Latest news with #DawnRichard
Fox News
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Diddy juror points to where defense ‘poked holes' in prosecution's case to get racketeering acquittal
A jury of his peers found rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs not guilty of the most serious charges he had been facing on July 2. On that day, the jury told the courtroom the government had not proven the disgraced music mogul participated in a racketeering conspiracy or sex trafficking. However, Diddy was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. An alternate juror, who presented his badge to Fox News Digital for confirmation, explained where Diddy's defense had "poked holes" in the prosecution's case. "I mean, there were always moments where there was, you know, when the defense really was able to get in," the juror told Fox News Digital. "I mean one that really stood out for me… I even wrote it in my notes, was the cross-examination of Dawn Richard. But Miss Westmoreland, you know, her cross-examination of her, and even Bana. I mean… she definitely poked holes. I think that's why they had her do that, but just to see how she did it, it really was something just to behold." Former Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard testified that she told Diddy's ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, to leave the rapper after witnessing him physically assault the musician. Diddy and Richard were in the recording studio when he allegedly said that what was witnessed the day before was "passion" and what people in relationships do. He claimed Cassie was OK and that it was best if they didn't say anything. The rapper allegedly said that where he's from, people go missing. Richard heard his words to mean that people end up dead. Diddy's attorney, Nicole Westmoreland, brought up inconsistencies in Richard's multiple interviews with prosecutors. The defense attorney also highlighted the fact that the singer hadn't disclosed Diddy's alleged threat against her life until a week before the trial. "It was a death threat that you didn't recall on seven different occasions?" Westmoreland questioned. Diddy's defense also intensely cross-examined Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Cassie. Bongolan, who sometimes went by the nickname "Bana," testified that Diddy dangled her off the ledge of a 17-story balcony. During cross-examination, Westmoreland was able to get Bana to admit she couldn't remember details of the alleged incident. WATCH: DIDDY'S DEFENSE 'POKED HOLES' IN PROSECUTION'S WITNESS TESTIMONY, ALTERNATE JUROR SAYS The alternate juror, who listened to seven weeks of testimony but did not participate directly in deliberations, did note that he would have "reached the same conclusion that the jurors had made" on the racketeering charge. He also praised both sides for being "at the top of their game" in the Southern District of New York, describing the SDNY as the "top district" and "the place for trials." "It was really like a movie," the juror said. "Just as a witness who's never been, you know, who's never been really in the court, never been a juror… never followed the courts or never done any of this stuff, just to be there and watch that and how they conducted themselves was very memorable." WATCH: DIDDY 'DODGED A BULLET' BEATING RICO CHARGE IN SEX TRAFFICKING TRIAL, EXPERT SAYS Diddy was "always very engaged" throughout the trial, according to the juror. "You could tell that he was fighting the whole time. He was always writing notes whenever there was a cross-examination. He was taking notes, giving them to the lawyer. So, I found that to just be all very interesting." The rapper's presence never "intimidated" the alternate juror, who said he'd never seen Diddy or followed his music. "So, just to see him in person every day with his white hair was completely different than anything I ever saw," he told Fox News Digital. "So it was definitely memorable in that way. But I never felt intimidated or looked at him as a celebrity in any way to impact impartiality. I was just sitting and just listening to all the evidence that was presented." Judge Arun Subramanian set Diddy's sentencing hearing for Oct. 3. He could face up to 20 years behind bars, 10 years for each count of transportation to engage in prostitution. The alternate juror explained he just hopes Diddy gets the help he needs. "I do think that when they had the opening arguments, they basically presented Diddy as a very flawed individual — a drug addict, a sex addict, a person that has many flaws," the juror recalled. "So I think whatever sentence he's given… I hope that he just gets the help that he needs. If he's in prison, I hope he can get the help that he needs." He added: "I just hope that he takes that time to just reflect and get the help that he needs." According to Diddy's defense lawyer, the disgraced music mogul will reenter a program for domestic batterers after he is freed. He had begun the program shortly before his arrest in September 2024. "He's doing OK," Marc Agnifilo told The Associated Press. He claimed Diddy genuinely desires improvement and "realizes he has flaws like everyone else that he never worked on." "He burns hot in all matters. I think what he has come to see is that he has these flaws and there's no amount of fame and no amount of fortune that can erase them," he said. "You can't cover them up."
