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Sean 'Diddy' Combs Acquitted of Most Serious Charges; Attorney For Cassie Ventura Speaks Out. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired July 02, 2025 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:30:00]

LAURA COATES, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: And they thought, well, this must be a slam dunk. Surely he's being charged with assault. Surely, he's being charged with domestic violence. He was not.

Well, they have heard about white parties. They have heard about these civil lawsuits and about allegations that he was drugging someone. Well, this was not the case that was present in front of this jury. And, of course, he is presumed innocent even at the civil level. So all this was happening under all that's going on right now.

So, Wolf, Pam, a really significant moment. And I bet they're wondering, did they overcharge, did they undercharge, or did the jury system work?

PAMELA BROWN, CNN HOST: Yes, those questions are very valid questions.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Good questions, yes.

BROWN: All right, thank you both. We will check in with you soon.

Let's go to CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister.

She has an exclusive sit-down with Cassie Ventura's lawyer, Doug Wigdor.

Go ahead, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Thank you so much, Pam.

Doug, you were inside of that courtroom when this verdict was read. This has been something that you have been representing Cassie Ventura for, for well over a year, a lot at stake here, yes, for Sean Combs, but for Cassie Ventura.

What were you feeling when you were inside that courtroom?

DOUGLAS WIGDOR, ATTORNEY FOR CASSIE VENTURA: Well, I think there was a lot of mixed emotions in the courtroom, generally speaking. Obviously, we would have liked to have seen convictions on the RICO charges and the sex trafficking charges. But Cassie prompted this investigation by the Southern District, and now Sean Combs stands before the court as a convicted felon of two federal crimes. He faces significant incarceration, not the exact outcome that we wanted, but we are grateful to the jury for finding a guilty verdict on those two federal crimes.

WAGMEISTER: I want to get back to what you were just talking about, but, first, I have to ask you, have you had the chance to speak with Cassie yet?

WIGDOR: I have.

Yes, so I had an opportunity to speak with her, as did the government prosecution team. She's of the same view. She -- back in November of 2023, Cassie had a choice. She could accept an eight-figure settlement offer and move on with her life and sign nondisclosure agreements, or she could file a civil lawsuit and hold Sean Combs responsible for what he did to her and shine a light on his behavior.

She showed great courage, great bravery to choose the latter of those two options. She turned away the money at first. Ultimately, this case settled the day after. And she went through a yearlong process of preparing for this trial. I thought -- and I think people who saw her testify, she was a great witness. She was graceful. She shined a light on this.

Jane read the complaint. She came forward. Many other people have come forward, are going to be seeking to hold Sean Combs responsible in the civil courts. And so it's not all lost. He's now -- as I said, he's never been held responsible for anything in his lifetime. He was acquitted on charges when he was in New York with a gun case.

And now he is a two-time convicted felon, two federal charges. The government indicated after the jury verdict was read that they're going to be seeking consecutive terms and they're going to be seeking lengthy prison incarceration.

And so Cassie was comforted in knowing that, not only has she played a role in the criminal prosecution, but that she has shined a light on this behavior by Sean Combs. And many other people have come forward, not only about him, but about other people in the entertainment world as well.

WAGMEISTER: Now, I want to go back to something you said, which is when she filed that civil suit in November 2023, that this is really what started it all. And it really is in the civil sense, but also in the criminal sense.

In this trial -- and I was in the courtroom for most of the days -- we heard both the defense and the prosecution say that this investigation, this federal investigation, began because of Cassie Ventura. How does that weigh on her to realize that Sean Combs would not have even been in a courtroom if not for her?

WIGDOR: Yes. Well, I think it's given her some agency in life, where, for 10 years, he told her what had to be done and she had no choice. This was her ability to say, no, I'm not going to accept this eight-figure settlement. I'm going to file this lawsuit. And that's what she did.

And so she is really gratified in knowing that other people have come out since the filing of the civil lawsuit, and that -- you're correct. As far as I know, there was no pending investigation into Sean Combs prior to her filing the civil lawsuit. We were contacted very soon after we filed, and this investigation ensued.

And the team, the prosecution team, I thought, did an excellent job. Again, not the outcome, I'm sure, that they wanted. They didn't get the top counts. But they at least were able to secure two convictions of two federal felony charges.

[11:35:12]

WAGMEISTER: Now, you mentioned the settlement, which, as you are saying right here, that Cassie had two choices...

WIGDOR: Yes.

WAGMEISTER: ... which was, take the money, sign an NDA, or file a civil suit. She chose to file the civil suit.

Now, she did reach a settlement within 24 hours. It was very quick. But this was after she filed the civil suit, after all of her bombshell allegations were out in the world. And yet, in this trial, the defense seized on money, not just for Cassie, but also for Jane.

The defense -- and this is not a direct quote. I'm summarizing.

WIGDOR: Right.

