Diddy convicted of prostitution offenses, not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering
Sean 'Diddy' Combs dropped to his knees and prayed in the courtroom after he was acquitted Wednesday of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put one of hip-hop's most celebrated figures behind bars for life. The rapper was convicted of lesser prostitution-related offenses and still faces prison time but might be released on bail.
The mixed result capped a sordid legal odyssey that shattered Combs' affable 'Puff Daddy' image and derailed his career as a Grammy-winning artist and music executive, fashion entrepreneur, brand ambassador and reality TV star.
As the jury foreman spoke and the 'not guilty' verdicts piled up, Combs pumped his fist. As each juror affirmed agreement with the verdict, Combs looked toward the jury and held his hands up in a prayer motion, and he hugged defense lawyer Teny Geragos. Combs' relatives and supporters in the audience could barely contain their relief, despite the judge's admonition to avoid outbursts: When the first 'not guilty' was read aloud, someone shouted, 'Yeah!'
Combs, 55, later continued to pump his right fist subtly, seemingly satisfied that he was acquitted on the most serious charges.
Combs was convicted of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and paid male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters, a felony violation of the federal Mann Act.
But the jury of eight men and four women acquitted Combs of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, related to allegations that he used his money, power and frightening physical force to manipulate his girlfriends into hundreds of drug-fueled sex marathons with the men.
Combs' defense team argued that the women were willing participants and that none of his violence justified the severity of the charges.
Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Combs, asked that his client be immediately released because the federal Mann Act crimes were of a 'vastly different nature' than sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey said he should remain incarcerated as a danger to the community and a threat to flee. She cited evidence of physical abuse and 'prolific use and distribution of drugs' that emerged during the trial.
'I do believe we'll be seeking a substantial period of incarceration,' Comey said.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said he wouldn't decide whether to free Combs on bail until later in the day after lawyers submit written arguments.
Combs appeared overwhelmed as court adjourned for a few hours. He wiped his face, turning and kneeling at his chair, his head bowed in prayer. In the audience, his relatives stood and applauded as he faced them.
'I'll be home soon,' he said, and 'I love you, baby.'
'I love you, Mom,' he added.
His relatives applauded him and his lawyers, some of whom had tears in their eyes, as he was led out of court.
There's no date yet for sentencing, when the judge will decide on Combs' punishment for the prostitution conviction. Verdict follows weeks of harrowing testimony
Federal officials involved in the case responded to the outcome by noting that sex crimes 'are all too present in many aspects of our society.'
'New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to justice,' Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton and Ricky J. Patel, who heads federal Homeland Security Investigations' New York office, said in a statement.
Jurors deliberated for about 13 hours over three days before announcing their verdict. It came after they said late Tuesday that they had decided on four counts but were stuck on the racketeering one. At that point, the judge told them to keep deliberating and keep the partial verdict under wraps.
Combs did not testify at his trial, which featured 34 witnesses as well as video of the rapper attacking his former girlfriend Cassie, the R&B singer born Casandra Ventura.
Her lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, said in a statement after the verdict that 'by coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice.'
Cassie testified for four days about her turbulent 11-year relationship with Combs, which began after she signed with his Bad Boy record label.
Cassie said Combs became obsessed with voyeuristic encounters, arranged with the help of his staff, that involved sex workers and copious amounts of baby oil. During the sex events, called 'freak-offs' or 'hotel nights,' Combs would order Cassie to do things with other men that she found humiliating, she testified.
When things didn't go Combs' way, he would beat her, she said.
'I'm not a rag doll. I'm somebody's child,' Cassie told Combs after he dragged her down a hotel hallway in 2016.
Another ex-girlfriend, testifying under the pseudonym 'Jane,' told the jury she repeatedly told Combs she didn't want to have sex with the men hired for their trysts.
'I'm not an animal. I need a break,' she told him. Nevertheless, she said she felt 'obligated' to comply with his demands, in part because he paid her rent.
The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has. Defense calls case an invasion of privacy
The trial's most famous witness, rapper Kid Cudi, said Combs broke into his home in late 2011 after learning he and Cassie were dating. After his car was firebombed a few weeks later, Cudi — whose real name is Scott Mescudi — said he knew Combs 'had something to do' with it. Combs denied it.
