Sean “Diddy” Combs’ freedom isn’t all that’s hanging in the balance after he was found guilty of lesser charges in his sex-trafficking and racketeering trial.
The hip-hop mogul’s once-thriving business empire and what’s left of his fortune are also on the line.
A Manhattan federal jury on Wednesday convicted Combs of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, but acquitted him of the top charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.
As a result of the criminal indictment, emotionally-charged courtroom testimony, and the wave of civil sex abuse lawsuits against Combs, he’s become persona non grata in the industries that once made him very wealthy, and his income streams and reputation have been sullied.
“If they stamp him guilty, that dynasty turns into a yard sale,” Eric Schiffer, a celebrity brand and reputational strategist, told Business Insider ahead of the verdict. “An acquittal might clear ankle chains, but sync licensers will treat his catalog like a radioactive dirty bomb.”
As part of Combs’ not-yet-scheduled sentencing, the judge could order Combs to pay restitution to his sex-trafficking accusers — R&B singer Cassie Ventura and another ex who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.”
The US government could seize funds from Combs’ bank accounts or royalty earnings if he did not voluntarily pay any ordered restitution, former prosecutors told Business Insider.
Beyond his criminal case, Combs is still facing more than 50 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault, rape, drugging, and other forms of violence. And if any of the plaintiffs win, the financial blow could be steep.
Combs pleaded not guilty to all the criminal charges and has denied all accusations of sexual assault against him. The 55-year-old Bad Boy Records founder is now facing up to 20 years behind bars (each count comes with a maximum sentence of 10 years). Though legal experts expect his sentence to be much lower.
Any restitution Combs may be forced to pay would likely pale in comparison to what a successful civil lawsuit could reap, attorneys not involved in the case told BI. (Ventura testified that Combs paid her $20 million to settle her November 2023 lawsuit against him.)
“Restitution is much more limited than the types of damages you can get in a civil lawsuit,” said former New York federal prosecutor Nadia Shihata, who led the prosecution of convicted sex trafficker R. Kelly.
Restitution is mandatory for federal transportation to engage in prostitution convictions for the “full amount of the victim’s losses,” which could cover medical expenses, mental health treatment, and lost income, Shihata said.
Combs’ businesses have eroded, but he’s still sitting on a fortune
In 2018, at the height of his financial status, Combs’ net worth was $825 million, according to Forbes. In the publication’s most recent valuation, from June 2024 — two months before Combs’ arrest — he was worth $400 million.
But Combs’ wealth has dwindled, along with his ability to earn more money.
After a series of back-and-forth lawsuits, Diageo, Combs’ partner in Cîroc vodka and DeLeón tequila, cut ties with him in 2023. The move officially ended a relationship that, according to the company, netted the music tycoon nearly $1 billion since he was named the face of Cîroc in 2007.
“Mr. Combs is well-aware that these lawsuits make it impossible for him to continue to be the ‘face’ of anything,” Diageo lawyers wrote in 2023, pointing to the sexual assault claims that had begun to pile up.
Sean John, Combs’ clothing and lifestyle brand, had plummeted in value long before Combs’ legal troubles started to accumulate. The majority stake he sold for a reported $70 million in 2016 was worth only $7.55 million when he bought it back in 2021. Since then, Macy’s, which exclusively carried its sportswear line, has pulled the brand. And there is little hope it will be revived — or that it’s worth much now.
The name Sean John “will come with the same stigma as Chernobyl” if he’s found guilty, Schiffer said.
Combs’ music catalog is still worth something, even if not as much as it once was.
As the owner of Bad Boy Records, Combs earned money every time a song published by the label — even if he wasn’t the artist — was streamed, played on the radio, or used in a commercial. That resulted not only in a paycheck but also in a valuable asset given its future earnings potential. A lucrative catalog of songs can be sold for eight or nine figures.
Bad Boy’s catalog, though, has been chipped away at. Over the years, the publishing rights and masters of several artists have been reassigned or bought back.
Notorious B.I.G.’s mother, for example, got his publishing rights back over a number of years, The Wall Street Journal reported. In March, she sold a 50% stake in his estate — inclusive of his catalog — to music publisher Primary Wave in a deal that valued it at over $200 million.
The music left in Bad Boy’s catalog, on which Combs is not the artist, has likely maintained its value.
“Publishers tend to go under the radar,” David Herlihy, a professor at Northeastern University who specializes in music licensing and copyright, told BI. “Licensees may become hesitant to use the music, but that tends to be more artist-centric and not song-centric.”
Songs that are sung by or heavily associated with Combs will be more heavily affected. Herlihy pointed to R. Kelly, who was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. While his songs are still streamed in the privacy of one’s earbuds, and therefore making some money, the residuals have plummeted.
“His label dropped him, radio stations stopped playing him, streaming services removed his songs from playlists,” he said, and there’s “no touring from the cellblock.”
No matter how much the value of his businesses has degraded, Combs is still likely sitting on a fortune.
“This is not a poor man,” Schiffer said.
Over the decades, Combs has pocketed plenty of cash. There’s the almost $1 billion from his Cîroc deal and another $200 million that Diageo paid him for his stake in DeLeón tequila, plus the tens of millions he got for a stake in Sean John.
There’s also Combs’ real estate portfolio. His two homes on Miami’s Star Island are worth more than $80 million combined, per 2025 property assessments. His Los Angeles mansion, which he put on the market last year, has an assessed value of $46 million.
Combs’ private jet, a Gulfstream 550 known as Loveair, has not changed hands, according to Federal Aviation Administration records, and remains available to rent through the operator Silver Air.
One way or another, Combs will need his money.
While any restitution Combs may be ordered to pay as part of his sentencing would likely be negligible to him, the pending civil suits pose a “real risk” of decimating Combs financially, said former federal prosecutor Sarah Krissoff.
Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee, whose firm has brought the lion’s share of the sex abuse lawsuits against Combs, said in a statement that the rapper “dodged a big bullet,” but that “doesn’t end the saga.”
“Now that this spectacle is over, we look forward to aggressively pursuing these civil cases to obtain justice for these alleged victims,” Buzbee added.
Combs’ attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI for this story.
“He is going to face military-grade weaponry that is moments from launching, from all different parts of the world, in the name of civil suits,” Schiffer, the celebrity brand strategist, said of Combs. “He is likely going to have to write some big checks downstream.”
Read the full article here
