NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs was convicted Wednesday of a prostitution-related offense but acquitted of more serious counts that could have put him behind bars for life, drawing divided reactions by his fellow celebrities.
The jury found the music mogul guilty of two prostitution-related counts under the Mann Act, for transportation of star witness Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a woman using the pseudonym Jane, but acquitted him of trafficking them for sex by using force, fraud or coercion.
They also acquitted him of a racketeering conspiracy charge under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has.
Combs, 55, could still face a maximum of 10 years in prison. He also is the subject of a civil case from singer Dawn Richard, said her attorney, Lisa Bloom. Richard testified at the trial that Combs threatened to kill her if she told anyone she saw him abusing his longtime girlfriend.
Here are some celebrity reactions to the verdict.
Not guilty verdicts draw anger
“Oh, this makes me physically ill,” said singer Aubrey O’Day, formerly of the music group Danity Kane, on her Instagram story as she watched the verdicts come in. "Cassie probably feels so horrible. I’m gonna vomit.”
She’s previously been critical of Combs. Danity Kane formed on Combs’ MTV reality television program “Making the Band” and signed to his Bad Boy Records.
Others jumped in. “I guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion, wow,” wrote actor Rosie O’Donnell on Instagram. “This decision got me angry.”
Others sound off
“Diddy beat the Feds that boy a bad man!” the rapper 50 Cent wrote on Instagram.
50 Cent has been a vocal critic of Combs, whom he has long beefed with — going back to his Diddy diss track “The Bomb,” released in 2006. He expects to release a docuseries on Netflix about the allegations against Combs.
Rapper Boosie BadAzz said in an Instagram video captioned “GREAT DAY N HIP HOP" that the courts had spoken.
“I'm tired of seeing us Black moguls get took down like that," he said. He added that he was "tired of seeing us Black people go against us Black moguls like that.”
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AP Writer Itzel Luna contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
Maria Sherman, The Associated Press
