In a surprise move, the jury in the Sean “Diddy” Combs RICO trial informed the judge that they have reached verdicts on four of the five charges against the entertainment mogul, the New York Times reports.
The verdicts of the trial, which has lasted for two months, were not revealed. The judge instructed the jury to try again on July 2.
Judge Arun Subramanian was notified there were jurors “with unpersuadable opinions on both sides” on the racketeering count. Unanimous decisions on the charges of two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution were reached.
According to the Times, to convict Combs on the racketeering charge, jurors must find that he knowingly joined an unlawful conspiracy, and that Combs agreed that he or a co-conspirator would commit at least two criminal acts to further the enterprise.”
Prosecutors believe that the hip-hop impresario and an inner circle of 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,” the paper reported.
Once the judge counsel were informed of the deadlock, the government’s lead prosecutor, Maurene Comey, requested that the judge employ an “Allen charge,” which would instruct the jurors to come to a verdict. However, Combs attorney Marc Agnifilo objected, saying after less than two days of deliberation that “they’re they’re moving along fine.”
Before dismissing the jury for the evening, Subramanian urged the jurors to continue deliberations and warned that “no juror should surrender his or her conscientious beliefs for the purpose of returning a unanimous verdict.”
Combs, 55, was arrested and charged in September and has pleaded not guilty. He is looking at possibly facing life in jail if convicted on the charges.
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