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Fox News
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Diddy insider Mark Geragos admits 'the only thing' that surprised him about the verdict
Sean "Diddy" Combs was acquitted Wednesday of racketeering and sex trafficking charges following a two-month-long federal trial. Backed by a "dream team" group of defense lawyers, the rapper was facing life in prison if convicted of the three charges, but a jury handed down a guilty verdict on two of the lesser charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. High-profile criminal defense lawyer Mark Geragos – a longtime Diddy acquaintance and father of lead attorney, Teny Geragos – closely followed the case, and told Fox News Digital that the jury "absolutely" made the right decision. More than 10 hours into deliberations, the 12-person jury told Judge Arun Subramanian Tuesday that "unpersuadable" opinions prevented them from reaching a unanimous verdict on the biggest charge. Multiple notes were passed to the court from the jurors, with Judge Subramanian ultimately advising continued deliberations until a verdict was reached. While it was unclear at the time what the verdict was, Geragos admitted to feeling somewhat uneasy. "When I heard they were hung on the RICO and had verdicts on the other four, at first I was not confident until I read the note," Geragos said. "Once I read that note, I figured at that point that they would … I thought that they would hang on because, you know, they use the term, unpersuadeable jurors on both sides. "That indicated to me that they had split the verdicts on the other four counts. The only thing that surprised me is how quickly they came back on the RICO with a not guilty." The following morning, roughly two hours into deliberations, jurors reached a verdict and found Diddy not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, with guilty verdicts on both counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The judge joked that he assumed Diddy did not want to return to MDC Brooklyn, to which the rapper shook his head very exaggeratedly and then looked up with his hands together as if praying. After the judge left, Diddy knelt down with his arms on the chair in front of him. He then got up, faced the gallery and started clapping. The courtroom opened up in applause and cheers for him. WATCH: Criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos weighs in on Diddy trial A hearing next week will determine a sentencing date where Diddy could face up to 20 years in prison. The government requested a term between 51-63 months, while Diddy's defense is seeking a 21-27 month term. Still, Geragos guessed both of those numbers were far off base. "Frankly, I think this case isn't worth anywhere close to either of those calculations. But even if he gets it, he's a prime candidate for some of the federal programs that are out there actually initiated by this administration and this administration's prior iteration," Geragos said. "So there are programs there that he could take advantage of, and I'm sure he will. I mean he's had enormous amount of time – I call it a time out – and he's used it productively. He's reading, he's thinking, he is talking. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but I think in retrospect, when he's out, it'll be very, very productive." It's unclear when Diddy will be sentenced and what term he faces following the court victory, which Geragos chalked up to the defense team setting the framework before testimony even began. "I've always said that cases like this are won or lost in jury selection, and so I think that the jury selection was instrumental," Geragos said. "And then look, I'm biased. I think that my daughter delivered the opening statement and, frankly, from where I sat, and I watched it, I don't think the prosecution ever recovered from that opening statement. There are a lot of studies that say jurors make up their minds 90% of the time after the close of the opening statement." Geragos added, "And by the way, I don't want to denigrate Mark Agnifalo. He did a tour de force on that closing that had him literally rolling in the aisles. So it was a pretty amazing book end." During opening statements of Diddy's trial, which began on May 5, Teny asked the jury to consider the federal charges, not the choices of an at-times violent man. "Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case," Teny told the court. "This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money. This case is about voluntary adult choices made by capable adults and consensual relationships. This case is about those real-life relationships, and the government is trying to turn those relationships into a racketeering case, a prostitution case and a sex trafficking case. It will not work." She noted that Diddy "has a bad temper" and at times gets "so angry or so jealous that he is out of control," but she emphasized that the "Victory" rapper was not charged with "being mean." "He is not charged with being a jerk. He's charged with running a racketeering enterprise," Teny said. "And though there was violence that you are going to hear about, you already have, that violence is not part of any RICO. That violence is not connected to sex trafficking and that violence is not prostitution."
