SEAN ‘DIDDY’ Combs’ criminal case has been blasted as a ‘total failure’ for the prosecution and he will likely only get time served or a few years, legal experts believe.
The rap music mogul fell to his knees on Wednesday when the verdict was read out in a Manhattan courtroom.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs reacts to the verdicts of the five counts against him in this courtroom sketch[/caption]
Supporters of Sean Combs rejoice after a jury acquitted Combs of racketeering and sex trafficking and found him guilty on lesser transportation charges in New York[/caption]
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs attends the GRAMMY Salute to Industry Icons honoring him on January 25, 2020 in Beverly Hills[/caption]
The jury decided to only convict Combs of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, which each carry a maximum 10-year prison sentence and no minimum.
He has been acquitted of racketeering conspiracy, which carried a life sentence, and two counts of sex trafficking, the most serious crimes.
Combs was arrested in September 2024 and has been behind bars ever since after multiple requests for bail were denied.
While the star and his family celebrate, his accusers will not after a grueling seven-week trial including harrowing testimony from over 30 witnesses, including his former girlfriends and employees.
A judge will decide whether or not he will be granted bail late on Wednesday, July 2.
However, prosecutors look set to argue that detention is mandatory following a conviction of this kind.
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani, president of Los Angeles-based West Coast Trial Lawyers, who has been following the case since the beginning spoke to The U.S. Sun about the outcome.
He said, “Today’s verdict is nothing less than a complete and total failure by the prosecution in what will go down as the most expensive prostitution trial in American history.
“Even though the Mann Act carries a potential 10-year maximum sentence, Diddy is going to get time served or close to it. His sentencing guideline range may be as low as 15-21 months.
The government made several fatal self-induced errors.”
Neama Rahmani, president of Los Angeles-based West Coast Trial Lawyers
“The jury has spoken and prosecutors in the prestigious Southern District of New York should take this very embarrassing loss and move on.”
- Count 1: Racketeering conspiracy – Not Guilty
- Count 2: Sex trafficking of Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura – Not Guilty
- Count 3: Sex trafficking of “Jane” – Not Guilty
- Count 4: Transportation to engage in prostitution (Cassandra Ventura) – Guilty
- Count 5: Transportation to engage in prostitution (“Jane) – Guilty
The U.S. Sun obtained a letter from the prosecution sent to Judge Arun Subramanian following the verdict on Wednesday.
They say the guideline sentence for him is just 51 to 63 months [five and a half years maximum], and he has already been behind bars for nine months.
It reads, “The Government notes, however, that the Guidelines applicable at sentencing may be higher than this preliminary calculation.
“The Government has not had adequate time to carefully
consider all potentially applicable Guidelines provisions.”
He believes that the sex trafficking charges appeared weak because of the “evidence of consent” the jury was told throughout the trial.
“The prosecution’s only real chance of a victory was racketeering and to prove a non-sex related predicate act like kidnapping, arson, extortion, or bribery,” Rahmani continued.
“The fact that the jury even rejected that argument shows the many flaws in the prosecution’s case.
“They failed to lean on and flip key members of Diddy’s inner circle like KK and D-ROC.”
The prosecution also didn’t call any of the alleged sexual assault victims who have filed civil lawsuits against Combs, who did not have a romantic or professional relationship with him.
Many celebrities who showed the alleged victims support throughout the trial have expressed their disappointment at the outcome of the trial.
Rosie O’Donnell shared on Instagram on Wednesday, “I guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion – wow – they just think women stay because what? money – fame – “they love the abuse” – what a fucking joke – this decision got me angry #cassie.”
New Mexico-based criminal defense attorney John W. Day also told The U.S. Sun he felt the verdict was a “major loss for the prosecutors.”
He said, “They presented a tsunami of evidence against Diddy over many weeks, and the jurors did not buy their story.
“The government was trying to convince the jury that RICO — which was designed to go after the Mafia and mob organized crime families — should be applied to baby oil and Diddy’s high-flying lifestyle in the music business, and the jury just was not convinced.
“The prosecutors believed that Cassie Ventura and Jane — the girlfriend who testified under an alias — would tell a story of victimization that the jury would feel empathy for, but they most likely just saw these witnesses as willing participants in the glamorous world of Diddy.
“In retrospect, the prosecutors aimed too high with the RICO charges.
“He’s likely to get some time in federal prison — maybe more than three or five years, but not the full 20 years he’s facing after convictions on the two counts.
“At the end of the day, the prosecutors need a black box, like we have in airplanes to tell us what went wrong after a crash, to find out what failed with their case.”
Combs’ legal team has written a letter, obtained by The U.S. Sun, to Judge Subramanian outlining the reasons why they say he should be released from custody.
They argue he is not a flight risk and has been a model inmate and shown up to all court hearings, adding that “reasonable conditions would ensure” he would not have the ability to arrange to meet with escorts in the future.
His defense also says the jury “unambiguously rejected the government’s allegations that Mr. Combs ran a years-long criminal enterprise or engaged in sex trafficking – the core of the government’s case.”
Sean Combs could soon be a free man after beating the most serious charges in the indictment this week[/caption]
Cassie Ventura, left, and Sean Combs appear at the MET Gala in New York in 2015[/caption]
The embattled music mogul fell to his knees in court after the verdict was read out[/caption]
