J. Wyndal Gordon, generally known as “The Warrior Lawyer,” brings many years of high-profile felony protection expertise to his evaluation of one of many yr’s most watched federal circumstances. The Maryland-based legal professional, who served as lead stand-by counsel for alleged “D.C. Sniper” John Allen Muhammad, weighs in on Sean “Diddy” Combs’ break up verdict with the identical uncompromising evaluation that has made him a revered voice in felony protection.
The jury discovered Diddy not responsible on probably the most severe fees however responsible on two Mann Act violations. Break down this verdict.
The transportation for prostitution carries 10 years apiece, and it’s unlikely that he’s going to get the utmost sentence. This isn’t probably the most egregious case relating to transportation to interact in prostitution. In case you recall, he was barely taking part within the acts in any respect, more often than not he’s off within the nook servicing himself. The Mann Act is an act that was established a few years in the past throughout the Jack Johnson days. When Jack Johnson, the primary black heavyweight prize fighter, began relationship white girls. So the Mann Act was enacted to take care of him and his private affairs with a white lady that he was relationship.
I feel he was convicted due to the acts of the male versus Jane, and I imagine the jury directions mentioned, are they responsible of violating the transportation to interact in prostitution due to Cassie and the male. I actually really feel like the decision was a compromise. I imagine that Puffy might have swept this whole case. I imagine that there have been many on that jury who in all probability needed to present Puffy a full flush of the decision, however I imagine that 2 counts of the prostitution case induced the holdouts to alleviate themselves of the Rico cost.
Do you count on him to be launched pending sentencing?
That call in all probability has been made already. The decide could determine as a result of he’s now been adjudged as being responsible, he could current a larger flight threat right this moment than he did pretrial. I do imagine he ought to have the ability to come dwelling although, meaning for the time that he’ll in all probability face, he might in all probability do it on dwelling detention. The large case is now not an element. The life imprisonment case, the 2 15 yr circumstances, which handled intercourse trafficking, had been 15 years apiece. He acquired the lesser included offense that he might presumably get.
It actually doesn’t take a lot. It’s virtually as if anyone could possibly be discovered responsible of that whenever you determine to take your girlfriend to a distant island. However I assumed what was attention-grabbing about this case is that the escorts made it very clear that they weren’t prostitutes. They receives a commission to bounce, they receives a commission for his or her time, they receives a commission for his or her performances. Folks make homegrown pornography every single day. That is a part of what Puffy did. They had been swingers, and I agree with that. All people engaged within the conduct was consenting adults.
Was the break up verdict a shock, and what does it say concerning the prosecution’s case?
The case was ass from the beginning. It wasn’t a great case. That is so beneath america of America to convey a case like this the place they’re getting inside individuals’s bedrooms and judging individuals’s life-style. They’re judging life versus ferreting out and prosecuting crime.
I don’t essentially imagine that the decision was break up. I imagine it was compromised. I imagine events acquired collectively and mentioned, we’re not going to do X, Y, I’ll provide you with Z, as a result of I’m not coming again on Monday. There’s this factor that’s referred to as jury fatigue; they get exhausted, they get pissed off, irritated. I acquired to return to work sooner or later in time, I acquired children, I acquired daycare.
I name it a [caring] case, as a result of I really feel just like the victims weren’t actually victims of the offenses that had been charged. Now could be Puffy morally wicked in a few of his conduct? Sure. Is he a girl beater? Sure. Nevertheless, that isn’t a [federal] crime. The lady beating, sure, and there have been alternatives to convey them to trial or convey them to court docket to deal with these cases. Nevertheless, with these Federal fees, they’re not Federal crimes, and I feel that’s the place this case includes prosecutorial overreach.
The place did the prosecution’s case falter?
All of the above, however primarily with the witnesses. The witnesses simply weren’t credible. In actual fact, if Puffy would have identified, the testimony would have come out the best way that it did. He in all probability wouldn’t have paid any of them a dime. They’ve a lot baggage and Puffy had a lot proof to the textual content messages and all the things else.
