In a significant development today, a jury in New York announced that it had reached unanimous verdicts on four of the five felony counts against Combs, which include sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. However, they remain deadlocked on the most serious charge—count 1, racketeering conspiracy under the RICO Act. The note from the jury, sent around 4:05 p.m., cited “unpersuadable views” on both sides.
Judge Arun Subramanian has declined to accept the partial verdict, opting instead to give the jury a modified “Allen charge” to encourage further deliberation on the racketeering count. Both prosecutors and lawyers for Combs agreed that after only two days of deliberations it was premature to allow a hung verdict
The judge will reconvene the jury and deliver additional instructions aimed at guiding them toward a verdict on the racketeering count. If they remain deadlocked after further deliberation, the judge may declare a mistrial on that count while allowing convictions on the other four counts to stand.