The jury found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution (in connection with his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura) and guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution (in connection with his ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym "Jane").
He was found not guilty of both charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion in connection with Ventura and "Jane."
Combs was accused of being the ringleader of an alleged enterprise that "abused, threatened and coerced women" into prolonged, drug-fueled sexual orgies with male prostitutes, which he called "freak-offs," and then threatened them into silence. Combs has said that all of the sex was consensual and that while his relationships sometimes involved domestic violence, he wasn't engaged in trafficking.
Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said Combs was simply part of the swinger lifestyle and that he "vehemently denies the accusations made by the SDNY."
May 21, 2025, 9:50 AM EDT
Kid Cudi will not testify today, federal prosecutors say
Before testimony resumed this morning, federal prosecutors signaled that Scott Mescudi, aka rapper Kid Cudi, will not testify today as they previously indicated. Prosecutors said they sent a note to Judge Arun Subramanian at 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday to inform him. The note was not included on the court docket.
Resuming his testimony, HSI Special Agent Gerard Gannon showed the court pictures of a Gucci bag allegedly seized from Combs that contained plastic bags that themselves contained different drugs, including MDMA. Orange tablets featuring the Tesla logo tested positive for MDMA, prosecutors said.
May 21, 2025, 9:30 AM EDT
Special agent returns to the stand to testify on raid of Combs' Miami Beach home
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Gerard Gannon returned to the witness stand Wednesday morning, following up on his testimony Tuesday about weapons and other materials that federal agents allegedly discovered at Sean Combs' Miami Beach home.
Federal prosecutors contend that the alleged close proximity of two AR-15 assault-style rifles with defaced serial numbers, as well as baby oil, personal lubricant, lingerie and seven-inch platform heels that Gannon also testified that agents discovered in Combs' home, provides visual representation of their allegation that Sean Combs used violence and threats of violence to coerce women into engaging in stage-managed sexual activity with male escorts allegedly hired for that purpose, an allegation that Combs denies.
According to Gannon's previous testimony, the upper receivers of the rifles were found wrapped in a towel, while the lower receivers and magazines were found in a box. The components were found on the same main bedroom shelving unit as the items that several witnesses have testified were used in so-called sexual "freak offs," Gannon told the court.
Once Gannon finishes his testimony, the jury is expected to hear from Dawn Hughes, a psychologist who specializes in sex trauma. Federal prosecutors are hoping she will explain to the jury why Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, would stay in a relationship that previous testimony by several witnesses has described as abusive, marred by jealousy, drug use and domestic violence.
May 20, 2025, 4:00 PM EDT
Kid Cudi to testify as soon as tomorrow
Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Gerard Gannon told the court that the AR-15 assault-style rifle receivers and ammunition that he testified federal agents discovered in Combs' Miami Beach home were found on the same bedroom shelving unit as 7-inch platform heels and lingerie. He also testified that agents discovered a 30-round magazine containing 19 rounds, as well as a full 10-round magazine.
Court has recessed for the day. Gannon will resume testifying Wednesday, when the jury is expected to see additional items that agents allegedly recovered from Combs’ Miami Beach home.
Prosecutor Maureen Comey said subsequent witnesses Wednesday will include Dawn Hughes, a psychologist who specializes in sex trauma; George Kaplan, a former Combs assistant; and Scott Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi, with whom Cassie Ventura testified she had a brief romantic relationship while with Combs and whom she testified Combs threatened because of it.
May 20, 2025, 3:46 PM EDT
Jury sees firearms allegedly recovered from Combs' Miami Beach home
The jury was shown assault-style rifles with defaced serial numbers that were discovered on a shelf inside the main bedroom of Sean Combs’ Miami Beach home, according to a federal agent.
The jury also was shown various gun parts. These included a BCM-brand upper receiver rifle part, which the agent testified was discovered wrapped in a towel, along with a red-dot optic, or sighting mechanism. A second upper receiver, make unknown, with an iron sight was found wrapped in the same towel, according to the agent. Also discovered Inside of a box were two lower receivers and magazines, the federal agent testified.
Prosecutor Madison Smizer questions Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Gerard Gannon as he holds an evidence bag of the upper receivers of AR-15 rifles recovered during a search, at Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, May 20, 2025.
Jane Rosenberg/Reuters
Upper receivers contain the assault-style rifle barrel, ejection port and sights, the jury was told, while the lower receivers contain the trigger, pistol grip, the magazine well and the rifle stock. The jury was shown how the serial numbers on both firearms were defaced.
Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Gerard Gannon cut open the evidence bags containing the actual items and held them for the jury to inspect.
“Could these lower receivers be connected to the upper receivers we were just looking at?” prosecutor Madison Smyser asked.
“Yes, they could,” Gannon responded.
The search of Combs’ Miami home took an unusually large contingent of 80 to 90 agents “due to the size of the property and the security measures on the property,” testified Gannon, who led the search.
The 20,000-square-foot home at 2 Star Island is surrounded by walls and a gate in front, the jury was told, and features a main residence and a smaller guest house. Combs also owns the adjacent property, 1 Star Island, Gannon testified, but said federal agents did not search it.
Combs' Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided by federal agents in March 2024, according to authorities.
The jury saw a photo of the mangled front gate at the Miami property that Homeland Security Investigations used a special vehicle to break through, which Gannon described as “standard practice when conducting a search warrant.” The jury was also shown an image of the waterfront dock and pool.