Pathway of Madison Co. still fighting for its business license after public hearing
The Owens Cross Roads city council voted not to renew 'Pathway of Madison Co.'s' business license back in January. Friday, Pathway's Defense Attorney Rick Hall, fought to prove why they should stay in business.
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This public hearing style was different than some in the past. Hall got to call witnesses to the stand to question as part of his argument.
The hearing lasted just a little over four hours, with no final decision on the state of the license.
The first person he called to the stand was Owens Cross Roads City Clerk Christie Eason. She was one of the city officials who made the recommendation that Pathway should not be allowed to renew the license back in January.
Hall argued that Pathway had fewer calls out to law enforcement for issues on site than Sequel, a similar program that once stood in the same location.
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Eason stuck to the regulations in place, stated in the city's business licensing ordinance, as to the reasoning behind their decision.
'Non-compliance with our city ordinance and the due process that is outlined in our licensing and permitting,' she said. 'That's what I based my decision on. 'It's stated right there.. That's why I said that.'
Next, Hall called Richard White to the stand. He is a program director for Pathway. He said there are currently 17 kids on site with two therapists. He said they fired the executive director who was in charge the night of the so-called riots in September of 2024.
He said they now have new training programs in place that offer employees better training on de-escalating situations and how to respond in emergency situations.
In addressing previous escape attempts at Pathway complex, White said it's their job to help the girls work through their trauma, and sometimes, those actions are a result of 'running from themselves.'
'We push them on it and because of that they don't like it,' said White. 'We're not here to make friends, we're here to help these kids be better members of society by dealing with their traumas and be better for themselves by dealing with their traumas.'
The new executive director of Pathway, Dr. Arielle Feggins, took the stand. She reiterated the new programs and procedures they have in place, saying it is a safer and better-run facility now than it was in September.
She said they have different staff and a different group of girls living in Pathway now.
She said shutting down Pathway would set these girls back in their progress and only create more trauma in their lives.
In the final discussion of the hearing, the CEO of Pathway said they were willing to do anything within reason in order to keep their business license.
Right now, the city council is considering the arguments made today, and the time for a decision is unknown, but it must be made at a public council meeting.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Sean "Diddy" Combs will remain in jail while he awaits sentencing for his conviction on two counts of prostitution-related offenses, a judge decided Wednesday evening. Hours earlier, jurors in Combs's federal criminal trial found the hip-hop mogul guilty on two of the five counts filed against him, acquitting him of the other three. The 12-member panel acquitted Combs of racketeering and sex trafficking, the most serious charges, but found him guilty of prostitution-related offenses. The 55-year-old, who could have been sentenced to life in prison had he been convicted of racketeering or sex trafficking, now faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. At a bail hearing scheduled for 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Judge Arun Subramanian rejected a request from Combs's attorneys that he be released on a $1 million bond while he awaits sentencing, citing, in part, the defense's own testimony in the trial. "At trial, the defense conceded the defendant's violence in his personal relationships," he said, adding that the defense had failed to prove that Combs poses "no danger to any person." The jury spent more than 12 hours across three days deliberating the case. On Tuesday afternoon, the panel said that it had come to an agreement on counts two, three, four and five — sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution — but was unable to reach a verdict on count one: racketeering conspiracy. An hour into its deliberations Wednesday, the jury sent a note telling the judge that it had reached a verdict on all five counts. Follow the live blog below for the latest updates culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom, including ABC News, the Associated Press, CNN, NBC News, the New York Times and USA Today. Live coverage has ended for today. Judge Arun Subramanian concluded Wednesday's bail hearing after denying the defense's request that Combs be released on bond. The next step in the trial will be a remote hearing next Tuesday to discuss when sentencing should begin. Judge Arun Subramanian suggested that sentencing could begin in four months, but indicated that he would be open to moving up that date at the defense's request. Combs will remain in custody in the interim. