Sean “Diddy” Combs attends the 2022 Billboard Music Awards on May 15, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada ; Sean Diddy Combs on the first day of trial on May 12, 2025 in New York. Credit :
Bryan Steffy/WireImage ; Elizabeth Williams via AP
- A new PEOPLE documentary explores the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, as covered by PEOPLE
- Diddy’s high-profile trial drew large crowds inside and outside the courthouse, as weeks of bombshell testimony unfolded
- He now faces sentencing after being convicted of transportation to engage in prostitution
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ closely watched, high-profile trial came to a stunning end when the music mogul was convicted of prostitution charges but found not guilty of two more serious charges that could have landed him behind bars for the rest of his life.
Combs was acquitted of racketeering and sex trafficking but found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
In a new PEOPLE documentary, editors and reporters break down the rise and fall of one of the music industry’s most powerful moguls — from chart-topping success to shocking allegations. (Watch the full documentary below.)
The film discusses the bombshell testimony revealed in court. It also delves into the complexities of proving the federal sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution charges he faced, the cultural currents at play in his trial and the legacy questions now hanging over Combs’ name.
During the weeks-long trial, jurors saw and heard emotional testimonies from Combs’ former girlfriends and employees.
Some of the most notable testimony came from his on-again, off-again ex-girlfriend for over a decade, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, whose 2023 lawsuit against him set off dozens of allegations of abuse from his professional and personal associates.
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Cassie Ventura sketch; Cassie Ventura, Sean “Diddy” Combs. Elizabeth Williams via AP ; Neilson Barnard/Getty
Ventura claimed she was raped by Combs and forced to have sex with male escorts throughout their decade-long relationship in drug-fueled, days-long sex sessions he referred to as “Freak Offs.”
In 2024, Combs’ reputation unraveled when CNN published footage of him brutally attacking Ventura at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
Ventura’s claims of trafficking echoed those of “Jane,” another of Combs’ former girlfriends who testified under a pseudonym during the trial. Jane alleged she was subjected to years of similar “Freak Offs,” claiming she repeatedly told Combs she didn’t want to participate — but claimed he allegedly pressured her into the encounters by promising they would spend more quality time together.
Combs is still facing a prison sentence but would have been facing life had he been convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
