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The American rapper Sean “Diddy” combs was declared guilty of two positions for transporting people to exercise prostitution, but innocent of the accusations of sex trafficking and conspiracy to extort, the two most serious crimes he faced.
The musician knew Wednesday the jury verdict in a New York court.
ComBs faced charges for sex trafficking from Cassie Ventura, her ex -partner, and another woman named “Jane”.
The jury declared combs guilty of transporting the two women to places where they participated in sexual acts and prostitution.
Both women, who had been a couple of combs, testified separately about occasional sexual encounters or “hotel nights”, which they described as sexual encounters in which both hired male companions to have sex while combs watched, sometimes recording them or directing them.
For the crimes of providing transportation to exercise prostitution, combs can face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
His defense asked to be released after paying a bail of US $ 1 million, but the judge denied it and must wait to know the conviction in jail.
Ventura's lawyer said he is happy that the musician “still faces a considerable prison sentence.”
In addition, he disclosed a statement in which he said: “By sharing his experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark both in the entertainment industry and in the struggle for justice.”
“He demonstrated an unquestionable force and caught the attention to the reality of powerful men in our environment and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without impact,” he added.
Combs seemed to feel relief when he learned that he was only guilty of less serious charges.
His lawyer, Tey Geragos, seemed to be crying next to him, drying his eyes with a handkerchief, after hearing the verdict.
The musician looked at the jury several times and made a sign of prayer with his hands, as did his family.
At one point, Comink covered his face with his hands and then lifted them, making a sign of prayer again. He repeatedly nodded, heading to the jury and his family.
The atmosphere in the courtroom was extremely emotional after the jury announced that he had acquitted him of the most serious charges, for which he could be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Image source, Reuters
Before getting out of the room, Comps knelt, resting his face in the chair and seemed to be praying. I was trembling.
He got up, looked at his family and began to applaud strongly, while his relatives and supporters joined him, also cheering in the waiting room.
Then she hugged her lawyer and retired.
Outside the court, a crowd exploded in strong cheers when the news was known.
The attempt to bail
Image source, Getty Images
Marc Agnifilo, another of the musician's lawyers, said that the acquit acquittal of the most serious positions implied that he should be released to live at his home in Florida with a bail of US $ 1 million, guaranteed by relatives present in the room, until his sentence hearing.
“A considerable change in its conditions is justified,” said Agnifilo, who stressed that this is the first time that combs receives a conviction.
The Prosecutor's Office immediately opposed this motion. The prosecutor Maureen Comey accused Agnifilo of “minimizing” the severity of the prostitution positions for which combs was convicted.
He said he committed a “litany of crimes”, including violence against women and drug trafficking, while he was under investigation and waiting for his arrest for the first time.
He also argued that combs “represents a danger” e “will flagrantly ignore” the judicial conditions if released.
Image source, EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Agnifilo denied it quickly. He said that combs has recovered his life thanks to the jury for what “would be a complete fool” if he violated the conditions imposed by the court.
Judge Arun Subramanian expressed his gratitude to the jury for dedicating almost two months to hear all the evidence and carefully deliberate on the fate of the rapper.
Subramanian explained what the judges usually say in cases of high profile: that they have the right to talk to the press, but they have “good reasons” not to do so. If they do, he added, the jury must “respect the privacy of deliberations”, as well as the opinions of the other jurors.
He also told them that he understands if they want to go home immediately, but that he would love to see them again and personally thank them for their service.
“It was difficult to prove the case”
Federal former Fiscal Robert Mintz told the BBC that the jury's verdict was not a complete surprise.
“It was always going to be difficult for the Prosecutor's Office to prove his case, which basically required that they demonstrated that these acts were not consensual,” Mintz said.
“Since the defense had a good number of examples of text messages and other communications in which the victims apparently agreed to participate in these sexual acts, the jury was difficult to conclude that the victims participated involuntarily,” he added.
“The burden of evidence always falls to the Prosecutor's Office, beyond any reasonable doubt. And I think, in the end, the jurors considered that the Prosecutor's Office had not fulfilled its burden of evidence,” Mintz said.
For the ex -fiscal, the combs verdict was practically the best that defense could expect, except for the innocence of all charges.
“There is no other way to describe this other than a victory for defense and a forceful defeat for the Prosecutor's Office,” he said.
What were the accusations against Diddy combs?
Image source, AFP/Getty Images
Combs was accused of illicit association, two positions of trafficking in persons with sexual exploitation fines and two transport positions for the exercise of prostitution.
Many of the most serious accusations referred to the position of conspiracy for extortion.
He was accused of kidnapping, drugs and coercing women to participate in sexual activities, sometimes with firearms or threats of violence.
In a raid in the combs mansion in Los Angeles, the police found supplies that, according to them, were destined to be used in orgies, including drugs and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil.
On the other hand, Comink faces several demands in which he is accused of violation and aggression.
Tony Buzbee, a Texas lawyer who deals with some of these cases, said that more than 100 women and men from all over the country have filed demands against the rap tycoon or who intended to do so.
In December 2023, a woman indicated in judicial documents such as Jane Doe claimed that she was “raped in group” by combs and other people in 2003, when he was 17 years old. He said he had been supplied “large amounts of drugs and alcohol” before sexual aggression.
The combs legal team dismissed the avalanche of demands as “clear attempts to get advertising.”
The current legal problems of combs began at the end of 2023, when it was sued for violent abuse and rape for its ex -girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
That demand was resolved by an unleashed amount of money one day after it appeared, although ComBs held that it was innocent.
Since then, dozens of people have submitted demands accusing combs of sexual aggression, including some accusations that date back to 1991.
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