EXCLUSIVE Diddy's jubilant mom and kids break silence on shock verdict as Cassie holes up at NYC home

Daily Mail​

16 hours ago

Diddy's mother and children have shared their delight at the rapper being cleared of the most serious criminal charges he faces.
Sean Combs' mom Janice, 85, told Daily Mail: 'I feel incredible. I feel good,' moments after her son was cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
Diddy, 55, was convicted of a prostitution offense but the star's children also said they were delighted by the verdict at Manhattan federal court house.
'First thing I'm gonna do is hug my Pops!' Christian Combs, known professionally as King Combs, told Daily Mail in jubilation as he celebrated his father's victory in an elevator at the Manhattan federal court house.
'I am so happy,' Justin Combs, 31, added. Christian, 27, said: 'We were hopeful but you never know.'
It was a different story across town, where a deflated Cassie Ventura, Diddy's ex-girlfriend and the star witness, reacted with horror to the jury's findings.
Her lawyer told CNN she was not impressed with Diddy's lawyer's characterization of her as a 'winner'.
The mother-of-three, who testified while eight months pregnant, is holed up inside her Manhattan home. Cassie's husband Alex Fine was spotted leaving his house alone, then returning with the couple's children shortly afterwards while looking somber.
Diddy was denied bond at a hearing at 5pm on Wednesday. He will spend his time back in jail before his sentencing.
The megastar smiling and clasping his hands in prayer, appeared relieved and thrilled as the jury foreman delivered the verdict. Some spectators yelled out in joy.
The court also broke out in applause as the music mogul left the courtroom.
Combs and his loved ones are relieved by the verdict, while key witness Cassie Ventura and her family are 'trying to look forward'.
Christian and Justin, accompanied by their girlfriends and Diddy's friend of 40 years music producer Charlucci Finney, rejoiced as they headed out of court Wednesday.
Christian and Finney led rousing screams and cheers in the elevator, as Justin looked overcome with emotion.
Finney, who was near tears, told the Mail: 'I just didn't know which way it was gonna go. I haven't even processed this yet. Man it's incredible he's gonna be coming home.'
The judge received the note with the jury's verdict at 9.52am local time, he told the court. When the jury foreman read the three counts of not guilty, several spectators erupted with joy.
Diddy's mother Janice Combs remained stoic until she hugged her sister. The twins rubbed their heads together when the not guilty verdicts were read.
Combs's family members have been present throughout the trial since it began in early May.
Janice waved at cameras as she left the building with a smile on Wednesday.
The defense tried to get Diddy released on a $1 million bond, but the prosecutors have pushed back - and the judge ultimately denied it.
'It feels great,' defense attorney Marc Agnifilo told the Mail of the verdict after he exited the courtroom.
Alongside racketeering, Combs was charged with sex trafficking Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane.
Ventura's husband Alex Fine and two of their three children were seen arriving back at their New York home Wednesday morning while the jury was deliberating.
The R&B singer's lawyer Douglas Wigdor released a statement after the verdict was read out, saying how Ventura had made an 'indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice'.
'She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion,' Wigdor said.
He added that her 'courage' in speaking out allowed for Combs' two convictions.
Agnifilo, during the trial, called Ventura as the 'winner' in the case, citing the multi-million dollar settlement she received after her 2023 civil suit against Combs.
But Wigdor dismissed the defense's characterization, telling CNN: 'Obviously, Cassie Ventura, at that point in time and today, is not the winner.'
He highlighted how Ventura 'endured 10 years of abuse' at the hands of Combs that saw her allegedly raped and forced into 'days long sexual acts with UTIs'.
He added: 'No amount of money is going to ever undo what she had to endure and what she had to go through.'
Wigdor also noted how Ventura, who was eight months pregnant when she took the stand during the trial, is now focusing on her family and trying to move forward.
The jury, after 13 hours of deliberation, found Combs guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
But he was acquitted of a major racketeering charge and two sex trafficking charges that could have sent him to prison to life.
The relatively quick verdict arrived after seven weeks of at-times excruciating testimony, in which prosecutors had accused Combs of being the boss of a decades-long criminal group who directed loyal employees and bodyguards to commit myriad offenses at his behest.
Jurors announced a partial verdict late Tuesday and said they were deadlocked on the racketeering charge - but Judge Arun Subramanian instructed them to keep working.
Combs, once one of the most powerful figures in the music industry, had vehemently denied all charges.
Both were in long-term relationships with the entrepreneur and hip-hop pioneer, and they each testified about abuse, threats and coercive sex in wrenching detail.
They both said they felt obligated to participate in Combs-directed sexual marathons with hired men.
Combs's lawyers insisted the sex was consensual. They conceded domestic violence was a feature of his relationships - one harrowing example of him beating and dragging Ventura was caught on security footage that has been widely publicized.
Yet while disturbing, that did not amount to sex trafficking, the defense said. Jurors ultimately agreed.