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial juror breaks silence on verdict: 'I understand'
For the first time, a juror who took part in Sean "Diddy" Combs' eight-week trial is speaking out. George, one of the 18 people – which included six alternates – who served on Combs' jury, spoke with both CNN and The New York Times a day after Combs was found guilty of only two of the five criminal charges he faced. The man, who was one of the alternates and therefore was not privy to the 12-person jury's approximately two days of deliberations, told the news outlets "I understand" the verdict. On July 2, Combs was convicted of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution but acquitted of the most serious charge of racketeering, as well as two sex trafficking counts. "Reading all my notes and looking back at the evidence, I probably would have reached the same conclusion as the other jurors," George told CNN anchor and chief legal analyst Laura Coates of the racketeering charge. "I think there was always a little bit of doubt in people's minds. I think it was a tough case to prove, especially the first (charge of racketeering). There was always a little bit of doubt there, even from the beginning." George, who said he was aware of Combs before the trial but didn't know his music, also said Combs' defense team managed to make Dawn Richard appear "very not credible." "I even wrote in my notebook it was like a takedown," George said. The man described being impressed by the defense's work in court and noted Combs was very attentive in the courtroom. "He was fighting for himself," George said. In court for Diddy's verdict: Judge stops celebration short by denying bail; Cassie calls Diddy a threat George told The Times he wasn't convinced by the prosecution's assertions that Cassie Ventura Fine and the anonymous ex-girlfriend "Jane" were sex trafficked — counts two and four, of which Combs was not found guilty. "I don't think it was forced," George said of the women's sexual encounters with escorts, which he not only watched footage of but also heard about during testimony. He added they seemed to be "willing participants," telling CNN the defense showed text messages from Ventura Fine in which she didn't seem "forced" to participate in sexual activities. However, George told CNN that "I think we did" believe Ventura. He added she gave "very credible" testimony and said, "She wouldn't have done all this just to come up there and lie about everything." 'A heartbreaking verdict': The Jurors' decision — and its impact on assault survivors Ventura Fine testified about her experiences over four days while nearly due to give birth to her third child, and Jane was in court for six days. They both told jurors they felt coerced into fulfilling Combs' sexual desires, either motivated by a need to make him happy or fear of his retribution. As for Jane, George told CNN, "I did believe her. Some parts didn't add up as much. It seemed a little strange." He specifically referred to her testimony about the incident in which Combs allegedly physically assaulted her in 2024. George also downplayed the so-called "freak off" videos that were shielded from public view. He revealed the footage involved sexual activity, but it wasn't as graphic as some speculated. Diddy trial testimony bombshells: What his inner circle said about baby oil, 'freak offs' "It was actually pretty tame; it was just a lot of rubbing oil and stuff. It wasn't anything too graphic," he told CNN. Despite not seeing Combs as guilty of the most aggressive criminal charges – racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking – George told Coates he is not eager to have any communications with the former hip-hop icon. "To be honest, I really wouldn't want to talk to (Combs) or anyone really associated with that," he said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diddy trial juror reveals himself, explains verdict
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean 'Diddy' Combs verdict: Danity Kane's Aubrey O'Day, Dawn Richard react
NEW YORK — Danity Kane's Aubrey O'Day and Dawn Richard reacted Wednesday to the verdict in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering case, as the music mogul was only found guilty for the lesser two counts of the five felonies with which he was charged. Combs, who pleaded not guilty to all the charges, was acquitted of the sex trafficking and racketeering charges and convicted for prostitution charges. After the verdict was announced, O'Day, one of Combs' former artists of music group Danity Kane, took to Instagram to share that she's so devastated she wanted to 'vomit.' 'Oh my God, not guilty on Cassie, not guilty on Rico, no way that Jane is gonna be guilty,' she said on her Instagram stories while filming news coverage of the verdict. 'This makes me physically ill. Cassie probably feels so horrible. Ugh, I'm gonna vomit.' Ahead to the trial, O'Day consistently voiced her support for the victims including Combs' ex girlfriend Cassie Ventura. 'The bravery is unmeasurable right now, especially eight months, eight and a half months pregnant, and it's triggering,' O'Day said on an episode of the 'Amy & T.J.' podcast. The 41-year-old artist was reportedly subpoenaed to testify in the trial, but ultimately did not take the stand. However, her bandmate Dawn Richard, who did testify against her former boss in court, called his partial acquittal a 'disappointment.' 'Today's split verdict is a disappointment, but the criminal charges are different than the civil claims we filed and have been fighting against Sean Combs,' she said in a statement via her attorney Lisa Bloom. Back in September of 2024, the former Danity Kane member sued Combs for sexual assault and battery. Bloom added that the musician promises to 'continue to aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice.' In May, Richard testified that she witnessed Diddy hit Cassie with a hot skillet. 'He came over to the skillet with the eggs in it and tried to hit her over the head, and she fell to the ground,' Richard said on the stand. In 2005, Diddy formed Danity Kane on MTV's 'Making the Band' before the group broke up for good in 2014.
