US jobs records and looming tariff deadline Explosion at a California fireworks warehouse sets off fires and forces evacuations In the current era in History July Civil Rights Act signed into law FBI says it plans to move headquarters to different location in Washington Son of El Chapo to plead guilty in US drug trafficking development The jury s decision on the other charges two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution remains under wraps for now In a note to the court late Tuesday the jury announced unpersuadable opinions on both sides among certain jurors had prevented the group from reaching a unanimous verdict on the racketeering conspiracy charge Racketeering conspiracy is the the bulk complicated charge in the trial and carries a possible maximum sentence of life in prison The sex trafficking charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of years in prison and a maximum sentence of life Transportation to engage in prostitution carries a maximum sentence of years in prison The disclosure of the jury note about the partial verdict seemed to put defense attorneys and their client in a dour mood even before it was read in open court by the judge Eight defense lawyers formed a half-circle behind Combs as the smiles and lighthearted mood that accompanied the arrival of other jury notes over two days seemed absent as the attorneys contemplated the possibility that jurors had reached agreement on counts that carry the heaviest sentencing penalties Combs appeared morose as his lawyers spoke with him At one point the hip-hop mogul solemnly read a piece of paper that attorney Marc Agnifilo handed to him After the jury came in for instructions and then exited the room a subdued Combs sat in his chair for a insufficient minutes As he stood to leave he faced his relatives and supporters in the audience blew a kiss and tapped his heart as he frequently has done at the start and end of each day Then he paused before his mother and exchanged a minimal words telling her Love you and I ll be all right Marshals then led him from the room Earlier in their deliberations the jury sought to review testimony from Cassie the R B singer who was Diddy s former longtime girlfriend as well as from Daniel Phillip a male stripper Diddy is accused of paying to have sex with Cassie Prosecutors say Combs coerced two girlfriends into drug-fueled sex marathons with male sex workers Lawyers for the Bad Boy Records founder contend prosecutors are trying to criminalize Combs swinger lifestyle They say his conduct if anything amounted to domestic violence not federal felonies Combs who chose not to testify has pleaded not guilty
