Music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is found not guilty of racketeering and not guilty of sex trafficking ex-partner Casandra Ventura and another woman referred to as “Jane”.
However, he was found guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution, related to both women.
As the verdict was read out, Combs remained hard to read, according to BBC reporter, Sakshi Venkatraman. Before, he was praying with his children
Diddy, who has been behind bars since he was arrested in September last year, is yet to be sentenced.
The charge he was twice found guilty of – transportation to engage in prostitution – carries a 10-year maximum prison sentence.
The trial heard from 34 witnesses over nearly two months, including ex-girlfriends, former employees of Combs, male escorts and federal agents
Judge Arun Subramanian expressed his gratitude to jurors for taking nearly two months to listen to all the evidence and deliberate carefully over Combs’ fate.
He tells jurors what judges often say in high-profile cases: that they have the right to talk to the press, but they have “good reason” not to. If they do, he says, jurors should “respect the privacy of deliberations” as well as the views of the other jurors.
He tells jurors that he understands if they want to go home right away, but he would love to go back and meet them and thank them personally for their service.
Sheer emotion from Combs in court
BBC’s Madeline Halpert reports that it is hard to overstate the relief Combs appeared to feel when he heard he was only guilty of the least serious charges.
His lawyer, Teny Geragos, appeared to be crying next to him, wiping her eyes with a tissue, after she heard the verdict as well.
Combs looked at the jury several times and made a prayer sign with his hands, as he did toward his family, too.
At one point, Combs put his hands over his face and then raised them in the air, once again making a prayer sign. He kept nodding his head at the jury and at his family.
