Diddy could walk free TODAY after being cleared of racketeering – as sick fans celebrate with baby oil
DIDDY CELEBRATES Diddy could walk free TODAY after being cleared of racketeering – as sick fans celebrate with baby oil
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SEAN "Diddy" Combs told his family "he'll be home soon" and he could potentially walk free today after being acquitted of the most serious charges.
After less than three days of deliberation and an initial split verdict on Tuesday, the jury convicted Combs of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs' reaction after the verdicts were read
Credit: Reuters
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The Combs family all smiles as they exit the US District Courthouse following the official verdict - Janice Combs (center), mother of Sean Combs, gave a thumbs up
Credit: AFP or licensors
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Sean Combs' son, Christian 'King' Combs, was pictured beaming as he exited the US District Courthouse
Credit: AP:Associated Press
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Sean Combs pumps his fist in the air as the jury after the foreperson read out the verdicts
Credit: Reuters
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Sean Combs attends the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference National Town Hall in Washington DC in September 2023
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
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A supporter of Sean Combs holds up two travel size bottles of Astroglide lubricant and Johnson & Johnson baby oil as he celebrates the verdict
Credit: Reuters
Those two charges carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence each and no minimum, meaning Combs could potentially walk free.
The jury acquitted Combs of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking, the most serious crimes.
Racketeering conspiracy carried a life sentence.
Count 1 : Racketeering conspiracy - Not Guilty
: Racketeering conspiracy - Count 2 : Sex trafficking of Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura - Not Guilty
: Sex trafficking of Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura - Count 3 : Sex trafficking of "Jane" - Not Guilty
: Sex trafficking of "Jane" - Count 4 : Transportation to engage in prostitution (Cassandra Ventura) - Guilty
: Transportation to engage in prostitution (Cassandra Ventura) - Count 5: Transportation to engage in prostitution ("Jane) - Guilty
Combs pumped his right fist in celebration and embraced his family and defense counsel after the jury acquitted him of the most serious charges.
He smiled, put his hands together in prayer, and mouthed to the jury, "Thank you. Thank you," according to The New York Times.
Marc Agnifilo, Combs' lead defense attorney, asked Judge Arun Subramanian to release his client today ahead of his sentencing as he is now acquitted of the most serious crimes.
Agnifilo proposed Combs be released to his home in Miami with various conditions and offered a $1 million bond.
Lead US Attorney Maurene Comey vehemently opposed the defense's proposal, arguing "A person found guilty shall be detained until the judicial officer finds he is not likely to flee or be a danger."
Agnifilo argued, "Mr. Combs has been given his life by this jury," adding that he would be "nothing short of a fool" to breach his terms of any bail conditions.
The judge was initially expected to rule on whether Combs will be released today at 1 pm; however, the hearing was pushed back to 5 pm EST.
As US Marshals escorted Combs out of the courtroom, he told his family "I'll be home soon" and "I love you."
He then shouted in the direction of his defense counsel, "Dream Team," in reference to his lawyers.
Outside the US District Courthouse in Lower Manhattan, sick supporters of Combs poured baby oil on one another in celebration of the trial's outcome.
Read our live blog of the verdict of Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial...
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
The Diddy verdict is the latest gruesome marker of a post-#MeToo era
Sean Combs, the musician variously known as 'Diddy', 'Puffy', 'P Diddy' and 'Love', made a conspicuous scene in the courtroom when the verdict was read. He put his hands into a prayer gesture and mouthed 'thank you' to the jurors, and pumped his fist in the air. A federal jury in New York on Wednesday had acquitted Combs on federal charges of sex trafficking women, finding him guilty only on lesser charges of transporting the male prostitutes he allegedly forced the women to have sex with across state lines. The mixed verdict was seen as a triumph for Combs, who faced the possibility of life in prison if convicted on trafficking and conspiracy charges. Outside, jubilant supporters of Combs – which have in recent weeks included the provocative rapper Kanye West – erupted into celebration. Some reportedly poured baby oil on each other and yelled: 'It's not Rico, it's FREAKO.' Those triumphant chants were references to the organized group sex encounters that women – including two who testified as witnesses for federal prosecutors – have described as rapes. The women – two ex-partners of Combs's, the singer Cassie Ventura and another alleged victim known as Jane – told the court repeatedly over the course of an eight-week trial that they were coerced into participating in the encounters, which Combs called 'freak-offs', with violence, drugs, coercive financial arrangements, and threats. The encounters were filmed by Combs, and the videos were shown to the jury; in addition to the testimony of the women and the videos of what they say were their assaults, jurors were also shown security footage of a savage beating Combs inflicted on Ventura in a hotel hallway following one such party in 2016, and heard from a hotel security guard who says that Combs paid him $100,000 to destroy video evidence of his conduct. Even according to the version of events that Combs himself has admitted to, the musician is abusive, cruel, manipulative and violent toward women. He has admitted