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison after being convicted of two prostitution-related charges, though the actual sentence could be much shorter. The final decision will be up to the judge. Judge Arun Subramanian told the courtroom that he opted to deny Combs's request for release in part because his attorneys had admitted that he had a history of violent behavior over the course of the trial. "At trial, the defense conceded the defendant's violence in his personal relationships," he said, adding that the defense had failed to prove that Combs poses "no danger to any person." Subramanian added that Combs's duties as a father and son did not rise to the level that's necessary to allow an exception to the text of the law, which mandates detention in most cases. Judge Arun Subramanian has rejected the defense's request that Combs be released on a $1 million bond while he awaits sentencing, arguing that the detention is "mandatory" under the law for the crimes he was convicted of, per the New York Times. Judge Arun Subramanian will decide whether Combs can be released or if he will be forced to remain in custody as he awaits sentencing after being found guilty of two prostitution-related offenses. His lawyers have proposed that he be freed on a $1 million bond and agreed to have him face certain conditions upon his release, including surrendering his passport, submitting to drug testing and complying with strict restrictions on where he can travel within the U.S. "He needs and wants to be with — and remain with — his family," they wrote in a letter to the judge. The prosecution has urged the judge to deny Combs bail, arguing that he "continues to be a danger to others and is either unable or unwilling to follow the law." Doug Wigdor, Cassie Ventura's lawyer, submitted a separate letter to the judge stating that his client believes Combs "likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community." In the lead-up to Combs's bail hearing to decide whether he will be released ahead of sentencing, his legal team has sent a second letter encouraging the judge to allow him to be released. In the letter, they accuse the prosecution of unfairly portraying Combs as "a monster who perpetrated a 20-year federal crime spree through a racketeering enterprise," adding that this depiction was "resoundingly rejected by the jury." The letter also discussed the notoriously dangerous conditions at the Brooklyn jail where Combs has been housed. "It would be unjust to continue detaining Mr. Combs at the [Metropolitan Detention Center] even one day longer, especially since — given the sentencing guidelines for these prostitution offenses — he would otherwise be entitled to serve any additional time imposed at a lower-security facility," they wrote. In the wake of the jury's decision, legal experts have been offering their views on why the prosecution was only able to secure guilty verdicts on two prostitution-related charges and not the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Ephraim Savitt, a former federal prosecutor in New York, told Business Insider that the prosecution overstepped by attempting to portray Combs as a "mob boss" — an accusation he says was unconvincing. "They were overreaching, and in my view, it was a mistake," Savitt said. "The jury just rejected the entire notion wholesale." Former Assistant District Attorney Julie Grant suggested on CNN that jurors may have relied on their own conceptions of what something like sex trafficking should look like rather than how those crimes are defined in the law. "[They] may not see the enterprise — they may not see the sex trafficking for what it literally is by law," she said. Criminal defense attorney Dina Doll told the Associated Press that the "dream team" of lawyers Combs was able to afford likely played a major role in the outcome of the case. "A typical criminal defendant cannot do that," she said. "I think that's where his fame and celebrity helped him." In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, federal prosecutors asked the judge to deny the defense's request for Combs to be released on bail, arguing that he should remain incarcerated while he awaits sentencing. The letter recounted much of what the government presented during the trial. "Over the course of seven weeks, the jury heard evidence of the defendant's violence, interstate transportation of numerous individuals for prostitution, drug use and distribution, and attempts to escape law enforcement detection," their letter read. "This conduct spanned two decades. At trial, the defendant did not walk away from these facts — indeed, the defendant embraced the fact that he was a habitual drug user who regularly engaged in domestic abuse." It also argued that Combs remains a danger to the community because he "brutally assaulted" a woman who testified at his trial under the pseudonym "Jane" three months before his September 2024 arrest — while he was aware he was under federal investigation. Prosecutors also pointed out that when Combs was ultimately taken into custody at a New York hotel, he was in possession of materials for a "freak off." "The defendant's conduct after he understood that he was under federal investigation underscores that he continues to be a danger to others and is either unable or unwilling to follow the law," prosecutors wrote. Doug Wigdor, Cassie Ventura's lawyer, submitted a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian requesting that Combs not be released from custody as he awaits sentencing. 