Diddy Trial Update: Jury Deadlocks On Racketeering But Reaches Four Verdicts
A Manhattan jury has reached agreement on four of the five charges levelled against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs — but remains deadlocked on the most serious allegation, racketeering conspiracy, which carries a potential life sentence.
After more than 12 hours of deliberations over two days, jurors informed the court on Tuesday afternoon (1 July 2025) that they were split on one charge and unable to reach a unanimous decision.
“We have jurors with unpersuadable opinions on both sides,” read the jury’s note to the court.
The four other charges — two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transporting individuals across state lines for the purposes of prostitution — have been decided, but the outcomes have not yet been revealed to the public.
Mr Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains in custody after being denied bail earlier in the trial.
What is racketeering conspiracy and why is it so serious?
The racketeering conspiracy charge is based on the US Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a federal law enacted in 1970 to combat organised crime.
Under this law, prosecutors do not need to prove that a defendant directly committed every criminal act. Instead, they must demonstrate that the person was part of an enterprise that conspired to commit a pattern of criminal behaviour.
The US Department of Justice defines racketeering activity to include a broad list of crimes such as bribery, kidnapping, murder, extortion, arson and fraud. The conspiracy element means that prosecutors must show that two or more people agreed to carry out at least two of these crimes within a ten-year period.
“RICO allows you to bring in the bigger picture,” said former US prosecutor Bobby Taghavi.
“That includes his lifestyle, his power, his anger issues, the way people had to obey him — the 360-degree view of his conduct.”
In this case, the prosecution alleges that Mr Combs used his music and business empire — Combs Enterprises — as a front for coercing and manipulating women into sexual acts through force, threats, and blackmail.
The racketeering charge is considered the most serious of the five, with a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
What has the jury decided — and what’s still up in the air?
On Tuesday at around 4:05 p.m. (New York time), the 12-member jury — made up of eight men and four women — notified Judge Arun Subramanian that it had reached a partial verdict. That means the jurors were able to agree on some, but not all, of the charges.
“I ask at this time that you keep deliberating,” Judge Subramanian told the panel.
He instructed them to return on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. local time (3 p.m. CAT) to continue working through the deadlock on the fifth charge.
In legal terms, the jury may eventually be permitted to return what’s known as a partial verdict, where their decisions on the agreed-upon charges are announced, and the unresolved charge could result in a mistrial.
If that happens, prosecutors would have the option to pursue a retrial on the racketeering charge. This decision would likely depend on the verdicts reached on the other four charges and whether they lead to a satisfactory sentence from the prosecution’s point of view.
The jury’s deliberations follow an intense seven-week federal trial in the Southern District of New York.
Has Diddy been sentenced or found guilty of anything yet?
No. As of now, no verdicts have been publicly announced, and no sentence has been handed down.
Although the jury has reportedly reached a consensus on four of the five charges, those verdicts are still sealed until all deliberations are complete — or until the court decides to proceed with a partial verdict.
Mr Combs remains in detention because bail was denied before the trial began — not because he has been convicted or sentenced.
“We still don’t know if the jury has found Mr Combs guilty or not guilty,” ABC News reported.
“The court has not heard their verdict on the other four charges.”
The prospect of a retrial on the racketeering charge would be distressing for the alleged victims, who have already endured the emotional toll of testifying in open court. But such a step may depend on the final outcome of the current deliberations.
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