Combs' defense team acknowledged that he could be violent but argued that prosecutors were intruding in his personal life. In his closing remarks to the jury, Agnifilo said it wasn't illegal for Combs to make 'homemade porn' with his girlfriends.
'They go into the man's bedroom. They go into the man's most private life. Where is the crime scene?' Agnifilo said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Katy Perry And Orlando Bloom Break Silence Amid Split Rumours
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have spoken out amid rumours that they have called off their engagement. The Grammy-nominated singer and Lord Of The Rings actor have been in an on-off relationship since 2016, and announced that they were engaged in 2019. However, last month, it was widely reported that the pair were parting ways after around nine years together. Katy and Orlando had initially remained tight-lipped about the rumours for the last two weeks, but confirmed on Thursday evening in a joint statement that they were 'shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting' their four-year-old daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom. Revealing that they wanted to set the record straight amid the 'abundance of recent interest and conversation' about their relationship, the former couple's statement added: 'They will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is – and always will be – raising their daughter with love, stability and mutual respect.' The California Gurls singer recently wrapped up the Australian leg of her Lifetimes world tour, in support of her divisive latest album 143, which was released last year. Earlier this week, a video recorded at Katy's concert in Adelaide went viral as it appeared to show the performer fighting back tears amid rumours that she and her fiancé were no longer together. 'Thank you for always being there for me, Australia. It means the world,' she told the crowd, before composing herself and beginning a rendition of her signature hit Firework. Orlando, meanwhile, recently shared a moody Instagram post meditating on 'loneliness,' 'sadness' and 'darkness' amid the speculation that he and Katy had split. The Pirates Of The Caribbean star has a 14-year-old son, Flynn, from his previous relationship with the model Miranda Kerr. He has also dated the actors Kate Bosworth and Nora Arnezeder. Katy has previously been in relationships with musicians Travie McCoy, Diplo, Josh Groban and John Mayer, and was married to Russell Brand from 2010 to 2012. People Are Saying The Same Thing As Katy Perry Returns From Her Trip To Space Katy Perry Opens Up About Feeling Like A 'Human Piñata' Because Of Online Hate Orlando Bloom Responds To Keira Knightley's Pirates Of The Caribbean Comments
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
Harry Styles Is Back With Several Former No. 1 Singles
Harry Styles' 'Late Night Talking' and 'Music for a Sushi Restaurant' reenter the U.K.'s Official ... More Physical Singles chart, years after they both hit No. 1. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 14: Harry Styles poses for The 2021 GRAMMY Awards on March 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Anthony Pham via Getty Images) It has been more than three years since Harry Styles released Harry's House, his third collection on his own. He promoted the project with several singles and one of the most successful tours of all time, but the singer-songwriter has remained fairly quiet ever since. Fans are still waiting to hear more from the Grammy-winning superstar, but in the meantime, they regularly return to two of the most popular tunes from his latest effort. 'Music for a Sushi Restaurant' and 'Late Night Talking' Both 'Music for a Sushi Restaurant' and 'Late Night Talking' have become bestselling singles in the U.K. yet again. Those two Harry's House tracks break back onto the Official Physical Singles chart this week, which ranks the bestselling individual songs on mediums like CD, vinyl, and cassette within the U.K. 'Music for a Sushi Restaurant' and 'Late Night Talking' reenter side by side, sitting at Nos. 52 and 53, respectively. Five Hits and Four No. 1s Throughout his solo career, Styles has pushed five tracks to the Official Physical Singles chart, and all but one of them have spent time at the summit, including these two. Between the pair, 'Late Night Talking' has been the bigger success. It has ruled for two frames, compared to the one that 'Music for a Sushi Restaurant' earned, and its lifespan has been significantly longer. 'Late Night Talking' has accrued 86 stays on the Official Physical Singles chart — the most among all of Styles's wins on the tally. 'Music for a Sushi Restaurant' has only managed less than one-quarter as many frames, including its sole turn atop the ranking. Harry Styles Last Appeared on These Charts Just Weeks Ago Both 'Late Night Talking' and 'Music for a Sushi Restaurant' last appeared on the Official Physical Singles chart only about a month ago. The two tracks debuted in the latter half of 2022 and since then have disappeared from — and then returned to — this specific tally more than a dozen times. They remain standout sellers from Harry's House years after the album dropped and are the only titles that regularly appear on rankings in the U.K., even though 'As It Was,' another No. 1 from the Official Physical Singles chart, is remembered as perhaps the most memorable tune from the project.
