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Black America Web
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
Celebrities React To The Diddy Verdict
Source: Amanda Edwards / Getty Hollywood is talking up a storm now that a final verdict has been handed down in the months-long sex trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs. On July 2, a jury unanimously acquitted the 55-year-old hip-hop mogul of racketeering conspiracy and two serious charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion — despite disturbing testimony involving alleged sexual abuse, drug-fueled episodes during his infamous 'freak offs.' However, jurors did convict the 'All About The Benjamins' rapper on two lesser charges — Counts 3 and 5 — for violating the Mann Act by transporting individuals across state lines to engage in prostitution. Jurors sided with prosecutors' claims that Combs paid male escorts to travel around the country and engage in sex with his girlfriends, according to NBC News. MUST SEE: The Diddy Trial: In Pictures In reaching a not-guilty verdict on Counts 2 and 4 — which involved allegations of sex trafficking by former girlfriend Cassie Ventura and an anonymous woman referred to as 'Jane' — jurors concluded there wasn't sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the women were coerced or forced into sexual acts. Both charges carried mandatory minimum sentences of 15 years, with the potential for life in prison, making the acquittal a significant legal win for Combs. Rapper 50 Cent—who has been opinionated about the intense trial from the start— was the first to share his thoughts on the verdict via Instagram on Wednesday. 'Diddy beat the Feds that boy a bad man !' the 49-year-old rapper and entrepreneur penned, attaching several clapping emojis along with his message. 'Beat the Rico, he the Gay John Gotti @50centaction.' Notably, Yung Miami, the Bad Boy Records CEO's former girlfriend, also took to Instagram shortly after the decision was made public with a video of Justin Bieber pinching his fingers together. It's unclear if the post was meant to serve as a reaction to the news. Aubrey O'Day, a former member of Danity Kane and one of Combs' past artists, expressed frustration over the decision. The 41-year-old star said she felt 'physically ill' upon learning that the embattled music mogul would walk away without conviction on the sex trafficking and racketeering charges. 'Cassie probably feels so horrible,' the singer said filled with emotion, in a video posted to her Instagram Story. However, the verdict was met with celebration by Lil Boosie, who called it a 'great day in hip-hop.' 'Man I'm so glad Diddy Free,' the 42-year-old rap star said in a video post shared to Instagram. 'The reason is, I'm so tired of seeing us Black moguls get took down… And I'm tired of seeing us Black people go against us Black moguls.' The Baton Rouge-based hitmaker said he was thinking about Diddy's children and the fear they may have about today's verdict. 'Not knowing if your daddy is gon' come home is a burden on the child,' he added. Douglas H. Wigdor, the attorney for Cassie, spoke with Variety shortly after the verdict and praised the singer for bravely coming forward with her explosive 2023 lawsuit, the complaint that ultimately laid the groundwork for the trial. 'Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice,' Wigdor said. 'We must repeat – with no reservation – that we believe and support our client who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial. 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. This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.' Combs is now awaiting sentencing for the two transportation convictions, with each count carrying a potential sentence of up to 10 years behind bars. DON'T MISS… 5 Nontraditional Media Personalities Covering The Diddy Trial Biggie's Mother Voletta Wallace Wants To 'Slap The Daylight' Out Of Diddy SEE ALSO Celebrities React To The Diddy Verdict was originally published on
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cassie Ventura Reveals Black Eye, Fat Lip & 2016 LAPD Visit In Sean 'Diddy' Combs Trial Testimony
'I have a black eye and a fat lip,' Cassie Ventura told the courtroom in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial Wednesday, reading aloud a text she sent to Combs after a beating from the 'All About The Benjamins' performer at an L.A. hotel in 2016. 'You are sick for thinking it is okay what you've done. Just stay away from me,' she added with a broken voice. More from Deadline Cassie Ventura Breaks Down In Tears At Trial Detailing Sex Sessions & How Sean "Diddy" Combs Controlled Every Aspect Of Her Life - Update Sean 'Diddy' Combs Trial Testimony Gets Carnal & Violent As Paid Sex Partner Of Cassie Ventura Unveils What Went On Behind Closed Doors - Update Feds' Sean "Diddy" Combs Case In Danger As Key Witness Remains AWOL On Eve Of NYC Trial Start The continued testimony from the very pregnant 'Me & U' singer Wednesday follows a day of sordid revelations on May 13 of the wide-spread cruelty and control Ventura and federal prosecutors claim she suffered at the hands of Diddy during their decade-long relationship. Combs responded to Ventura's accusations with more texts imploring her to call him and falsely telling her that he was being arrested at that moment for the incident in the hotel. In the immediate aftermath of the incident, a friend of Ventura's called the LAPD to the singer's nearby apartment. When the police arrived, however, Ventura declined to tell them who had given her the fat lip and black eye. 