In case you’re not going after Puffy for the home violence, you don’t have the rest. Fairly frankly, if I didn’t see it on video, I wouldn’t even imagine it. Primarily based upon the testimony that they had been producing, I wouldn’t have believed something of what they mentioned. So it’s the video that saved this case alive. Video on the finish of the day actually doesn’t quantity to something greater than home violence. It doesn’t quantity to any racketeering enterprises. It doesn’t quantity to any intercourse trafficking, and it doesn’t quantity to transportation to interact in prostitution.
What does this verdict say about Diddy’s protection staff?
I all the time say justice is on the market to everybody the identical because the Ritz Carlton. In case you can afford good authorized illustration, you gonna get someplace. I don’t assume that they pulled a rabbit out of the hat or something. They did what any aggressive protection staff would do. You go in on cross-examination. You bought the products since you acquired the textual content message. This case wasn’t very troublesome to defend, as a result of the entire witnesses had flaws.
All of them had been flawed as a result of all of them wouldn’t resist the approach to life, the celeb, the entry that goes with being hooked up to Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. They weren’t making an attempt to present that up, and so they turned this right into a story of thug ardour. While you’re in these poisonous relationships, there’s loads of ardour in these relationships, and I assume the make-up is simply as unhealthy because the fights.
Ought to his staff have negotiated a plea as an alternative of going to trial?
Nah, as a result of they weren’t going to supply a plea that was price going for, and if that they had a plea that was accessible, I’m certain he would have taken it. If he might have pled to probation. Who cares if Puffy walks round with a intercourse offense on his file? No person, he’s Puffy. He’s nonetheless acquired cash. He’s gonna all the time have cash, and he might put individuals in entrance of him to be the face of his companies.
Now, it takes loads of braveness, you’ve acquired to have the braveness of a burglar to go to trial in Federal court docket, given their win loss charge. That is simply a type of circumstances that once more they delivered to Federal Court docket, which was kind of a State court docket case, and doubtless the State District Court docket case. Possibly a Decide Judy case, in case you actually need to speak about it, as a result of the proof simply wasn’t there, and so they needed to know that their witnesses had been extremely flawed.
How do you view the general public response to this case?
I can inform you that everybody who adopted the case was vested. About halfway to virtually by the trial individuals had been choosing sides. For individuals to have fun within the streets, this case carried the identical fervor because the O.J. Simpson case, as a result of we felt like this was the white institution going large sport searching and massive sport was Puffy Combs. It was a case of character assassination versus bringing him to justice. It’s a case of them making an attempt to interrupt a profitable black man.
When your case begins to unravel, give it up. Let it go. Make that supply that you just say is so candy of a deal you can’t go it up, as a result of they should really feel like they misplaced, as a result of, certainly, they did lose. To begin with, they misplaced the vast majority of the costs. Second of all, he acquired convicted on the bottom [possible] offense that he might have. He’s not going to spend the remainder of his life in jail. He’s not going to do 20 years. I don’t assume he’s going to do 10 years. I don’t assume he’s going to do greater than 5 years.
How do these felony convictions have an effect on the pending civil lawsuits?
The testimony and the proof weakened these circumstances. If Puffy would have identified what the testimony was going to be earlier than this trial, [he] in all probability wouldn’t have settled any of these circumstances. I wouldn’t have settled any of these circumstances. I’d have fought him tooth and nail all over. I feel the gravy prepare [has] left. Now, Puffy, all he must do now could be simply dig in. None of these fits have any advantage.
While you speak about consent, whenever you speak about coercion. Are you actually going to imagine that these girls had been battered? They waited all these years. They waited until Cassie will get her little cash, and another girl will get their little cash, and now they’re bringing their fits. I’d attempt all of these circumstances. I don’t assume any of these people have credibility. I feel it’s a cash seize and so they’re making an attempt to get the final little morsel squeeze out of Puffy.