P Diddy pumps fist as he's found guilty on two of five charges as jury delivers verdict

Irish Daily Star

a day ago

Sean "P. Diddy" Combs received official word on the verdict in
his sex trafficking and racketeering trial.
The
disgraced music mogul
was found guilty of two of the five counts he was facing. He was charged with five counts across three federal indictments, including sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution. He was found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and not guilty on the two counts of sex trafficking as well as racketeering conspiracy. The
New York Times
reported that Diddy "pumped his right fist" following the verdict.
He had pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. Additionally, he vehemently denies all allegations of wrongdoing against him, including those alleged in civil lawsuits. The rapper's legal woes began after star-witness
Cassie Ventura
filed a civil complaint against him in November 2023. She detailed allegations of
physical and sexual assault
throughout their 11 year relationship, and the lawsuit was settled out of court without admission of wrongdoing within 24 hours. However, months later, a video of Diddy beating Cassie in a hotel hallway surfaced.
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Diddy took "responsibility" for the actions. In Diddy's video statement, he said, 'It's so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you got to do that. I was f---ed up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But I make no excuses. My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I'm disgusted. I was disgusted then when I did it, I'm disgusted now.
Diddy's trial began on May 12
(Image: AP)
'I went out and sought professional help. Had to go into therapy, into rehab. Had to ask God for his mercy and grace. I'm so sorry. But I'm committed to being a better man each and every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry.'
He later took issue with the video during the criminal trial, though. While his team didn't necessarily deny the actions that were on film, they did claim that the CNN-obtained footage was altered, which the news organization denied. Diddy's defense claimed it was sped up to make it appear worse. Nonetheless, the judge ruled it could be submitted as evidence. Out of caution, the prosecutors chose to procure their own video of the incident to ensure it was not tampered with.
As civil complaints continued to roll in, the feds opened a criminal investigation into Diddy, executing raids on his Miami and
Los Angeles
homes, where they found a copious amount of lube and baby oil. These items, along with high heels, sex toys, and guns, were later used as evidence against him in his criminal trial.
Diddy was arrested in September 2024 in
New York City
, an action he was aware would be coming. His attorney said at the time, 'We are disappointed with the decision to pursue what we believe is an unjust prosecution of Mr. Combs by the U.S. Attorney's Office. To his credit, Mr. Combs has been nothing but cooperative with this investigation and he voluntarily relocated to New York last week in anticipation of these charges. Please reserve your judgment until you have all the facts. These are the acts of an innocent man with nothing to hide, and he looks forward to clearing his name in court.'
Following months of discovery process, prosecutors and the defense team started jury selection May 5 with opening statements kicking off on May 12. The prosecutors called multiple witnesses over the course of several weeks while the defense chose to forgo any witness testimony, including from their client himself.
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