'Just in that moment, I didn't want to hurt him that way,' she explained today. 'At that moment, I wasn't ready'. Combs later showed up at Ventura's apartment, banging on the door, demanding to be let in. Ventura was not at the apartment at the time, she said, today. The court was also shown a photograph of a heavily made up Ventura wearing sunglasses just before she attended a movie premiere with Combs days after the hotel incident in March 2016. The singer said she was wearing the sunglasses to hide her black eye. She also said that as much as she tried, she could not cover up all the bruises on her body. With only a few breaks for the expectant mother, the jury Tuesday heard tales of inflatable swimming pools full of baby oil in hotel suites, and multiple paid partners having sex for days with Ventura as Combs directed the action and pleasured himself in the corner. Over the approximately five hours Ventura was questioned by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson, there were stories of beatings, threats of more beatings, manipulation, degradation, drugs and more drugs from a young woman who admitted she was searching for self-worth at almost any cost from a man she still says she loved and would do anything to please. Estimated by presiding Judge Arun Subramanian to last eight to 10 weeks, the criminal trial of the much-accused and currently incarcerated Combs follows his arrest last September on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and more. Now seemingly about to have her and husband Alex Fine's third child any day, Diddy's ex Ventura was paid off in the tens of millions in late 2023 to quickly drop her own assault and abuse civil suit against the Bad Boy Records founder. Though withdrawn with that settlement, that short-lived suit by Ventura opened the flood gates of rape and other such accusations against Combs (with a handful now dismissed) and drove a direct path to the criminal trial underway now in Manhattan. The 55-year-old Combs is looking at spending the rest of his life behind bars in federal prison if found guilty by the jury in this case. As he has in every single case against him, Combs has entered a not guilty plea. The one-time mini-mogul's defense team have admitted in various court filings and their own opening statement on May 12 that their client is a domestic violence preparator, a drug user, a self-avowed swinger and often out of control. However, with that preemptive swipe at the prosecution and having previously rejected a plea deal, they rightly insist that is not what he is charged with. They also insist that no one was coerced into anything and everyone, including Ventura, was a consenting adult in Combs so-called unconventional lifestyle. Ventura and Combs self-described 'toxic relationship' was back in the media foreground in the spring 2024 when CNN obtained and broadcast a seemingly irrefutable and now defense disputed 2016 L.A. hotel security footage of a half-naked Combs beating his then-girlfriend in the hall and dragging her back to their room. For months, the defense alleges the footage, which their client had previously apologized for the violence he is shown committing and then deleted the apology, was doctored and doesn't tell the whole story. Now, after repeated viewing of the footage in the trial's first days, and May 12 testimony from the then InterContinental Hotel security guard who arrived on the scene that March day nine years ago, the Combs' legal team is taking the stance that the footage merely shows a dust-up between lovers over a phone that spiraled out of control but de-escalated rapidly too. Throughout Ventura's soft-spoken and often succinct testimony on Tuesday, a sweater-wearing and white-haired Combs sat just a few feet away in the jam-packed courtroom of Judge Subramanian. Unlike the first day of the trial on Monday, the 'I Need A Girl' performer was in near constant motion on May 13 as Ventura testified. Speaking and passing notes to his defense team, and shifting with apparent agitation in his chair, as the day went by, Combs looked less and less like the stuffy old man persona he was trying to pass off. Unless she goes into labor, Ventura is expected to testify most of this week. To that, the Marc Agnifilo, Teny Geragos and Brian Steel-led defense are widely expected to take turns eviscerating star witness Ventura's testimony as that of an old lover who never got over her jealousy and the fact she was not the so-called 'soulmate' to Combs that the now deceased Kim Porter was. As was raised yesterday, at one point Ventura's husband Fine may be called to testify