United States v. Combs

Sean Combs was charged in 2024 with racketeering and sex trafficking. Brian Steel joined the defense team in April 2025 for the federal trial in Manhattan, his experience with complex conspiracy and racketeering prosecutions being the reason he was brought in.

The defense did not dispute much of the conduct. It apologized for acts of domestic violence and conceded that the relationships at issue were toxic, while arguing that the conduct described did not amount to the sweeping federal charges actually brought. The core argument was that alleged participants were consenting adults, and that the government had reached for racketeering where the underlying offenses did not fit it.

In a July 2025 verdict the jury acquitted Combs of the most serious counts, including racketeering and sex trafficking, avoiding a possible life sentence. He was convicted on two lesser counts related to transportation for prostitution and later sentenced to four years in prison. An appeal of the sentence was pending.

Atlanta attorneys responding to the verdict described it as a further demonstration of the difficulty of proving sweeping racketeering allegations where the charging theory outruns the evidence.