Photo: AFP
The verdict is in on what some are calling the most expensive prostitution case in legal history, as maniacal music mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs was found not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking, but was found guilty on two lesser charges of transportation to commit prostitution. Bail has been denied, so Combs is staying in jail until sentencing, which should happen in October; he could face up to two years behind bars, which is a huge relief for Diddy, as he had been facing life in prison if convicted on the more serious charges. Many of his fans outside the Manhattan courtroom were ecstatic, as some began cheering and squirting baby oil on each other at the news. What happens next, and what do New Yorkers think of the case now that it’s over?
ABC News investigative reporter Peter Charalambous was in the Manhattan courtroom every day the trial was convened and had daily updates on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program. He saw Combs’ reaction as the verdict was read and told host Larry Mendte that Combs looked happy because he beat the charges that would have ended his days as a free man: “A lot of legal analysts have talked about this possibility from the start. The racketeering was a bit of a stretch and perhaps the jury only takes those two lesser counts, the prostitution charges because they’re kind of the obvious ones, those are the low hanging fruit… (Combs) dropped to his knees in open court praying and then getting a round of applause from the gallery… Nevertheless, he seemed relieved. We could hear him in the gallery, basically telling his family, ‘Baby, I’m coming home.’ He sees this as a total win.”
WOR Beat on the Street reporter Natalie Migliore hit the streets near Rockefeller Center to ask people whether they thought justice had been served in the case. One man said the verdict didn’t matter, because Americans are too obsessed with celebrities to care about justice. “Remember, the guy made a lot of music, man. This culture sucks, because this culture only thinks about how important you are, not about who you are. The guy’s a freaky, freaky dude, man, you know. All that stuff that I was reading and watching, I was in shock. You can’t do that in this life and think you can get away with it; it’s called karma.”
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