An infamous checkered past with unsolved murders of rap moguls Tupac and B.I.G. in shadow, Sean “Diddy” Combs runs into accountability by New York courts and penal system.

Since the inflammatory trial hearing began back in May of this year, the internet has been set aflame by the wild accusations and the mountains of photographic evidence which have been unearthed throughout this investigation. Initially, the fallen artist faced charges related to racketeering and sex trafficking, of which he has since been acquitted. According to Cornell Law, racketeering “is a set of illegal activities aimed at commercial profit that may be disguised as legitimate business deals. [It] is defined by a coordinated effort by multiple people to repeatedly earn a profit. Typically, by fraud, extortion, bribery, threats, violence, or other illegal means.”

Scathing testimonies and past lawsuits from the R&B singer Cassie Ventura, Combs’ previous lover who left him in 2018 to marry her personal trainer in 2019, appeared to be an integral part in revealing his crimes and jumpstarting this litigation process. The recently unsealed indictment from the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York details how Combs’ music business was allegedly being used for the purpose of “[f]ulfilling the personal desires of COMBS, particularly those related to COMBS’ sexual gratification, including through the exploitation of women and the use of commercial sex workers.”

The night that Combs was first arrested, photos of his hotel room, which eventually got leaked to the public, showed cases of baby oil and illicit substances. These salacious facts combined made this case one of the most hotly followed celebrity cases in recent years. After all of this evidence was presented to a jury, that jury ultimately found Combs not guilty of racketeering or sex trafficking, but unequivocally guilty of transporting persons for the purpose of prostitution.

Both Combs and his defense lawyer seem to be unapologetic about the crimes he has been found guilty of, even going as far as to ask the judge to set bail after the trial so that the star could attend press conferences in Miami regarding this whole ordeal. District Judge Arun Subramanian denied these attempts to release the violent criminal early and imposed a strict sentencing of 50 months in prison, followed by 5 years of probation and accompanied by a half a million dollar fine. Combs’ lawyers, who appear to be more public relation managers than actual attorneys, have argued fruitlessly against the ruling, saying that “not guilty means not guilty”.