MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER.

Luigi Mangione is escorted into Manhattan state court in New York, Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Prosecutors say no harm was done by social media posts about assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO

Federal prosecutors say no harm was done to the prospects for a fair trial when two U.S. Justice Department officials reposted potentially inflammatory comments President Donald Trump made about Luigi Mangione after his arrest in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO. Prosecutors sent a letter Wednesday to a Manhattan federal judge who last month asked them to explain the posts and what steps the department had taken to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges in the fatal shooting of Brian Thompson on Dec. 4. The assassination happened as he arrived at a Manhattan hotel for his company’s annual investor conference.

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What the key witnesses at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial told the jury

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex crimes trial involved testimony from 34 witnesses. They included Combs’ ex-girlfriends Cassie and Jane, who said he forced them into drug-fueled sex marathons, a sex worker they knew as “The Punisher,” personal assistants who said they witnessed his violence and facilitated his sexual exploits, and other women who accused him of abuse. A judge is scheduled to sentence Combs Friday after he was convicted in July of transporting people across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. He could get years in prison.

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FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs sits courtside in the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, March 12, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ is set to be sentenced and faces the possibility of years in prison

Sean “Diddy” Combs faces sentencing Friday in a sordid criminal case that could potentially keep him behind bars for years. The famed hip-hop mogul was convicted in July of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters, a violation of the federal Mann Act. A jury acquitted Combs of more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. Those could have led to a life prison sentence. Prosecutors say he should still spend over 11 years behind bars. Combs’ lawyers want him freed now.

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On eve of sentencing, Combs tells judge he was ‘broken to my core’ and felt he’d be better off dead

On the eve of his sentencing, Sean “Diddy” Combs says he is a new man after realizing he was “broken to my core” and wondering if he was better off dead after his arrest last year. Combs wrote in a letter sent to the judge late Thursday that he is free of alcohol and drugs and with his nearly clear mind can see how rotten he had become before his September 2024 arrest on sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and prostitution-related charges. A jury in July acquitted him of the most serious charges, meaning that he can’t face a life sentence. His lawyers say he should go free this month. Prosecutors are seeking over 11 years.

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Defense tells judge Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs has served enough time behind bars

Lawyers for music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs are urging a judge to sentence him early next month to no more than 14 months in prison for his conviction on two prostitution-related charges. The lawyers made their arguments Monday in a written submission to a New York federal Judge Arun Subramanian. He’s already rejected bail for Combs, signaling that he believes he must serve more time behind bars despite being exonerated in July of the more serious racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges. Prosecutors, who will submit their recommendations prior to the Oct. 3 sentencing, have already said they’ll urge Combs stay imprisoned substantially longer than the four to five years they originally thought.

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FILE - Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, left, and his wife, Nadine Menendez, arrive at the federal courthouse in New York, Sept. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon, File)

Things to know about the bribery prosecution of ex-Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez

The sentencing of Nadine Menendez has brought to a close a prosecution that focused on the years after she met then-Sen. Bob Menendez in 2018. Bob Menendez began serving his 11-year prison sentence three months ago. His wife will begin her 4½-year sentence next year to allow time for recovery from treatment for breast cancer. Their separate trials focused in part on $480,000 in cash and $150,000 in gold bars found in their home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, during a 2022 FBI raid. The bribery proceeds earned the Democratic former senator the moniker “Gold Bar Bob.”

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Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo speaks outside Manhattan federal court after Sean "Diddy" Combs was denied bail after being convicted of prostitution-related offenses but acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges, Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sentencing set for Oct. 3 after split verdict in federal sex crimes case

Sean “Diddy” Combs will be sentenced in his federal criminal case on Oct. 3. A judge confirmed the schedule on Tuesday after probation officials rejected the defense and prosecution’s plan to move the date up by about two weeks. Combs remains jailed after a split verdict last week. The hip-hop mogul’s lawyers had been urging Judge Arun Subramanian to sentence him as soon as possible. Combs’ lawyers want less than the 21 to 27 months in prison that they believe the sentencing guidelines recommend. Prosecutors contend that because of Combs’ violent history, the guidelines call for at least four to five years in prison.

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What the key witnesses at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial told the jury

The jury deliberating at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial heard testimony from 34 witnesses over the last seven weeks. They included Combs’ ex-girlfriends Cassie and Jane, who said he forced them into drug-fueled sex marathons they called “freak-offs” and “hotel nights,” a sex worker they knew as “The Punisher,” personal assistants who said they witnessed his violence and facilitated his sexual exploits, and other women who accused him of abuse. All of the witnesses were called by the prosecution. Combs waived his right to testify — not unusual for criminal defendants — and his defense team declined to call any witnesses of their own. Instead, they sought to undercut the allegations via cross-examination during the prosecution’s case.