WAGMEISTER: But Marc Agnifilo, in his closing, he said, Cassie Ventura is the winner here. He called her the winner. He said, she's sitting somewhere in the world with $30 million. She's not naive, like the prosecutors are telling you. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she's the winner.

How did that make you feel and her feel to use the word winner, when the jury and the world, by the way, has seen her being horrifically beaten on camera?

WIGDOR: Yes.

I mean, thanks to your great reporting and the video that saw the light of day, obviously, Cassie Ventura, at that point in time and today, is not the winner. She endured 10 years of abuse, where she had to engage in days-long sexual acts with UTIs. She alleged that she was raped.

And so to call her a winner, even though she did get $30 million part from -- as she testified, part from Sean Combs, part from the hotel, no amount of money is going to ever undo what she had to endure and what she had to go through.

So I think both she and I didn't really take well to that as her being a winner. And, frankly, the fact of the matter is, is that, when she testified, she had already been paid the $30 million. So she really -- she had no vested interest in anything other than telling the truth on that witness stand.

And while the jury did not convict on the sex trafficking charge, I mean, I think it's important for your viewers to know, in the criminal justice system, the standard is very high. It's beyond a reasonable doubt. The civil justice system is very different. It's a preponderance of the evidence, more likely than not.

So, it is a very high burden. The jury found that the government did not meet that burden, but that doesn't mean that what she said isn't true.

WAGMEISTER: Now, his defense during their closing also called Cassie and Combs' relationship -- and, again, this is not a direct quote, but a great modern love story.

How did she feel when she heard that? And I'm curious, has she been following all of the testimony? Because she was one of the first witnesses. She was on the stand for four days talking about what she says happened to her. Cassie, as we all know, is now a new mother of three. She was on that witness stand when she was very pregnant, 8.5 months pregnant.

Has she just been focused on family, or has she been following this? And how difficult has it been, if she has been following?

WIGDOR: Yes, so, I mean, she is primarily and has been focused on her family. She did testify when she was eight months pregnant. And she is really trying to look forward.

And when I gave my statement after her testimony, I made very clear that she was looking forward. She did not want to think about the case any longer. She had given her testimony, and now wanted to just concentrate on her family. And she's done that. I mean, obviously, it's almost impossible not to see some of the media about the case, and so she has seen some of that.

I can tell you that some of the comments that were made in the closing argument, I thought were repugnant, frankly, calling those sorts of behaviors as a modern-day relationship, saying that she enjoyed sex, saying she was a gangster, things like that.

I don't think, even with the jury verdict, that they would have given that any credit. And I don't think anyone who actually listened to the testimony and watched the testimony would either. And I thought that those were sort of gratuitous comments that really weren't based on any real facts.

WAGMEISTER: Well, as you said, after Cassie filed her lawsuit, there have been roughly 70 civil lawsuits that Sean Combs is facing, completely separate from this criminal trial. But, if not for Cassie, it is very possible that no one would have come forward against Sean Combs. In fact, at the time that she came forward, I had reporting from the National Domestic Violence Hotline that calls spiked after Cassie came forward.

[11:40:00]

So, Doug, thank you so much.

WIGDOR: You're welcome.

WAGMEISTER: And we're going to go back to Wolf and Pam now.

WIGDOR: Thank you.

BLITZER: Elizabeth Wagmeister, thank you very much, not only for that excellent interview we all just watched and heard, but for your excellent coverage over these many weeks of this trial.

BROWN: Yes, she's been on it from the very beginning, Kara Scannell, Laura Coates, just our...

BLITZER: Great team up there.

BROWN: A great team who are bringing us a very latest on this breaking news that we're following, that Sean "Diddy" Combs found not guilty on the most serious charges in his criminal case.

We are live outside that courthouse in New York. And we have our legal analysts standing by to weigh in on what happens now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:45:17]

BLITZER: We're back with our breaking news, our special coverage of the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial, the federal jury, the federal jury in New York City finding Combs not guilty on the most serious charges he was facing. That would be racketeering and sex trafficking.

BROWN: Combs has been found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Joining us now, CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson and CNN legal affairs commentator Areva Martin.

Areva, what is your reaction to this verdict?

AREVA MARTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Surprise in some regards, Pamela, but not surprised in others.

This was a difficult case for the prosecution. That RICO charge we knew from the beginning would be difficult for the prosecution, but not surprised because that all along we knew that the way this case was presented. The complicated relationship that Cassie and the witness Jane had with Sean Combs, the text messages, the evidence presented that show that on many occasions they indicated a desire to participate in what we now know where these freak-offs, these hotel nights, very difficult sometimes for folks to understand that consent sometimes can be given and at the same time can be withdrawn.

So, surprised that the evidence presented by the prosecution, which I thought was powerful and persuasive, didn't have the desired effect on this jury. So although it's a big win for Sean Combs and his team, I still think victims should be celebrating in this moment, because Cassie Ventura and Jane, they told their stories.