Fox News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Diddy could be free within a year after partial acquittal, attorney Mark Geragos predicts
Mark Geragos, a high-profile lawyer and the father of one of Sean "Diddy" Combs' attorneys, made a bold prediction about the rapper's prison sentence. Geragos anticipates the hip-hop mogul could serve 18 months or less behind bars. "What's the government going to ask for? They're going to ask for 50 to 60 months…" the attorney said during an appearance on his podcast with Harvey Levin, "2 Angry Men," Wednesday. "The sentencing guidelines, frankly, are 20 to 27." "I think if there's any justice, he'll get 21 months, time served," Geragos predicted. "Even if he were to get 36, he's eligible for all kinds of other stuff, he's not going to do much more time." "I think he'll be out within a year, 18 months at the most. I think there's a distinct possibility that he gets sentenced to something akin to time served," he noted. The jury in Diddy's two-month trial reached a verdict on all counts Wednesday. Diddy was acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges and found guilty on both counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Following the verdict, the judge denied the rapper's request for bail. Diddy has already spent nearly 10 months behind bars and remains in custody as he awaits sentencing. The time he served will be credited toward his final sentence. Diddy's legal team was led by Geragos' daughter, Teny, and Marc Agnifilo. During the podcast interview, Teny made a guest appearance to briefly thank the host, as he congratulated her on the outcome of Diddy's trial. "I feel great," Teny said, all smiles, after her legal win on the "big case." Diddy's other lawyers included Brian Steel – who recently represented rapper Young Thug – Anna Estevao, Jason Driscoll, Xavier R. Donaldson and Alexandra Shapiro. His legal team argued that the case was about "voluntary adult choices," not a "mean" man running a criminal enterprise. WATCH: DIDDY TRIAL WAS A 'COLOSSAL FAILURE BY THE PROSECUTION,' ATTORNEY MARK GERAGOS SAYS R. Kelly's lawyer, Nicole Blank Becker, told Fox News Digital her thoughts on the verdict in Diddy's case. She shared that the evidence from Diddy's exes, Cassie Ventura and "Jane," who testified under a pseudonym, made the two counts tied to transporting individuals for prostitution tough to beat. "He was found guilty of two separate charges. Those charges involved transportation to engage in prostitution. These were, I thought, obvious wins in terms of the testimony we had from Cassie, the testimony we had from Jane… they set this up very well," Becker said. While prosecutors built a strong case, Becker shared where she believed it started to fall apart. "What they didn't set up well, and what they were striving to do, is get Diddy on this RICO charge... So, what did they do? They threw everything at him, everything, trying to mount their position that this was, in fact, some type of organized criminal enterprise… we know the government tried to turn a music empire into a criminal empire." In the end, it was a stretch – legally and logically, the attorney argued. The attempt to use RICO and the Mann Act (anti-sex trafficking law) were laws never meant for cases similar to Diddy's, she added. "Diddy clearly dodged a bullet when it came to the RICO charge," Becker noted. A federal RICO violation can result in a 20-year sentence. The transportation to engage in prostitution charges could carry a sentence of up to 10 years, while sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion may carry a 20-year sentence. Diddy will remain behind bars until his sentencing hearing. The prosecution has suggested four to five years for the rapper's sentence. Judge Arun Subramanian scheduled a remote hearing for Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET for the defense and prosecution to continue discussing a plan for Diddy's sentencing. The federal judge proposed a sentencing hearing for Oct. 3. The date could be moved up as Diddy's defense argued for an expedited sentencing.
Fox News
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Diddy's defense attorney challenges government's narrative in high-stakes federal trial
Sean "Diddy" Combs retained criminal defense attorney Teny Geragos as part of his legal team after his arrest in September. The criminal defense attorney, known just as much for her last name as she is for her work in the courtroom, first earned fans last year with social media clips about her rapper client. Teny also gained recognition for her opening remarks during Diddy's federal trial, where she argued that the case was about "voluntary adult choices," which the government was attempting to skew into a narrative to fit a sex trafficking charge. Teny, the daughter of criminal defense lawyer Mark Geragos, graduated from Loyola Law School Los Angeles in 2016. Her father is known for representing several high-profile clients, including Michael Jackson, Scott Peterson, Jussie Smollett, Colin Kaepernick and, most recently, the Menendez brothers in their pursuit of resentencing. She then worked with Brafman & Associates for eight years before becoming a founding partner of Agnifilo Intrater. She serves on the board of directors of the New York Criminal Bar Association and is certified to practice law in New York and California. Shortly after Diddy was arrested in New York after a human trafficking investigation, Teny claimed the media was pushing the wrong narrative about the "Last Night" rapper. "There's no minors, there's no celebrity sex tapes. The civil lawsuits here are not driving the allegations that we're defending against, but it is driving the vitriol against him in the media," Teny said on an episode of "2 Angry Men." "It's incredible here what I'm witnessing," she said of the public narrative about Diddy. "A lot of allegations that have no basis in reality whatsoever." During opening statements of Diddy's trial, which began on May 5, Teny asked the jury to consider the federal charges, not the choices of an at-times violent man. "Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case," Teny told the court. "This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money. This case is about voluntary adult choices made by capable adults and consensual relationships. This case is about those real-life relationships, and the government is trying to turn those relationships into a racketeering case, a prostitution case and a sex trafficking