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Jury due to begin deliberating in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial

Jurors are set to start deliberating in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking case. The jury of eight men and four women will weigh on Monday charges that could put the hip-hop mogul in prison for life. The 55-year-old Combs has pleaded not guilty. Jurors heard seven weeks of sometimes graphic and emotional testimony about Combs’ propensity for violence and his sexual predilections, including drug-fueled sex marathons dubbed “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.” Defense lawyers acknowledge that Combs could be violent but maintain that the sex acts were consensual. In all, 34 witnesses testified, headlined by Combs’ former girlfriend Cassie.

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Cassie, Jane, Cudi and freak-offs: How Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial has played out

During weeks of testimony at the sex-trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, nearly three dozen witnesses took their turns in front of a federal jury. Key witnesses included two former Combs’ girlfriends — Cassie and “Jane” — who spent 10 trial days describing being forced over the last two decades to have sex with other men while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. Other witnesses included rapper Kid Cudi and several former Combs’ employees. Combs has pleaded not guilty. He played an active role in his defense, consulting frequently with his lawyers and influencing their work.

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Key moments from the sixth week of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial

A holiday and a juror’s illness shortened the sixth week of the Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial as prosecutors nearly concluded their case, setting the stage for the defense presentation. The first five weeks of the trial featured emotional testimony as prosecutors tried to prove the hip-hop mogul oversaw a racketeering conspiracy enabled by violence, drugs and money. The sixth week introduced the jury to hundreds of documents, text messages and several sex videos of so-called “freak-offs.” Prosecutors say Combs forced two ex-girlfriends to have sex with male sex workers while he watched and recorded the dayslong events.

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A view from the jury box is shown inside a federal courtroom similar to the room where the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ is being held in Federal District court in Manhattan on Friday, June 6, 2025 in New York. (Jefferson Siegel /The New York Times via AP, Pool)

An ex-college basketball player testifies that Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs got ‘extremely creative’ on drugs

A former Syracuse University basketball player has told the jury at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial that the music mogul got “extremely creative” when he was on drugs. Brendan Paul testified on Friday about working for Combs for 18 months. Paul was arrested at a Miami airport in March 2024 with cocaine he says belonged to Combs. His testimony comes as prosecutors are winding down their case, and are expected to rest by Monday. A defense presentation is expected to last from two to five days. Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

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FILE - Former Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., speaks to reporters outside federal court in New York, Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah, File)

Disgraced former Sen. Bob Menendez arrives at prison to begin serving his 11-year bribery sentence

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez reported to federal prison on Tuesday to begin serving an 11-year sentence for accepting bribes of gold and cash and acting as an agent of Egypt. The federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that the New Jersey Democrat is in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution, Schuylkill in Minersville, Pennsylvania. The facility has both a medium-security prison and a minimum-security prison camp. Menendez resigned from the Senate last year after his conviction. FBI agents found $480,000 in cash in his home, some of it stuffed inside boots and jacket pockets. They also found gold bars worth an estimated $150,000. Menendez denies he took bribes. He says he was unfairly prosecuted.

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Inside a federal courtroom is shown, similar to the room where the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ is being held in Federal District court in Manhattan on Friday, June 6, 2025 in New York. (Jefferson Siegel /The New York Times via AP, Pool)

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ lawyer complains about trial secrecy as a famous rapper’s name goes unmentioned

A lawyer for Sean “Diddy” Combs is protesting the rising tide of secrecy at the hip-hop icon’s sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial after Combs and the public were excluded from lengthy legal arguments. Attorney Marc Agnifilo complained to Judge Arun Subramanian after Combs was left out of an hour-long robing room meeting Thursday, delaying testimony by a key witness by nearly two hours. Agnifilo said the need for a public trial was “an important issue, a constitutional issue” and objected to so much happening out of the earshot of his client. Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking charges.

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Rapper Kid Cudi leaves federal court after testifying at the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs in New York, Thursday, May 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Key moments from the second week of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial

The second week of Sean Combs’ sex trafficking and racketeering trial featured a dozen witnesses who described the music mogul’s physical attacks on others or who provided testimony addressing the government’s charges. Several of them were reluctant witnesses who testified only in response to subpoenas and, in one case, after being granted immunity. The resistant witnesses sometimes were fertile ground for defense lawyers to elicit testimony to support their claims that the acts they witnessed were proof of domestic violence rather than the federal charges he faces. The trial resumes Tuesday.

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Rapper Kid Cudi expected to testify at Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial

Rapper and actor Kid Cudi is expected to testify at the Sean “Diddy” Combs sex trafficking trial. He is likely to take the witness stand either Wednesday or Thursday to tell the jury about his brief relationship 14 years ago with Combs ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie. Cassie testified last week that Combs was enraged when she left him for a period of time in 2011 and began dating Cudi. Prosecutors say Combs was so upset that he arranged to have Cudi’s convertible firebombed. Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges that he oversaw a racketeering enterprise that controlled Cassie and others through threats and violence.

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