We’re just over a month away from Diddy’s scheduled court date, where he will defend himself against federal charges including racketeering and sex trafficking. The 2025 TV schedule has been filled with documentaries digging into the accusations and catching us off-guard with details of Sean Combs’ life. A new doc features a mock trial that gives us an idea of how jurors might approach their decision, and two things about their verdict stuck out to me.
The music mogul has been eagerly anticipating his day in court, despite the fact that he could face life in prison if found guilty. The new special TMZ Presents The Downfall of Diddy: His Defense explores how realistic it is that a jury will side with P. Diddy given everything that’s been said about him. A mock jury of 12 watched one documentary focusing on the prosecution and another on the defense before deliberating and rendering a decision. Here were the big takeaways:
Will The Racketeering Charges Stick?
The mock jurors were given a definition of the racketeering charge against the rapper that called it, “A well-organized group of people conducting a pattern of illegal business activities for profit.” The panel went back and forth on the issue, finding it difficult to see where Diddy would have made a profit from his alleged activities. One juror said:
He could turn around and say, ‘I didn’t make any money. I gave you money.’ If racketeering is what racketeering is, right? Even if people turn on him, he’s like, ‘What kind of money did I make? Maybe I did increase my profile, but my profile was wherever it was before.’ Like I actually think the racketeering charge might be the hardest one for anybody to pull off.
Another argued that if P. Diddy’s companies sponsored or paid for the so-called “freak offs,” including the sex workers allegedly hired for the parties, that should constitute a business activity. Or could that be filed as a marketing expense? If the parties raised the exec’s profile, is that considered income? In the end, the mock jury remained split, with 6 voting guilty and 6 voting not guilty.
Will The Prosecution Be Able To Prove Coercion?
For most of the mock jurors, the question of sex trafficking was more cut and dry. They seemed satisfied with the paper trail showing that Diddy had flown people out for his parties, agreeing that women knowing his power to help them if they accepted his invitation (or hurt them if they rejected it) could be seen as coercion.
However, with sex trafficking being defined to the mock jury as, “The recruitment, transportation or soliciting of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, induced by force, fraud or coercion,” some argued whether or not the prosecution could prove that commercial sex was the purpose of these travels, or — if the sex was consensual — if it was still coercion given the power dynamic.
One juror questioned how the women who were in relationships with Diddy could argue coercion, with another responding:
Well look at how many abusive relationships there are and how long those women stay. Like it can be up to, like, over 20 years. And imagine it being the most powerful person there is in the rap career. I would stay for that long too.
In the end, the mock jury voted 10 guilty and 2 not guilty on the sex trafficking charge, but it’s interesting to see how a jury might hesitate when coercion and consent are being deliberated. Most of the jury also admitted that the leaked video of Diddy kicking and dragging his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura affected how they viewed the rapper.
Another issue that may come into play once a jury of Sean Combs’ peers is involved is race. Diddy’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo argued that this trial is an attempt to take down a successful Black man, and that was certainly on the minds of some mock jury members. At least one person who admitted it was likely Diddy had committed illegal activity had trouble saying he should serve time for it.
The defense has maintained Diddy’s innocence from the beginning, and they seem ready to fight the allegations against him, which means Sean Combs’ trial could end up sharing similarities to the cases involving O.J. Simpson and Rodney King.
It will certainly have the high-profile feel of the biggest celebrity trials we’ve seen, and I know many people are looking forward to seeing how the two sides work to prove their points to the jury. Diddy’s trial is set to begin May 5, and if you want to see the rest of what the mock jury had to say, TMZ Presents The Downfall of Diddy: His Defense can be streamed for free on Tubi.
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