In Manhattan it was 9:52 on Wednesday 2 July when the ticket with the jury's verdict in the Sean Combs trial arrived for the purpose of prostitution and criminal association. The rapper's lawyers melted from their conciliait and went to the room where their client was locked up. Once he returned to the courtroom, Combs addressed a reassuring look at the family, nodding his head as if to say: everything will be fine.
After 28 days of often shocking testimonies and 13 hours of the council chamber, the jury has finally reached a verdict. It was known that the decision was imminent. The previous evening, the jurors had said they had reached one verdict out of four of the five charges. They were still divided into the criminal association. Judge Arun Subramanian told them to return to the council chamber where they reappeared yesterday at 9.
Combs also appeared briefly in the classroom in the early hours of the morning. He spent a few minutes to review some documents with his legal team and around 9:30 the mother Janice and six of his children, some accompanied by his girlfriends, took their place by occupying the second row of the gallery.
Before returning to the security room, Combs greeted his loved ones by telling them to “remain strong”. At Capo Chino, he led the family in a short prayer: “God bless the jurors” and “God, please waken on my loved ones, amen”. The family members applauded loudly, while Combs was taken away by the federal agents.
The wait did not last long. When he returned to the courtroom to know the jury's decision, Combs seemed serene and confident. In his hand he held the reproduction of Psalm 11, who closes with the words: “Just is the Lord, he loves the right things; the rectum men will contemplate his face”. Behind him, the family awaited with a certain nervousness.
Combs also showed a sign of slight nervousness while the jury took place, nervousness that faded quickly. When reading the verdict of non -guilt for the accusation of criminal association, he breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed a handful along the side. The family emitted a deep breath, someone cheered.
When the acquittal verdicts were read also for the two accusations of sexual traffic, Combs seemed happy and incredulous. He even smiled when he was declared guilty for two charges relating to the transport of people for prostitution (at this link the difference between Sex Trafficking And Transportation to Engage in prostitution). He embraced and kissed his lawyer, Teny Geragos, and turned to the family: “Everything will go well, I'm returning home.” While the jury left the classroom, Combs arrived his hands and, turning towards them, he said: “Thanks, thanks”.
The verdict emitted yesterday by the jury is the sensational epilogue of a process that had an incredible media impact. Since, in November 2023, the ex -girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura denounced him, Combs was overwhelmed by one accusation after another and by criminal and civil causes promoted by other women (the cause of fortune has been quickly closed with an extrajudicial agreement, many others are still in progress). Despite having admitted to having perpetrated domestic violence and having used drugs, Combs has always denied the most serious accusations.
Despite the partial acquittal, Diddy risks prison for the two convictions related to prostitution. In fact, each violation of the Mann Act provides up to 10 years of detention. Considering the absence of criminal records, however, it is unlikely that the judge Subramanian inflicts the maximum sentence of 20 years. The date of the sentence has not yet been set.
Before the parties began to discuss his possible liberation on bail (which the judge then denied), Combs turned to the family, knelt down and started to pray again, with the elbows resting in the chair on which he was sitting for eight weeks.
From Rolling Stone Us.
