P. Diddy’s legal issues have captured the public’s attention for well over a year, ever since federal agents raided his homes and found, among other things, 1,000 bottles of baby oil in March 2024. Now, even after Sean Combs was acquitted on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, the work is not done, and his lawyers spoke out about the verdict and what comes next.
Just under two months since the start of the music mogul’s trial, jurors delivered their verdict on July 2 — the third day of deliberations. While it was a big win for the defense — particularly Diddy being found not guilty of racketeering, the most serious charge — he was still found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Attorney Marc Agnifilo vowed to continue the fight for his client, US Weekly reports, in a news conference outside of the New York courthouse, saying:
Today’s a great victory. It’s a great victory for Sean Combs, it’s a great victory for the jury system. We are not nearly done fighting. We are just getting started.
Other members of Diddy’s legal team also spoke, with Teny Geragos thanking the jury, the staff at the Metropolitan Detention Center and all others involved, saying they were finally vindicated in maintaining their client’s innocence. Geragos said:
Sean Combs has not sexually assaulted anybody, I’ve been saying this for months. We’ve said this with each lawsuit that came out, and today that was proven true.
Attorney Brian Steel added to that, saying:
I want to thank you all for being here and writing truthfully about a man wrongly tried for most of the crimes.
Diddy avoided the most serious crime, but he was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution in connection with ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and another, who testified anonymously as “Jane.” These two counts carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
While ABC reports that U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian agreed to move the sentencing date up from October 3 (they’ll meet on July 8 to look at next steps in the pre-sentencing process), he ruled that Diddy will remain in prison while awaiting sentencing.
The judge cited the defense’s own closing argument in his decision not to release Sean Combs:
You full-throatedly in your closing argument told the jury that there was violence here, and domestic violence is violence. You said this was a case that did have violence.
He referenced the leaked video of Diddy assaulting his ex-girlfriend, saying it “starkly depicted” the defendant’s “propensity for violence.” The judge concluded:
It is impossible for the defendant to demonstrate… that he poses no danger to the community.
While P. Diddy has returned to the reportedly “disgusting” living conditions of the MDC, Marc Agnifilo believes it was a net win for the rapper and that the legal team won’t stop fighting until he’s released. The attorney said:
Today was a major, major step in the right direction. But we fight on and we're going to win and we're not going to stop until he walks out of prison a free man to his family.
Legal parties will reconvene next week regarding sentencing, so we’ll have to see if a new date is decided upon at that time.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