'Ms. Ventura believes that Mr. Combs is likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community,' Wigdor wrote in the letter, per CNN. In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs's defense team outlined its proposed conditions for his release: a. A $1,000,000 bond;b. Co-signed by Sean Combs, his mother, his sister, and the mother of his oldest daughter;c. Mr. Combs's travel will be restricted to the Southern District of Florida, Central District of California and the Southern District of New York (to attend Court and meet with his counsel) as well as the Eastern District of New York or the District of New Jersey (only to the extent that his travel to and from New York involves an airport in those Districts);d. Mr. Combs's passport surrendered to Pretrial Services;e. Drug testing as ordered by Pretrial Services.f. All other standard conditions of pretrial supervision. His lawyers argued that Combs poses no flight risk and that he has already missed several important family events due to his incarceration. "As just a few examples of what Mr. Combs has missed, since he has been incarcerated, he has missed the biggest moments in his daughters' life," the letter read. "He missed his twins' high school graduation — they did not have any parent there with them, because their mother, Kim Porter, tragically passed away in 2018. He missed his twins' prom. He has a minor daughter (2.5 years old) who has been without him for 9 months. He needs and wants to be with — and remain with — his family." A note from Deonte Nash, a celebrity stylist and friend of Cassie Ventura, was included in the prosecutors' letter stating why they are against Combs being released while he awaits sentencing. 'While I appreciate the fairness you have shown throughout this proceeding, I feel compelled to be unequivocal about the danger he poses to the public and to the individuals who have risked everything by coming forward,' Nash wrote, per the Associated Press. Nash continued, 'Mr. Combs has a long, well-documented history of violent, coercive, and retaliatory behavior. Over the years, he has repeatedly escaped meaningful accountability, and each time this has only reinforced his sense of impunity. If he is released now, I have no doubt he will see it as yet another license to continue intimidating, threatening, and harming people who challenge or expose him.' During the trial, Nash testified that Ventura was attacked by Combs. A hearing to determine whether Combs will be released on bail has been set for 5 p.m. ET. Combs has been held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., since his arrest last September. Judge Arun Subramanian had requested that both sides submit letters containing their arguments for and against his release in writing ahead of the hearing. Sean Combs's mother, Janice Combs, who has been a constant presence throughout the trial, expressed satisfaction with the verdict in her son's case. "Yes, I was happy," she said when asked in the courthouse cafeteria if she approved of the jury's decision, according to NBC News. "Wouldn't you be happy?' Earlier, she was seen smiling and giving a thumbs-up as she exited the courthouse following the announcement of the verdict. The lawyer for singer Dawn Richard, who testified during the trial, was unhappy with the verdict. 'Today's split verdict is a disappointment, but the criminal charges are different than the civil claims we filed and have been fighting against Sean Combs,' Richard's attorney, Lisa Bloom, wrote in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. 'We will continue to aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice for Dawn.' Richard previously told jurors that Combs threatened to kill her if she told anyone that she saw him physically assault Cassie Ventura, his longtime girlfriend. According to her testimony, Combs threatened Richard and another woman who saw the attack, saying "we could go missing" if they ever told anyone about it. Rosie O'Donnell said she was angry about the Combs trial verdict, in which the jury found him not guilty of sex trafficking. "i guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion — wow —they just think women stay because what? money — fame — 'they love the abuse' — what a f***ing joke — this decision got me angry #cassie," O'Donnell wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday morning. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rosie O'Donnell (@rosie) The "power of coercion" O'Donnell is referring to are counts two and four: sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion regarding Victim 1 (Cassie Ventura) and Victim 2 ("Jane"). Combs was found not guilty on both counts. No photographs or video recordings were allowed during the federal trial. So the only images from inside the courtroom as the verdict was announced were portraits by sketch artists, including Jane Rosenberg, who captured Combs looking back, pumping his fist and dropping to his knees underneath the defense table. Sean 'Diddy' Combs's longtime hip-hop rival 50 Cent, who mocked Combs on social media throughout the trial, posted a message on Instagram shortly after the jury found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted him on the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. 'Diddy beat the Feds that boy a bad man!' 50 Cent wrote on Instagram with clapping hands emojis. 'Beat the [RICO], he like the Gay John Gotti,' he added in a reference to the infamous mob boss who was similarly acquitted on racketeering charges. