Jury in Diddy case agrees on four out of five charges
The jury in the case against rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs has reached a decision on four out of five charges, but still needs to reach an agreement on the last count, which concerns contributing to organized crime.
This was said by US District Judge Arun Subramanian in court on Tuesday, writes the news agency Reuters.
The jury has therefore not yet been able to reach a decision in the case, and deliberations will continue on Wednesday.
According to the indictment, Combs has abused, threatened and forced women and others around him for many years to satisfy his sexual desires, protect his reputation and hide his behavior.
According to the authorities, Sean Combs forced women, among other things, to have sex with male sex workers while they were filmed.
It is said to have happened at parties that have been referred to as "freak offs".
The jury, which consists of 12 people, has more precisely reached an agreement on four charges of human trafficking for the purpose of prostitution and extortion.
The last point that the jury has not agreed on is about organized crime. The prosecution believes that Combs' employees facilitated his abuse by booking hotel rooms for "freak offs" and providing illegal drugs for the parties.
The 55-year-old Combs has pleaded not guilty to all five charges. If convicted of the charges of human trafficking and extortion, the former billionaire faces life in prison.
Two of Combs' former girlfriends - including singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - have testified in the case and said that he subjected them to both physical and sexual violence.
Combs' defense attorneys acknowledge that the rapper has at times been violent in his relationships, but that the sexual activity described by prosecutors was consensual.
In addition to the criminal case, there are also several civil lawsuits against the rapper from women and men accusing him of assault.
Combs founded the record label Bad Boy Records and is considered one of the most successful rappers in music history.
/ritzau/Reuters
