Hollywood immediately reacted after the jury in the Sean “Diddy” Combs sex trafficking and racketeering trial reached a verdict on all counts Wednesday.
Rosie O’Donnell shared on Instagram, “Guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion—wow—they just think women stay because what? money—fame—‘they love the abuse.’ What a f—ing joke. This decision got me angry.”
Rapper 50 Cent appeared to show his support for Diddy.
DIDDY JURY REACHES VERDICT ON ALL COUNTS IN SEX TRAFFICKING, RACKETEERING TRIAL
“Diddy beat the Feds,” he wrote, “that boy a bad man ! beat the Rico.”
Queen Latifah shared her thoughts on Diddy’s ex-girlfriends who testified against the disgraced rapper during the intense nearly two-month trial as well as “all the other people harmed over the decades.”
“Please send prayers for Cassie and all the other people harmed over the decades. All that evidence and people still don’t believe women the first time,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Cassie’s attorney spoke out after Diddy’s trial reached a verdict.
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“This entire criminal process started when our client Cassie Ventura had the courage to file her civil complaint in November 2023. Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice,” Douglas H. Wigdor said in a statement.
“We must repeat – with no reservation – that we believe and support our client who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial. She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion. This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.”
On Wednesday, the jury found Diddy not guilty of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He was found guilty on both counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
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A federal RICO violation can result in a 20-year sentence. The transportation to engage in prostitution charge could carry a sentence of up to 10 years, while sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion may carry a 20-year sentence.
“We’ve been saying all along in this case that it’s been overcharged by the government, that they were taking these very nuanced relationships, and trying to make them criminal,” Harvey Weinstein’s former lawyer, Donna Rotunno, told Fox News. “I think Marc [Agnifilo] did a really good job in his closing arguments, highlighting that to the jury. Overall, this is a huge loss to the government, the money that they spent on this prosecution, the amount of press, notoriety, this is a definite win for Mr. Combs.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for more updates.