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) Early in the trial, amid speculation that President Trump might pardon Combs, 50 Cent posted clips from past interviews of Combs criticizing Trump. "Trump don't like s*** like this, buddy," 50 Cent wrote in an Instagram post sharing one of the clips. "You run your mouth too much." The jury for Combs's trial was made up of 12 New Yorkers, eight men and four women, along with six alternates. One alternate was swapped in for a juror on June 16 after Judge Arun Subramanian expressed concern that the juror had been inconsistent about where he lived. Each juror has a college degree, and the group works in a variety of fields, with a few being retired. The group's ages ranged between 30 and 74 years old. Some have kids or live with family, and others live alone. Before the trial began in May, at least seven of the jurors said they had heard about the case before arriving at jury selection, but said they would remain unbiased during the trial, ABC News reported. Sean 'Diddy' Combs was found guilty of transporting his former girlfriends for prostitution but acquitted of the most serious charges: sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Had he been convicted on either of those counts, Combs could have been facing a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Instead, he is facing 20 years in prison, as the two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution carry maximum sentences of 10 years apiece. Prosecutor Maurene Comey said that the government will seek the maximum possible sentence of 20 years, but the hip-hop mogul's defense team will argue he's a first-time offender who has already spent close to a year in jail. The final sentence will be up to a judge. Jay Clayton, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which prosecuted the case, released a statement in response to the verdict: Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society. Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma. New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to sex crimes requires brave victims to come forward and tell their harrowing stories. We and our law enforcement partners recognize the hardships victims endure and have prioritized a victim-centered approach to investigating and prosecuting these we recognize the important work of the SDNY's Civil Rights Unit as well as the tireless efforts of the women and men at [Homeland Security Investigations] who are devoted to combatting human trafficking. We thank the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York, Digital Forensic Unit and the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement (CASE) Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. We would also like to thank our partners at the NYPD for their assistance in this matter and for sharing our victim-centered approach to combatting sex crimes. Judge Arun Subramanian concluded Wednesday's bail hearing after denying the defense's request that Combs be released on bond. The next step in the trial will be a remote hearing next Tuesday to discuss when sentencing should begin. Judge Arun Subramanian suggested that sentencing could begin in four months, but indicated that he would be open to moving up that date at the defense's request. Combs will remain in custody in the interim. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison after being convicted of two prostitution-related charges, though the actual sentence could be much shorter. The final decision will be up to the judge. Judge Arun Subramanian told the courtroom that he opted to deny Combs's request for release in part because his attorneys had admitted that he had a history of violent behavior over the course of the trial. "At trial, the defense conceded the defendant's violence in his personal relationships," he said, adding that the defense had failed to prove that Combs poses "no danger to any person." Subramanian added that Combs's duties as a father and son did not rise to the level that's necessary to allow an exception to the text of the law, which mandates detention in most cases. Judge Arun Subramanian has rejected the defense's request that Combs be released on a $1 million bond while he awaits sentencing, arguing that the detention is "mandatory" under the law for the crimes he was convicted of, per the New York Times. Judge Arun Subramanian will decide whether Combs can be released or if he will be forced to remain in custody as he awaits sentencing after being found guilty of two prostitution-related offenses. His lawyers have proposed that he be freed on a $1 million bond and agreed to have him face certain conditions upon his release, including surrendering his passport, submitting to drug testing and complying with strict restrictions on where he can travel within the U.S. "He needs and wants to be with — and remain with — his family," they wrote in a letter to the judge. The prosecution has urged the judge to deny Combs bail, arguing that he "continues to be a danger to others and is either unable or unwilling to follow the law." Doug Wigdor, Cassie Ventura's lawyer, submitted a separate letter to the judge stating that his client believes Combs "likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community." In the lead-up to Combs's bail hearing to decide whether he will be released ahead of sentencing, his legal team has sent a second letter encouraging the judge to allow him to be released. In the letter, they accuse the prosecution of unfairly portraying Combs as "a monster who perpetrated a 20-year federal crime spree through a racketeering enterprise," adding that this depiction was "resoundingly rejected by the jury." The letter also discussed the notoriously dangerous conditions at the Brooklyn jail where Combs has been housed. "It would be unjust to continue detaining Mr. Combs at the [Metropolitan Detention Center] even one day longer, especially since — given the sentencing guidelines for these prostitution offenses — he would otherwise be entitled to serve any additional time imposed at a lower-security facility," they wrote. In the wake of the jury's decision, legal experts