A jury in Manhattan reached a partial verdict on Tuesday in the federal case against Sean Combs after deliberating for more than 12 hours, saying that it was deadlocked on a charge of racketeering conspiracy.
At about 4:05 p.m. on Tuesday, the jury sent a note to the judge saying it had reached a verdict on four of the five counts against Mr. Combs — two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution — but was unable to come to a decision on the racketeering charge. The note from the panel said there were jurors “with unpersuadable opinions on both sides.”
The racketeering conspiracy charge accuses Mr. Combs of running a criminal enterprise responsible for misdeeds over two decades.
Mr. Combs, 55, was charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces a sentence that could extend to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. He pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have denied that any of his sexual arrangements with the women in the trial were nonconsensual.
To convict Mr. Combs on the racketeering charge, jurors need to find that he knowingly joined an unlawful conspiracy, and that Mr. Combs agreed that he or a co-conspirator would commit at least two criminal acts on that list to further the enterprise. Prosecutors have said that a loyal inner circle of Mr. Combs’s employees carried out various crimes over more than a decade, including drug distribution, kidnapping, arson, bribery, sex trafficking, interstate transportation for prostitution and forced labor.
Julia Jacobs is an arts and culture reporter who often covers legal issues for The Times.
Ben Sisario, a reporter covering music and the music industry, has been writing for The Times for more than 20 years.
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