Sean “Diddy” Combs reportedly received a standing ovation from his fellow inmates after being acquitted on the most serious charges brought against him 10 months ago.
After hearing seven weeks of testimony from prosecution witnesses, Diddy’s jury returned three not-guilty verdicts. The group of 12 originally announced they were deadlocked on the racketeering conspiracy charge, but later chose to acquit the rapper.
Diddy returned to a standing ovation at MDC Brooklyn after the verdicts were read, according to his defense lawyer, Marc Agnifilo.
“They all said: ‘We never get to see anyone who beats the government,’” Agnifilo told The Associated Press.
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“I said: ‘Maybe it’s your fate in life to be the guy who wins,’” he added. “They need to see that someone can win. I think he took that to heart.”
The jury found Diddy not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking on July 2. He was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
He could be sentenced to 20 years in prison, as each count carries a 10-year maximum.
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Hours after the verdicts were read in court, Judge Arun Subramanian denied Diddy’s request for bail. The federal judge pointed to Diddy’s violence, including the InterContinental Hotel attack on his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, as reasoning for his decision to keep the rapper behind bars.
The “Last Night” rapper will remain behind bars until his sentencing hearing, which was proposed to be held on October 3. The prosecution suggested four to five years for Combs’ sentence.
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According to Diddy’s defense lawyer, the disgraced music mogul will reenter a program for domestic batterers after he is freed. He had begun the program shortly before his arrest in September 2024.
“He’s doing OK,” Agnifilo told the AP.
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He claimed Diddy genuinely desires improvement and “realizes he has flaws like everyone else that he never worked on.”
“He burns hot in all matters. I think what he has come to see is that he has these flaws and there’s no amount of fame and no amount of fortune that can erase them,” he said. “You can’t cover them up.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
