Ex-mobsters: Diddy 'wouldn't last' in the mob, ‘we didn't beat up women'
The federal case against Sean 'Diddy' Combs hinges in part on RICO charges that have traditionally — but not exclusively — been used against organized crime figures. Two former members of mob families, Michael Franzese and Anthony Ruggiano, join 'Banfield' to talk about their own experiences trying to fight RICO charges in court.
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3 hours ago
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Nearly 2 dozen arrested for stealing thousands from Mall of Georgia
Nearly two dozen people are facing almost 40 charges after a shoplifting sting at the Mall of Georgia. Gwinnett County police say they conducted the sting at stores in and around the mall over Memorial Day weekend. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Throughout their two days at the mall, police arrested 19 people and handed out 12 felony charges and 27 misdemeanors. Police say they recovered $53,13.75 in stolen merchandise from 11 stores. TRENDING STORIES: College soccer player from Atlanta, son of former CFL star, found dead in his dorm room 30-year-old father found shot to death in his truck on busy DeKalb road Former GA deputy accused of attacking 3 women, including 2 police officers Investigators say two of the women, Demesha Brown and Jasmine Harris, each had 12 active warrants from several other jurisdictions. They say Brown had an outstanding warrant on a RICO charge in Cherokee County. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Diddy trial updates: Sean Combs' alleged efforts to conceal abuse uncovered in testimony
Diddy trial updates: Sean Combs' alleged efforts to conceal abuse uncovered in testimony Show Caption Hide Caption Security guard says Sean Combs offered cash for hotel video Eddy Garcia testified Sean Combs paid $100K for hotel footage showing him kick, hit and drag Cassie Ventura Fine, according to court testimony. This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing. Prosecutors in Sean "Diddy" Combs' criminal trial are attempting to show the extreme lengths the hip-hop mogul went to conceal his alleged pattern of abuse. The Grammy-winning rapper's sweeping federal sex-crimes case resumed in Manhattan court on June 4 after the jury heard from Eddy Garcia, a former security officer at a Los Angeles-area hotel where Combs and former girlfriend Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine were captured on tape during a 2016 altercation. Garcia told the court on June 3 that Combs paid $100,000 for a copy of the video, which showed him kicking, hitting and dragging Cassie in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel. The attack was first described in Ventura Fine's bombshell 2023 lawsuit, which accused Combs of sexual assault, trafficking and more. CNN last year published the security footage from the hotel. Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges. Aside from Garcia, several new names are expected to testify in the trial, including radio personality Enrique Santos. Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty. Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling lawsuit that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry. He was arrested in September 2024 and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to all five counts against him. Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity. Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have video of. The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings. USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates. Contributing: USA TODAY staff If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (4673) and and en Español If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
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Young Thug trial juror: There is a threshold for RICO in Diddy trial
Jason Collins, foreman on the Young Thug jury, joins NewsNation to discuss his new YouTube series detailing the high-profile case. Like Diddy, Young Thug faced RICO charges. After nearly two years on trial, the rapper pleaded guilty to drug and firearms charges and no contest to racketeering. In return, he got 15 years' probation and avoided prison. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
