Jury delivers mixed verdict: guilty on prostitution charges but acquitted on sex-trafficking and RICO
The jury has founded Combs:
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NOT GUILTY of racketeering conspiracy
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NOT GUILTY of the sex trafficking of Casandra Ventura
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NOT GUILTY of the sex trafficking of “Jane”
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GUILTY of the transportation to engage in prostitution, related to Casandra Ventura
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GUILTY of the transportation to engage in prostitution related to “Jane”
Key events
Combs in courtroom after verdict: ‘I’m going to be home soon’
After the judge dismissed the jury and lawyers, Combs knelt before his chair and appeared to pray, Reuters reported.
He then rose and faced the courtroom gallery.
“I’m gonna be home soon,” Combs said, smiling and clasping his hands. “I love you. Thank you, I love you.”
Prosecution statement after Combs verdict announced
The southern district of New York, the prosecutors in the case against Combs, released a statement after the verdict was announced:
Sex crimes deeply scar victims, and the disturbing reality is that sex crimes are all too present in many aspects of our society. Victims endure gut-wrenching physical and mental abuse, leading to lasting trauma. New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to justice.
Prosecuting sex crimes requires brave victims to come forward and tell their harrowing stories. We and our law enforcement partners recognize the hardships victims endure and have prioritized a victim-centered approach to investigating and prosecuting these cases.
Today we recognize the important work of the SDNY’s Civil Rights Unit as well as the tireless efforts of the women and men at HSI who are devoted to combatting human trafficking. We thank the Special Agents from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, Digital Forensic Unit and the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement (CASE) Team at the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area. We would also like to thank our partners at the NYPD for their assistance in this matter and for sharing our victim-centered approach to combatting sex crimes.
Cassie Ventura’s lawyer: Combs ‘finally held accountable’
The attorney for Cassie Ventura, Doug Wigdor, said outside the courthouse that his team is pleased that Sean “Diddy” Combs has “finally been held accountable,” NBC News reported.
“Of course, we would have liked to have seen a conviction on the sex crimes and Rico, but we understand that ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ is a high standard,” he said. “We’re just pleased he still faces substantial jail time.”
Photos: Sean Combs’s family leaves court after verdict
Here are some more images of the family emerging from court:
NBC News spoke to Christian Combs, who said his his father was feeling “great”.
Some supporters are putting their fists in the air outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan.
They can be heard chanting “Let Puffy go!”
Janice Combs, mother of Sean “Diddy” Combs, gives a thumbs up after hearing the verdict in her son’s sex-trafficking trial:
More of Combs’s supporters are showing up at the courthouse. Lots of smiles and clapping.
Outside the courthouse, supporters of Combs are saying, “If you’re being abused, come out right away” – seemingly going after Combs’s alleged victims for not coming forward about their alleged abuse sooner.
Patrick Lam, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, was outside the courthouse after the verdict was read in Combs’s trial.
“Here to support Sean and his family,” he said. “Glad they found him not guilty for Rico because prosecutors tried to get whatever they wanted for political reasons.”
A view from outside the courthouse
It’s packed outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan as press as well as Combs’s supporters fill the streets.
People are shouting: “Not guilty!”
Andrew Lawrence
Since Combs’s arrest last September on federal criminal charges for racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution, a number of podcasters and YouTubers have been notably more sympathetic to him than to the witnesses called for the prosecution.
The allegations about Combs’s behavior are horrific and include shocking revelations about his drug use, sexual indulgences and hair-trigger temper. But you wouldn’t know that from following trial coverage from these faithful evangelists of toxic masculinity.
Combs’s former girlfriend and key witness Cassie Ventura, especially, is an object of their derision, and their assessment of her testimony is withering. In their view, Combs is not a man with incredible power and influence who abused and mistreated those in his circle, but the target of a #MeToo-style witch-hunt orchestrated by Ventura.
Before the verdict was announced, the Guardian’s Andrew Lawrence wrote about how some commentators on Black masculinity are popular pundits on Sean Combs’s case – and explores how they took a clear side:
The federal sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs reached its conclusion on Wednesday, with a jury of 12 New Yorkers finding the music mogul guilty on two charges and not guilty on three charges.
Here were some of the key moments from the seven-week trial:
In the courtroom, fans of the music mogul and his family are clapping and embracing each other.
Judge to decide later today whether to release Combs on bail
Both sides have been asked to submit letters to the judge regarding whether Combs should continue to be held in federal detention or released on bail.
The parties will convene after the letters are submitted this afternoon.
The government has said that it will seek the maximum 20-year sentence for Combs.
Each count that he has been found guilty of carries up to 10 years. Ultimately, it will be up to the judge how long Combs serves.
Combs’s defense seeks his release from federal detention
The defense is asking that the court release Combs from federal detention, where he has been held since his arrest last September.
Combs faces up to 20 years in prison
Given what the jury has found Combs guilty of, he faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars.
The judge has thanked the jurors for their “sacrifice”.
“I want you to know that it is inspiring to all of us. You listened, you worked together, you were here every day, rain or shine. You did so with no reward, other than the reward that comes from answering the call of public service. That should give all of us hope,” Judge Arun Subramanian, who is presiding over this case, said.
Jury delivers mixed verdict: guilty on prostitution charges but acquitted on sex-trafficking and RICO
The jury has founded Combs:
-
NOT GUILTY of racketeering conspiracy
-
NOT GUILTY of the sex trafficking of Casandra Ventura
-
NOT GUILTY of the sex trafficking of “Jane”
-
GUILTY of the transportation to engage in prostitution, related to Casandra Ventura
-
GUILTY of the transportation to engage in prostitution related to “Jane”