Chicago Tribune
6 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Donna Vickroy: Tales of giants await passengers on Chicago's architecture river cruise
— Carl Sandburg, 'Chicago' Chicago is not just a big city. It's a big deal. It is a story of strength, vision, talent and grit that you truly have to see to appreciate. Thankfully, you can. Each summer, thousands climb aboard the Chicago Architecture Foundation's River Cruise ( and glide past skyscrapers towering on the footholds of determination and ingenuity. (Full disclosure: I have been on the foundation's River Cruise more than 15 times. It's become one of our annual summer things to do in the city.) The 90-minute cruise showcases Chicago's architecture and rich history while it glides along all three branches of the Chicago River, providing a 360-degree view of the city's skyline. Each time I disembark, I swear I've learned something new about architecture — how patios can preserve sightlines, why the Merchandise Mart has its own ZIP code, how engineers keep the wind from knocking it all down — as well as about this robust, beautiful city with a gritty, storied past and a beckoning future. On a recent Saturday afternoon, our guide opened his tour with a nod to Carl Sandburg, the Galesburg-born, Pulitzer Prize-winning Illinois poet laureate. He ended the fact- and folklore-laden presentation with a harmonica solo. In between, he pointed out the stars of the show, examples of Gothic Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival, Contemporary and Art Deco architecture. He explained the characteristics of each and their place along Chicago's skyline. With cameos from geography, geology, engineering and folklore, the city's story comes to life. Did you know that on the very site where Mrs. O'Leary's cow was 'falsely accused' of kicking over a lantern and starting the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, there now stands a fire training academy, our guide asks. 'In literature, we call that irony,' he said. In Chicago-ese, we call it resilience. From Bertrand Goldberg's cylindrical Marina Towers to Jeanne Gang's wavy Aqua Tower to the commanding Willis skyscraper, which forever will be referred to by locals as the 'Sears Tower,' the breadth of design runs parallel to the city's own far-reaching story of form, function and vision. The cruise, which launches at Michigan Avenue and East Wacker Drive, was the brainchild of Bob Irving, a Chicago Architecture Foundation docent from the class of 1971, said Caroline Duda, senior director of volunteer services for the CAF. 'Much like all of the tours we offer, Bob saw a need to showcase the architecture along the river,' Duda said. In 1983, the late Irving had 'the wherewithal to see the river's value as an educational tool. He created a route on a sailboat, starting at Navy Pier,' she said. Irving had arranged for the bridge lifts to go up as the boat passed. 'But,' Duda added, 'he forgot to arrange to have them go up when he came back.' In 1993, the CAF partnered with Chicago's First Lady Cruises and the route was changed slightly, but the purpose remained the same. 'Our goal is to showcase Chicago's architecture,' Duda said. 'You get see so much along the river from our boats. It builds a sense of community when you share part of us, when we share our stories with guests.' The tour welcomes some 300,000 guests annually, said Duda, who estimates that, over the years, millions have come along for the ride. While most of the passengers hail from outside Cook County, a decent percentage are like me, locals proud to call this toddlin' town home. The tours are run by docents who, Duda said, 'have a passion for sharing' the architecture and story of Chicago. The 150 volunteers come from all walks of life — a former FBI agent, a mapmaker, a food scientist – but share a love for the city, a love for lifelong learning and an ease being in front of an audience, she said. All go through a rigorous 100-hour training regimen. 'Basically. It's a graduate level architecture course,' Duda said. 'All get six weeks of studying the fundamentals of architecture. Then an additional five weeks devoted to learning the river.' On four or five practice cruises, they learn how to build their spiel. There's also a library of videos that introduce them to the work of other docents and allow them to practice at home, she said. Timing is key, she added. So is remembering that, when facing a crowd, your left is the audience's right. Though there are mandatory talking points along the route, each docent is free to personalize his or her approach. They are free to 'geek out,' she said. The docents are not paid, and there's a no-tip policy. So, you may wonder, what's in it for them? They do it for glory, Duda said. 'Passion drives them. They want you to love Chicago and its architecture as much as they do,' she said. Oh, she said, 'and you get 250 people to listen to you, a captive audience, for 90 minutes. 'Because, how often does that happen?'
