Combs is facing five felony charges:
- Racketeering conspiracy
- Two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion
- Two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution
The rapper was initially charged with three offences – racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. Two extra counts – one each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution – were added in April.
Racketeering broadly means engaging in an illegal scheme or enterprise, and the charge falls under the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act (RICO) in the US.
According to the US justice department’s definition of RICO statute, it is also illegal to “conspire to violate” the laws.
The 17-page indictment against Combs alleges that between 2008 and 2024, he “led a racketeering conspiracy that engaged in sex trafficking, forced labour, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice, among other crimes”, the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York said after his arrest in September.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and turned down a plea deal offered by the government at the beginning of May.
The US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York announced details of potential sentences when Combs was initially charged, but said the decision would ultimately be determined by the judge.
Racketeering conspiracy carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, the attorney’s office said, as does sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion – which also carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison.
The charge of transportation for purposes of prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.