have been offering their views on why the prosecution was only able to secure guilty verdicts on two prostitution-related charges and not the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Ephraim Savitt, a former federal prosecutor in New York, told Business Insider that the prosecution overstepped by attempting to portray Combs as a "mob boss" — an accusation he says was unconvincing. "They were overreaching, and in my view, it was a mistake," Savitt said. "The jury just rejected the entire notion wholesale." Former Assistant District Attorney Julie Grant suggested on CNN that jurors may have relied on their own conceptions of what something like sex trafficking should look like rather than how those crimes are defined in the law. "[They] may not see the enterprise — they may not see the sex trafficking for what it literally is by law," she said. Criminal defense attorney Dina Doll told the Associated Press that the "dream team" of lawyers Combs was able to afford likely played a major role in the outcome of the case. "A typical criminal defendant cannot do that," she said. "I think that's where his fame and celebrity helped him." In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, federal prosecutors asked the judge to deny the defense's request for Combs to be released on bail, arguing that he should remain incarcerated while he awaits sentencing. The letter recounted much of what the government presented during the trial. "Over the course of seven weeks, the jury heard evidence of the defendant's violence, interstate transportation of numerous individuals for prostitution, drug use and distribution, and attempts to escape law enforcement detection," their letter read. "This conduct spanned two decades. At trial, the defendant did not walk away from these facts — indeed, the defendant embraced the fact that he was a habitual drug user who regularly engaged in domestic abuse." It also argued that Combs remains a danger to the community because he "brutally assaulted" a woman who testified at his trial under the pseudonym "Jane" three months before his September 2024 arrest — while he was aware he was under federal investigation. Prosecutors also pointed out that when Combs was ultimately taken into custody at a New York hotel, he was in possession of materials for a "freak off." "The defendant's conduct after he understood that he was under federal investigation underscores that he continues to be a danger to others and is either unable or unwilling to follow the law," prosecutors wrote. Doug Wigdor, Cassie Ventura's lawyer, submitted a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian requesting that Combs not be released from custody as he awaits sentencing. 'Ms. Ventura believes that Mr. Combs is likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case, including herself, as well as to the community,' Wigdor wrote in the letter, per CNN. In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian, Combs's defense team outlined its proposed conditions for his release: a. A $1,000,000 bond;b. Co-signed by Sean Combs, his mother, his sister, and the mother of his oldest daughter;c. Mr. Combs's travel will be restricted to the Southern District of Florida, Central District of California and the Southern District of New York (to attend Court and meet with his counsel) as well as the Eastern District of New York or the District of New Jersey (only to the extent that his travel to and from New York involves an airport in those Districts);d. Mr. Combs's passport surrendered to Pretrial Services;e. Drug testing as ordered by Pretrial Services.f. All other standard conditions of pretrial supervision. His lawyers argued that Combs poses no flight risk and that he has already missed several important family events due to his incarceration. "As just a few examples of what Mr. Combs has missed, since he has been incarcerated, he has missed the biggest moments in his daughters' life," the letter read. "He missed his twins' high school graduation — they did not have any parent there with them, because their mother, Kim Porter, tragically passed away in 2018. He missed his twins' prom. He has a minor daughter (2.5 years old) who has been without him for 9 months. He needs and wants to be with — and remain with — his family." A note from Deonte Nash, a celebrity stylist and friend of Cassie Ventura, was included in the prosecutors' letter stating why they are against Combs being released while he awaits sentencing. 'While I appreciate the fairness you have shown throughout this proceeding, I feel compelled to be unequivocal about the danger he poses to the public and to the individuals who have risked everything by coming forward,' Nash wrote, per the Associated Press. Nash continued, 'Mr. Combs has a long, well-documented history of violent, coercive, and retaliatory behavior. Over the years, he has repeatedly escaped meaningful accountability, and each time this has only reinforced his sense of impunity. If he is released now, I have no doubt he will see it as yet another license to continue intimidating, threatening, and harming people who challenge or expose him.' During the trial, Nash testified that Ventura was attacked by Combs. A hearing to determine whether Combs will be released on bail has been set for 5 p.m. ET. Combs has been held without bail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., since his arrest last September. Judge Arun Subramanian had requested that both sides submit letters containing their arguments for and against his release in writing ahead of the hearing. Sean Combs's mother, Janice Combs, who has been a constant presence throughout the trial, expressed satisfaction with the verdict in her son's case. "Yes, I was happy," she said when asked in the courthouse cafeteria if she approved of the jury's decision, according to NBC News. "Wouldn't you be happy?' Earlier, she was seen smiling and giving a thumbs-up as she exited the courthouse following the announcement of the verdict. The lawyer for singer Dawn Richard, who testified during the trial, was unhappy with the verdict. 