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The biggest revelations in Sean “Diddy” Combs’s federal trial came from testimony by Cassie Ventura and a witness identified as Jane, evidence about sexual encounters and a split verdict: jurors convicted Combs of two transportation-to-engage-in-prostitution counts but acquitted him of racketeering conspiracy and both sex-trafficking counts. “Day One” can mean different things in the trial’s timeline: jury selection began May 5, 2025, opening statements and testimony began May 12, and Ventura’s widely reported testimony began May 13.
What happened on the trial’s first day?
After jury selection began May 5, the jury was seated on May 12, 2025. The prosecution and defense gave opening statements, and testimony began that day. The case archive lists Israel Flores and Daniel Phillip among the May 12 witnesses; Daniel Phillip and Ventura testified on May 13. So the trial’s first day of testimony was May 12, while the headline-making account from Ventura began the following day.
Combs pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors presented a case alleging that he coerced former partners into sexual performances and used employees, associates and business resources in connection with those encounters. Those were the prosecution’s allegations; they were not all findings the jury ultimately made.
What did Cassie Ventura tell jurors?
Ventura testified over several days, from May 13 through May 16, about her relationship with Combs and encounters she said she felt pressured to participate in. She told jurors that Combs introduced voyeurism as a fantasy within the first year of their relationship, saying, “He described voyeurism as a fantasy that he had where he would want to see me with another male and having sexual interaction.”
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On May 14, Ventura testified that Combs raped her in 2018, after their relationship had ended. Reuters reported her account: “I just remember crying and saying no but it was very fast.” This was her testimony, not a separate jury finding about that allegation.
What did Jane and other witnesses describe?
Jane’s testimony
Jane, who testified under a pseudonym, described what she called “hotel nights” from 2021 through 2024. Her testimony included allegations of pressure and violence. Reuters reported her account of an alleged 2024 assault and her testimony that Combs asked her, “Is this coercion?” These statements describe her account in court; the pseudonym is retained here without adding identifying details.
Kid Cudi’s testimony
On May 22, rapper Scott Mescudi, known as Kid Cudi, testified about a break-in at his home and his Porsche being set on fire weeks later. He told jurors, “I knew he had something to do with it.” That was Mescudi’s stated suspicion, not a jury finding that Combs arranged the fire.
What evidence did the jury see, and how did the sides interpret it?
Video recordings
Prosecutors showed jurors video clips of sexual encounters. Defense lawyers also played portions of video and argued in opening statements that the footage showed consensual activity. AP reported that some clips were shown only to the jury and the parties because of their graphic nature. The presentation of the recordings did not itself resolve whether every encounter was consensual or prove every charged offense; the parties disputed what the footage demonstrated.
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On May 21, Homeland Security Investigations agent Gerard Gannon testified that agents searching Combs’s Miami Beach home found 25 bottles of baby oil and 31 bottles of Astroglide in a closet. Prosecutors connected the items to alleged sexual encounters. Those quantities describe the items Gannon said were found in that particular search; their presence was evidence presented at trial, not a verdict on its own.
What did the jury decide?
On July 2, 2025, jurors returned a split verdict. They convicted Combs on Counts Three and Five, both involving transportation to engage in prostitution and involving Ventura and Jane. They acquitted him of racketeering conspiracy and both sex-trafficking counts.
It is inaccurate to say the jury convicted Combs of sex trafficking: it acquitted him on those counts. The transportation convictions were separate findings. The acquittals also do not establish that every allegation underlying those charges was false, and testimony about acquitted counts should not be presented as a jury finding.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happened after the verdict?
Post-trial motions and sentence
Judge Arun Subramanian denied Combs’s motions for acquittal and a new trial on September 30, 2025. Reuters reported that the judge wrote, “The government proved its case many times over.” That was the judge’s statement in a written post-trial ruling, not a jury quote or a finding that Combs was guilty of the acquitted charges.
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Appeal status
Combs appealed in the Second Circuit. The appeal archive records oral argument on April 9, 2026, and says the panel reserved decision. The linked public docket snapshot was last retrieved that same date, so it does not establish whether a decision has since been issued. The appeal’s status after April 9, 2026 is not confirmed here.
Quick Recap
How the trial unfolded
- May 5, 2025: Jury selection began.
- May 12: The jury was seated, opening statements were delivered and testimony began.
- May 13–16: Ventura testified.
- May 21: Agent Gerard Gannon testified about items found during the Miami Beach home search.
- May 22: Kid Cudi testified.
- June 24: Both sides rested.
- June 26–27: Closing arguments took place.
- June 30: Jury deliberations began.
- July 2: The jury returned its verdict.
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