case. It will not work." Teny told the jury that they would hear the "basics" through the lens of various witnesses and evidence. Most importantly, though, jurors would get the opportunity to "finally" hear the facts about the case. "Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case. This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money. This case is about voluntary adult choices made by capable adults and consensual relationships." "I say that because this case is not about what you've heard on the news, read in the news or have seen on social media for the past year and a half," Teny said. "This case is not about what civil attorneys looking for a payday are trying to make my client out to be. There has been a tremendous amount of noise around this case for the past year, and it is time to cancel that noise and hear and see the evidence that will be presented in this courtroom." She noted that Diddy "has a bad temper" and at times gets "so angry or so jealous that he is out of control," but she emphasized that the "Victory" rapper was not charged with "being mean." "He is not charged with being a jerk. He's charged with running a racketeering enterprise," Teny said. "And though there was violence that you are going to hear about, you already have, that violence is not part of any RICO. That violence is not connected to sex trafficking and that violence is not prostitution." During a recent episode of "2 Angry Men," Harvey Levin and Mark Geragos sat down with fellow high-profile lawyer Joe Tacopina to talk about the case. Tacopina has served as a personal attorney for President Donald Trump and most recently won a big court victory while representing rapper A$AP Rocky, who was found not guilty of criminal assault charges. "He is not charged with being a jerk. He's charged with running a racketeering enterprise." "Your daughter, by the way, your daughter is a terrific lawyer – Teny – I'm very impressed," Tacopina told the men. "There's people who are or children of great lawyers who become lawyers, and you know it's not the same." "I'm sure we're reading each other's minds right now," Mark said. "That's why I take that as high praise for her, so I appreciate that." "She is, she's something else. I'm very impressed with her," Tacopina continued. "That opening was phenomenal. Opening summations and cross is my daily bread, it's what I love, it's what I studied, and what I really perfected it, and that was as good as I've seen." To wrap the episode, Mark revealed that his all-star daughter was pregnant with his second grandchild. "Four months yesterday, I think," Mark said. Levin joked, "The New York jury is like, 'Is everybody pregnant in this case?" Levin was likely referring to the prosecution's "star witness," Diddy's ex, Cassie Ventura, who recently gave birth to her child with husband Alex Fine. Ventura testified against the rapper last month. In a federal indictment unsealed on Sept. 17, Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy (RICO); sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison. He has maintained his innocence throughout the trial, in which witnesses have testified to alleged rape, sexual assault, severe physical abuse, forced labor and drug trafficking. The trial is expected to wrap by July 4.
CBS News
15-05-2025
- CBS News
Menendez brothers clemency hearing in June converted to initial parole hearing, corrections officials say
The Menendez brothers' bid toward freedom seems to be getting expedited after a clemency hearing was converted into initial parole hearings, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says. The move to hold the initial parole hearings on June 13 comes days after Erik and Lyle were resentenced by Judge Michael Jesic to 50 years to life, making them eligible for parole. Despite serving less than the minimum 50 years, California's youth offender law granted them eligibility, since they killed their parents before they turned 26 years old. The Menendez brothers will have to go before the state parole board and argue their case that they no longer pose a threat to public safety, will not re-offend and take accountability for their crimes. The clemency hearing was scheduled after they submitted a petition to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who ordered the board to conduct a risk assessment report. The admissibility of the report garnered heated debate between the brothers' attorney Mark Geragos and Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman during the resentencing proceedings. Prior to Jesic's ruling on Tuesday, the brothers were serving life sentences without the possibility of parole for killing their parents, Kitty and Jose Menendez, inside their Beverly Hills home in 1989. They have spent more than three decades behind bars, claiming they killed their parents in self-defense after alleging years of physical, sexual and emotional abuse. Geragos and family members present in the courtroom celebrated and praised Jesic for this decision. "I'm hopeful and glad we're one huge step closer to bringing the boys home," Geragos said on Tuesday. Hochman has repeatedly stated his opposition to the brothers resentencing and on Wednesday told a group of reporters he disagreed with the judge's decision. "I believe that the Menendez brothers have started down the path of fully accepting responsibility for all their actions, but they stop short in their statements," Hochman said. "For instance, they've never said that the self-defense, defense, that they've said during trials, that they've said for the last 30 years, that it's absolutely false." If either of the Menendez brothers is denied parole during their independent hearings, they could lobby for their freedom again in future meetings with the board. However, it may take a few years before their next appointment. If the panel denies an inmate parole, state law requires the board to schedule another hearing three, five, seven, 10, or 15 years in the future, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. If the brothers are approved for parole, Newsom could reject the board's recommendation. "On the basis of recommendation, I reject the parole board's recommendations often," Newsom said. In 2022, Newsom rejected two notable parole recommendations for assassin Sirhan Sirhan and former Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten. CBS News Los Angeles reached out to the governor's office, which did not want to comment directly on the clemency investigation or hearings.
