Music industry mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs appeared overjoyed after he was found not guilty of the most serious charge against him on Wednesday.
Combs was acquitted on sex trafficking by force and racketeering charges, which could have carried life sentences. He was found guilty on two counts of transportation for the purpose of prostitution, each of which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years. Diddy mouthed the words “thank you” to the jurors after they confirmed the verdicts were correct. After all the verdicts had been read, Combs pumped his fist and turned to his family to say, “I’m coming home, baby!”
Once the jurors left the courtroom, Diddy briefly knelt at his seat and appeared to pray, per a report from ABC News.
The two prostitution charges centered around allegations from Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and an anonymous ex who testified under the name “Jane.” Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, celebrated the guilty verdicts.
“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,” Wigdor shared in a statement. “By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice.”
Combs, who has spent the last nine months in a Brooklyn jail, was denied bail by Judge Arun Subramanian and will remain in custody until he is sentenced. The prosecution successfully argued that the charges Combs was convicted of include guidelines that make his continued detention mandatory.
“Even if detention was not mandatory here, which it is, the defendant cannot meet his burden to show by clear and convincing evidence that he is not likely to flee or pose a danger to any other person or the community.”
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