by the defense over the issues of an alleged 2018 rape of the singer by Combs and a series of harsh and potentially threatening text messages Fine sent Combs in 2023. Known as Victim-1, Ventura's testimony was supposed to be followed by Victim-2, Victim-3 and Victim-4 and more recently added Victim-5. The majority of that schedule is still in place, but Victim-3 has disappeared, and the government admits they have lost contact with her. Seen as late as this past weekend as a likely roadblock the tight trial schedule going ahead to plan or grounds for a mistrial motion by the defense, the continued absence of Victim-3 was essentially waved through by Judge Subramanian earlier this week on the hopes she turns up or the feds find her soon. Still, as sources tell me, the no-show of Victim-3 is already being penciled in as a rationale for a later mistrial motion by the defense or grounds for an appeal if the jury verdict is against Combs in early July. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far TV Show Book Adaptations Arriving In 2025 So Far Book-To-Movie Adaptations Coming Out In 2025
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Male Sex Worker Details Alleged Experience At Diddy 'Freak-Off' Parties
Another exposé on the alleged heinous actions of Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been published by Rolling Stone, where they interviewed a number of figures previously associated with the mogul. One of whom, a male sex worker using the pseudonym Nathan, shared his alleged experience of being paid by Puff for his services during the mogul's much-discussed 'freak-off' parties. Nathan claims that Diddy last reached out to him for a 'freak-off' in 2019, hoping to set up a threesome at 1 Hotel in Miami between the two men and a woman flying in from Hawaii. While that particular plan never came to fruition, Nathan claims he was paid anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000 for each sexual encounter, adding that the freak-offs were 'ritualistic,' involving the Bad Boy founder 'choreographing every movement' until he was no longer sober enough to do so. 'I think he would try to regulate her pleasure,' Nathan said of Puff directing their sex sessions. He also claims he was often summoned to 'lavish' hotel rooms in Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles, and was forced to surrender his phone before undressing and grabbing a bottle of baby oil that was warmed in a tub of hot water. 'I don't use baby oil to this day because of all the baby oil I used to put on me,' he told the publication. 'The hotel rooms were freezing. The baby oil was warm, so if you were cold and your clothes were locked in another room, the baby oil kept you warm.' In addition to participating, Nathan alleged that Puff also enjoyed playing the voyeur, standing in the shadows while watching him have sex with female guests — including Diddy's various girlfriends. 'He would pretend to leave the room but, like, go around the corner and crawl in the room on the floor and peek around the corner or use the mirrors,' Nathan claimed. 'Really creepy sh*t, obviously. Because it's, like, your girlfriend. Why do you even have to do that?' Nathan also spoke of Combs' alleged drug use, saying the 'All About The Benjamins' artist preferred ecstasy and ketamine, claiming they gave Combs 'that ecstatic feeling he needs for sex.' He also suspects Combs drugged him at a 'freak-off' giving him a 'horrible reaction.' 'This stuff had me so out of my mind,' he shared of the experience before describing the New Yorker as 'entrenched' in his compulsions. 'He's a sex addict…. He's an obsessive drug addict. That's a major part of his problem.' Combs' legal team has made an effort to frame Diddy as 'reformed' following the 2016 incident where he was seen abusing then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura. They cited his willingness to come to NYC knowing he'd be arrested — rather than resist or go on the run — as a demonstration of his 'trustworthiness,' hoping it would lead to the producer being released on bond. 'It's bullsh*t,' Nathan proclaimed. 'He's not reformed. He just wanted to get out of jail. He's the same person.' While Combs' lawyers declined to address Nathan's claims, lead attorney Marc Agnifilo says that the defense in this case interviewed six male sex workers connected to Combs last September. 'I have asked all the questions I could think of: Was anybody too drunk? Was anybody too high? Did anyone express any hesitation? Was there the slightest inkling that possibly, possibly the woman wasn't consenting?…No. No. No. No.' Combs is currently awaiting trial at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center on charges of racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. Check out the full Rolling Stone exposé here. More from Danity Kane's D. Woods Says Working With Diddy Was 'Predatory' And 'Verbally Abusive' Reginald VelJohnson Responds To Dave Chappelle's Joke About Him Attending Diddy "Freak-Off" Party Diddy's Ex Kat Pasion Claims Mogul Told Her There's "A Little Bit Of R. Kelly In All Of Us"