The Guardian
14-05-2025
- The Guardian
Menendez brothers ‘huge step' closer to freedom as judge reduces sentences
After months of delays and decades behind bars, Erik and Lyle Menendez now have a long-awaited chance at freedom after a judge reduced their sentences for the 1989 killings of their parents. Their family and massive network of supporters celebrated Tuesday when Judge Michael Jesic resentenced the brothers from life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life. The judge's decision means they are immediately eligible for parole under California's youthful offender law because of their young ages at the time of the murders. Soon they will appear before the parole board, which will decide whether or not they should be released. Their freedom is not guaranteed, but this week's developments bring them closer than they've ever been to leaving prison. 'They are a real family,' Mark Geragos, the brothers' lead attorney, said after the hearing. 'Real people who have lived through unimaginable horrors. And I'm hopeful and glad that we're one huge step closer to bringing the boys home.' Their release could at last bring a close to a case that has dominated headlines and captured public attention for nearly four decades. In 1989, Lyle, a 21-year-old student at Princeton, and Erik, an 18-year-old tennis star, attacked their parents with shotguns as they watched television and ate ice-cream in their Beverly Hills home. Jose, a prominent entertainment executive, was shot five times, while Kitty was shot nine times. The brothers initially said the killings were related to the mafia or their father's business, but eventually they confessed, and said that they had killed their parents in self-defense. They said they feared their parents were going to kill them to prevent them from speaking out about the long-term sexual abuse they experienced from their father. Prosecutors argued the brothers killed their parents in order to receive their multimillion-dollar inheritance. They were convicted of the murders in 1996 after two heavily covered trials – their first trial was one of the first to be almost entirely televised on Court TV. But in recent years the prevailing narrative around the brothers and their crimes began to shift – in part due to viral TikToks that focused on their allegations of abuse. Attention intensified in the last year and a half. First, letter written by Erik to his late cousin before the killings that corroborated his allegations of abuse surfaced after it was found among family belongings in 2018. Then, a former member of the band Menudo said he, too, was abused by Jose Menendez as a young teen in the 1980s. Erik and Lyle filed filed a habeas petition in 2023, which challenged their convictions as unconstitutional. But 2024 brought significantly more focus on the case – and movement. It was the subject of a documentary and Netflix series. Erik and Lyle received an outpouring support from criminal justice reform advocates, including Kim Kardashian. And George Gascón, the progressive former Los Angeles county district attorney, said he believed the brothers' accounts of abuse and that they had been rehabilitated. He recommended they be resentenced, opening the door to their release. The current district attorney, Nathan Hochman, who beat Gascón in the November election, quickly reversed course and sought twice to withdraw the resentencing petition. He argued the brothers had not taken full responsibility for their crimes and his office has said it does not believe they were abused. But the proceedings eventually moved ahead and after several delays due to the LA wildfires and disputes between the defense and prosecution, Erik and Lyle, now 54 and 57 respectively, were back in court on Tuesday where several family members and supporters spoke on their behalf. The brothers have the support of their entire family – with the exception of a recently deceased uncle – who have said they forgive the brothers and want them to be freed. Relatives spoke about the abused the brothers they faced, their accomplishments and prison and the desire to see them released. 'We all, on both sides of the family, believe that 35 years is enough,' she told the court. 'They are universally forgiven by the family.' Jonathan Colby, a retired judge, told the court that he considered himself tough on crime but he had got to know the brothers and was impressed with the programs they started in prison to provide aid and care for older and disabled prisoners. 'There's not many prisoners I meet like Erik and Lyle that have such concern for the elderly,' he said. Anerae Brown, who was once incarcerated with the brothers, cried as he testified about how they helped him heal and get on the path to rehabilitation, leading to his release from prison, and called the programs they started 'Menendez University'. Erik and Lyle attended the proceedings virtually and read statements to the court, acknowledging the impact of the crimes. 'You did not deserve what I did to you, but you inspire me to do better,' Erik Menendez said, addressing his family. Jesic issued his decision immediately after the brothers spoke, and granted them a new sentence of 50 years to life. Because they were under 26 at the time of the murders, they are immediately eligible for parole. Hochman, the LA district attorney, said his office's opposition to their resentencing 'ensured that the court was presented with all the facts before making such a consequential decision'. 'The decision to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez was a monumental one that has significant implications for the families involved, the community, and the principles of justice,' District Attorney Hochman said. 'Our office's motions to withdraw the resentencing motion filed by the previous administration ensured that the court was presented with all the facts before making such a consequential decision.' The brothers are expected to appear before the parole board on 13 June for a clemency petition they submitted to the governor – though it's not yet clear if that will serve as their parole hearing or if additional proceedings will be scheduled. If parole is granted, and California's governor allows the decision to stand, they will be released. Legal analysts anticipated they will be granted parole. 'The brothers are very likely to be released within a matter of months. The parole board is going to be overwhelmed with voices in support of the brothers,' said Neama Rahmani, a former assistant US attorney and the president of West Coast Trial Lawyers. 'Every living family member of Jose and Kitty Menendez supported their release, which is almost unheard of in a murder case like this one.' The Associated Press contributed