Forbes
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Diddy Verdict: Cassie, 50 Cent And More React
A lawyer representing Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-girlfriend and a key witness in his federal criminal trial, Cassie Ventura, praised her courage for filing a lawsuit that he said 'paved the way' for his eventual conviction on two counts, as some lamented that a jury acquitted Combs on more serious charges. Sean "Diddy" Combs was acquitted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, but convicted of ... More transportation to engage in prostitution. (Photo by) Getty Images Ventura's lawyer Douglas H. Wigdor said this 'entire criminal process started when our client Cassie Ventura had the courage to file her civil complaint in November 2023,' adding she 'paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution' despite his acquittal on racketeering and sex trafficking charges. Wigdor slammed Combs' lawyer Marc Agnifilo in a CNN interview Wednesday morning for his suggestion Ventura 'won' the case by securing a multimillion dollar settlement in her civil suit against Combs, stating 'no amount of money is going to ever undo what she had to endure and what she had to go through,' including her allegations of '10 years of abuse' while she dated Combs. Lisa Bloom, a lawyer representing Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard, who sued Combs for sexual assault and testified in his criminal trial, said the 'split verdict is a disappointment,' but vowed to 'aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice for Dawn,' referring to her civil lawsuit. Aubrey O'Day, also a former member of Danity Kane, which was discovered on Combs' MTV show 'Making the Band' in 2004, posted to her Instagram story she feels 'physically ill,' stating 'Cassie probably feels so horrible. I'm gonna vomit.' Comedian Rosie O'Donnell wrote on Instagram the verdict made her 'angry,' stating 'a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays' in a relationship 'because of power and coercion.' 50 Cent, a longtime rival and troll of Combs, particularly throughout his legal issues, quickly posted to Instagram following Combs' split verdict: 'Diddy beat the Feds that boy a bad man!' Some women's advocacy organizations criticized Combs' acquittals on sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Arisha Hatch, interim executive director of women's advocacy organization UltraViolet, told the New York Times the split verdict is 'a stain on a criminal justice system that for decades has failed to hold accountable abusers like Diddy,' pointing to a 'culture in which not believing women and victims of sexual assault remains endemic.' Ann Olivarius, a lawyer who specializes in sexual harassment and assault cases, said in a statement to Forbes she is 'surprised' he was acquitted on the more serious charges. 'Juries don't make decisions in a cultural vacuum,' Olivarius said, calling the verdict a 'painful reminder of why so many survivors pursue justice through civil lawsuits' instead of through the criminal justice system. What Charges Was Diddy Convicted On? A jury found Combs guilty of two of his five federal charges, both counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, Wednesday morning. He was acquitted on his other three charges, one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking. Combs and his legal team reportedly reacted positively in the courtroom, appearing to take the split verdict as a win. He was convicted only on the lesser charges—transportation to engage in prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each count, while sex trafficking and racketeering could have landed Combs in prison for life. Former federal prosecutor Mark Chutkow told Forbes Combs may have avoided conviction on the more serious charges because to convict on sex trafficking, the jury would have needed to believe Ventura and 'Jane,' who testified under a pseudonym, did not consent to sex acts with Combs. 'The jury has clearly said there was not evidence beyond a reasonable doubt of force, fraud or coercion,' Chutkow said, referring to the standards required to convict on sex trafficking. Chutkow said racketeering conspiracy is a difficult charge to prove, stating jurors may have questioned whether Combs' activities rose to the level of running a 'criminal enterprise' as required to convict under the statute. Further Reading Sean 'Diddy' Combs Verdict: Here's Why He May Have Escaped Most Serious Charges (Forbes)
The Independent
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
50 Cent, Aubrey O'Day and more react to the verdict in the Sean 'Diddy' Combs sex trafficking trial
Sean 'Diddy' Combs was convicted Wednesday of a prostitution-related offense but acquitted of more serious counts that could have put him behind bars for life, drawing divided reactions by his fellow celebrities. The jury found the music mogul guilty of two prostitution-related counts under the Mann Act, for transportation of star witness Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura and a woman using the pseudonym Jane, but acquitted him of trafficking them for sex by using force, fraud or coercion. They also acquitted him of a racketeering conspiracy charge under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has. Combs, 55, could still face a maximum of 10 years in prison. He also is the subject of a civil case from singer Dawn Richard, said her attorney, Lisa Bloom. Richard testified at the trial that Combs threatened to kill her if she told anyone she saw him abusing his longtime girlfriend. Here are some celebrity reactions to the verdict. Not guilty verdicts draw anger 'Oh, this makes me physically ill,' said singer Aubrey O'Day, formerly of the music group Danity Kane, on her Instagram story as she watched the verdicts come in. "Cassie probably feels so horrible. I'm gonna vomit.' She's previously been critical of Combs. Danity Kane formed on Combs' MTV reality television program 'Making the Band' and signed to his Bad Boy Records. Others jumped in. 'I guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion, wow,' wrote actor Rosie O'Donnell on Instagram. 'This decision got me angry.' Others sound off 'Diddy beat the Feds that boy a bad man!' the rapper 50 Cent wrote on Instagram. 50 Cent has been a vocal critic of Combs, whom he has long beefed with — going back to his Diddy diss track 'The Bomb,' released in 2006. He expects to release a docuseries on Netflix about the allegations against Combs. Rapper Boosie BadAzz said in an Instagram video captioned 'GREAT DAY N HIP HOP" that the courts had spoken. 'I'm tired of seeing us Black moguls get took down like that," he said. He added that he was "tired of seeing us Black people go against us Black moguls like that.' ___ AP Writer Itzel Luna contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