both to using drugs and to beating Ventura. But the charges he faced in the federal trial that stretched the length of two months in New York hinged on whether the women's participation in the group sex parties was consensual. They said it wasn't; Combs says it was. As they so often do in sexual assault cases, the jury sided with the man. It is almost banal, by now, to observe that we are in the midst of a #MeToo backlash, and that the brief span – now nearly a decade behind us – when men were held momentarily accountable for their sexual abuse and exploitation of women has been replaced with a sadistic and gruesomely triumphant restoration of the status quo ante, with powerful men afforded impunity for sexual violence against women, with their supporters and fans taking vicarious pleasure in their consequence-free demonstrations of male status, and with the misogynist collective contempt of women who come forward now becoming a centerpiece of online communities and celebrity media alike. In a piece on #MeToo backlash, the writer Jamie Hood referred to the ebb of collective outrage over sexual violence as a kind of 'moral lethargy'. But in the chanting men outside the federal courthouse on Wednesday, I see something darker and more energetic, something that is not indifferent to men's sexual entitlement and the suffering they inflict on women with it, but actively in thrall to it. Those who oppose sexual abuse, it seems, lack all conviction. Those who support it are full of passionate intensity. It is true that part of the cause for Combs's acquittal lies in a problem that predates #MeToo and therefore cannot be blamed on its backlash: the epistemic difficulties of abusive relationships. Abuse by men of their female partners is frequently psychologically baroque, employing tactics of humiliation, coercion, gaslighting, and shamelessly opportunistic exploitation of the tendency, shared by many women and especially the young ones, to esteem themselves unworthy and broken, and to look to men to be their saviors. Such dynamics tend to produce conflicting testimony from the victims, who might say loving or forgiving things to their abusers while the relationship is ongoing that are used against them later by abuse apologists, misogynists, and defense attorneys. In the Combs case, the defense team could point to text messages their client exchanged with the women in which they expressed affection and desire. To the jury, these outweighed the texts in which they said they felt forced into the encounters, tried to avoid them, or were reminded by Combs when he demanded sex that he was paying their rent. But it is worth dwelling, I think, on what the women at the center of this case endured in order to try to make their alleged abuse recognized by the law. Ventura and Jane were subjected to grueling testimony about what they say were tremendously dark experiences. Strangers were shown videos of them having sex; Ventura was beaten, and a video of her beating went viral. The defense, meanwhile, has not been chastened by any supposed post-#MeToo cultural taboos against victim-blaming or slut-shaming. In cross examination, the women were humiliated with lines of questioning meant to portray them as gold diggers and sluts. Intimate harms they endured, physically and emotionally, were picked over by a national audience. And after all that, the jury still sided with the man they say trafficked and abused them. It is a central tenet of feminist politics that the unspeakability of sexual abuse is part of what allows it to thrive. In the second wave, activists formed 'consciousness raising' circles, in which women would discuss the function of sexism in their own lives; the idea was that only by naming and articulating the violence and indignity they were subjected to could women be prepared to change it. #MeToo functioned on a similar principle: the idea was that women, by telling their stories, could find solidarity with one another. And maybe they have: one can hope, desperately, that wherever they are, Ventura and Jane are surrounded by women who are angry for them. But in #MeToo, women's storytelling had a second task. Women, it was thought, in telling their stories, could not only find solidarity with one another, but could change the minds of the reflexively misogynist world, could convince the institutions and cultures and communities that had long dismissed and mocked us to instead take our side, see us with compassion, and deliver us justice. That part turned out to be naive. Outside the small circle of feminist solidarity, it turns out, no one is much moved by rape victims' pain. Instead, audiences tend to dismiss these women: to resent their displays of woundedness, to be annoyed by their demands for accountability. They want the women of #MeToo to shut up. If verdicts like this are any indication, maybe we should. Moira Donegan is a Guardian US columnist
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Diddy's jubilant mom and kids break silence on shock verdict as Cassie holes up at NYC home
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.
STV News
2 hours ago
- STV News
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs denied bail after mixed verdict clears him of some charges
A judge has declined to grant bail to Sean 'Diddy' Combs, potentially allowing the hip hop mogul to be freed to await sentencing in his sex crimes case. The bond decision came after a jury convicted Combs of federal prostitution-related offences, but acquitted him of sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Combs, 55, has been behind bars since his arrest in September. The Grammy-winning impresario stands convicted of two counts of a crime — transportation to engage in prostitution — that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. But jurors cleared him of charges that could have put him behind bars for life. His lawyers argued that the acquittal on those counts changed the legal landscape enough that he should be freed on one million dollars bond. Prosecutors said he remained a flight risk. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
