[Source: Reuters]

A U.S. judge denied Sean “Diddy” Combs’ request to be released from jail on Wednesday ahead of his sentencing, after the music mogul was cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put him behind bars for life but found guilty of lesser prostitution-related offenses.

At a hearing in Manhattan federal court hours after the verdict was read, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs must remain in federal lockup in Brooklyn for now given the ample evidence presented at trial of violent acts Combs had committed.

“It is impossible for the defendant to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that he poses no danger,” Subramanian said.

The verdict was overall a win for Combs, a former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture.

The 12-member jury unanimously convicted him on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

It acquitted Combs of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking two of his former romantic partners: the rhythm and blues singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane.

Prosecutors acknowledged in a court filing that federal sentencing guidelines appeared to recommend a maximum sentence of 5-1/4 years.

Combs’ lawyers argued that two years would be the outer limit.

After the verdict, Combs knelt before his chair and appeared to pray. Combs then rose and faced the courtroom gallery.

“I’m gonna be home soon,” he said, smiling and clasping his hands. “I love you. Thank you, I love you.”

Combs’ family and supporters erupted into applause and cheers.

Combs, once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez, had pleaded not guilty to all five counts.

He faces a maximum 10-year prison sentence on each of the two prostitution counts.

Combs’ lawyers had urged Subramanian to release Combs on $1 million bond, arguing in a court filing the prostitution offenses were “far less serious” than the sex trafficking and racketeering charges he faced at the time he was ordered detained pending trial.

Prosecutors argued Combs should remain in jail because he remained a danger to the community, pointing to Jane’s testimony at trial that he assaulted her and coerced her into sex with a male prostitute in June 2024 while he was aware he was under federal investigation.

The seven-week trial focused on prosecutors’ allegations that Combs for two decades used his business empire to force Ventura and Jane to take part in drug-fueled, days-long sexual performances sometimes known as “Freak Offs” with male sex workers in hotel rooms while Combs watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed.

Prosecutors unsuccessfully argued that Combs’ conduct toward both women amounted to sex trafficking because he compelled Ventura and Jane to take part in the performances using physical violence and threats to withhold financial support or leak sexually explicit images of them.

“The defendant used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted,” prosecutor Christy Slavik said in her closing argument on June 26.

Stream the best of Fiji on VITI+. Anytime. Anywhere.