'Today's split verdict is a disappointment, but the criminal charges are different than the civil claims we filed and have been fighting against Sean Combs,' Richard's attorney, Lisa Bloom, wrote in a statement obtained by the Associated Press. 'We will continue to aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice for Dawn.' Richard previously told jurors that Combs threatened to kill her if she told anyone that she saw him physically assault Cassie Ventura, his longtime girlfriend. According to her testimony, Combs threatened Richard and another woman who saw the attack, saying "we could go missing" if they ever told anyone about it. Rosie O'Donnell said she was angry about the Combs trial verdict, in which the jury found him not guilty of sex trafficking. "i guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion — wow —they just think women stay because what? money — fame — 'they love the abuse' — what a f***ing joke — this decision got me angry #cassie," O'Donnell wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday morning. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rosie O'Donnell (@rosie) The "power of coercion" O'Donnell is referring to are counts two and four: sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion regarding Victim 1 (Cassie Ventura) and Victim 2 ("Jane"). Combs was found not guilty on both counts. No photographs or video recordings were allowed during the federal trial. So the only images from inside the courtroom as the verdict was announced were portraits by sketch artists, including Jane Rosenberg, who captured Combs looking back, pumping his fist and dropping to his knees underneath the defense table. Sean 'Diddy' Combs's longtime hip-hop rival 50 Cent, who mocked Combs on social media throughout the trial, posted a message on Instagram shortly after the jury found Combs guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted him on the more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. 'Diddy beat the Feds that boy a bad man!' 50 Cent wrote on Instagram with clapping hands emojis. 'Beat the [RICO], he like the Gay John Gotti,' he added in a reference to the infamous mob boss who was similarly acquitted on racketeering charges. View this post on Instagram A post shared by 50 Cent (@50cent) Early in the trial, amid speculation that President Trump might pardon Combs, 50 Cent posted clips from past interviews of Combs criticizing Trump. "Trump don't like s*** like this, buddy," 50 Cent wrote in an Instagram post sharing one of the clips. "You run your mouth too much." The jury for Combs's trial was made up of 12 New Yorkers, eight men and four women, along with six alternates. One alternate was swapped in for a juror on June 16 after Judge Arun Subramanian expressed concern that the juror had been inconsistent about where he lived. Each juror has a college degree, and the group works in a variety of fields, with a few being retired. The group's ages ranged between 30 and 74 years old. Some have kids or live with family, and others live alone. Before the trial began in May, at least seven of the jurors said they had heard about the case before arriving at jury selection, but said they would remain unbiased during the trial, ABC News reported. Sean 'Diddy' Combs was found guilty of transporting his former girlfriends for prostitution but acquitted of the most serious charges: sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Had he been convicted on either of those counts, Combs could have been facing a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Instead, he is facing 20 years in prison, as the two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution carry maximum sentences of 10 years apiece. Prosecutor Maurene Comey said that the government will seek the maximum possible sentence of 20 years, but the hip-hop mogul's defense team will argue he's a first-time offender who has already spent close to a year in jail. The final sentence will be up to a judge. Jay Clayton, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, which prosecuted the case, released a statement in response to the verdict: Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society. Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma. New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to sex crimes requires brave victims to come forward and tell their harrowing stories. We and our law enforcement partners recognize the hardships victims endure and have prioritized a victim-centered approach to investigating and prosecuting these we recognize the important work of the SDNY's Civil Rights Unit as well as the tireless efforts of the women and men at [Homeland Security Investigations] who are devoted to combatting human trafficking. We thank the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Southern District of New York, Digital Forensic Unit and the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement (CASE) Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. We would also like to thank our partners at the NYPD for their assistance in this matter and for sharing our victim-centered approach to combatting sex crimes.