We know from the reporting from CNN that the victims hot line saw a spike after Cassie Ventura came forward and that, when one woman tells her story of abuse, it does give more power and encourages other women to come forward.

BLITZER: Joey, were you surprised by how quickly we got a verdict today after hearing yesterday that the jury was hopelessly or seriously deadlocked, deadlocked, that was the word they used, on the first, most serious count, which was racketeering conspiracy?

JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, Wolf, what's interesting about that is, it always looks better after a good night's sleep, and though while somewhat surprised, certainly not shocked by it.

But I think in context that this was a very unconventional prosecution. And what do I mean? When you look at the issue of RICO and racketeering, what you generally look at are mob bosses who have these underbosses who are furthering this criminal enterprise. You have one of those mob bosses or the underbosses come testify, saying he, the one sitting right there, told me to engage in arson, told me to bribe this one, extort this other person, get money from the other, pass drugs here.

Here, you didn't have that, nor did you have other people besides Diddy sitting at that table. Generally, in a RICO case, there are multiple defendants. Yes, you don't have to charge everyone. Yes, prosecutors have vast discretion, but it was unconventional to the extent that they even -- prosecutors charged RICO.

So, that's number one. Two, it was unconventional as it related to the sex trafficking cases. Of course, women should not be sex trafficked in any regard. They should be respected in all regards, right? Everyone should be. But the reality is, when you look at sex trafficking, you're looking at not long-term relationship generally of 11 years as it related to Cassie Ventura or three years as it related to Jane.

But what you're looking at are people who have nothing at all, they're arm's length with the people who are abusing and trafficking them. And so to the extent that prosecutors tried to do that, that made it unconventional.

With respect to the verdict itself, I think it was right on the law and it's right on the facts. It appeared to be that the prosecution had the evidence with respect to this transportation to engage in prostitution. They had dozens of escorts there. They had hotel records and receipts. There was information that they were engaged in these prostitution acts.

And so specifically as to those, I think the jury reached the verdict that was consistent with that. And now comes the part of sentencing, and we will see what the judge does with respect to either allowing Diddy to go home today, which could certainly be permissible and proper, or keeping him in pending the sentencing conclusion.

BROWN: So, Areva, do you think the prosecution overcharged here?

MARTIN: I don't think they overcharged. And I hear what Joey is saying in terms of the unconventional nature. And I do agree with him that, yes, when you hear RICO charges, you are thinking about the mafia, you're thinking about mob bosses being charged.

And the sex trafficking -- again, we have these images of what sex trafficking looks like, girls in bathrooms who are scrawling help me on the back of bathroom doors because they have been abducted, they have been taken away from their homes and being forced in these sex acts. They're not in long-term relationships.

But the reality is, I think the prosecution did put forth evidence that met all of the requirements, all the elements of the federal statutes that were at issue in this case. But I do think in this country, as advanced as we are, as much progress as we have made around MeToo, there's still a lot of confusion around what consent looks like, what coercion looks like.

[11:50:19]

And a lot of people cannot accept that, if you are in a relationship with someone, that that relationship can still involve coercion, and it can still involve criminal acts of sex trafficking, and it still can involve some of the acts that were charged in this case. We have got a long way to go. There was one witness, an expert that tried to, I think, give jurors a sense of the complication when you are in a cycle of abuse and cycle of manipulation, which both Cassie and Jane were in.

But clearly the prosecution came up short. And we have to respect the jury verdict in this case. But I do just want to say some of the closing arguments made by the defense, calling Cassie a gangster, talking about her being a big winner in this case and this modern-day love story, so offensive to women, so offensive to victims, and I think continues to erode what we have gained from the MeToo movement and the progress that we have made.

And I hope this argument made by this defense attorney doesn't discourage other victims from coming forward.

BROWN: All right, Areva Martin, Joey Jackson, thank you both. BLITZER: And we will, of course, continue to follow the breaking news, Sean "Diddy" Combs found not guilty on the most serious charges in his criminal case.

Our Laura Coates will join us live from outside the courthouse right after a quick break. We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're following the breaking news out of New York. A federal jury has found Sean "Diddy" Combs not guilty on the most serious charges he was facing, specifically racketeering and sex trafficking.

BROWN: Combs has been found guilty of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Let's go to CNN chief legal analyst Laura Coates in New York.

Laura, I'm just wondering, again, just a recap of your reaction to this verdict, as someone who has been there from the very beginning.

COATES: This is monumental.

The SDNY has a conviction rate of over 90 percent. They chose to charge him with RICO, a case that's very complex and also one that's normally associated with the mob. They also charged him with sex trafficking for two different people, Cassie Ventura and a pseudonym victim, Jane. And they charged him with transportation to engage in prostitution.

[11:55:12]

By all accounts, it was a tale of almost a split screen, where the RICO seemed very complex and people wondered if it was overcharged in the ability to actually prove that, and then the so-called low-hanging fruit of the transportation to engage in prostitution.

The middle ground was that sex trafficking, where issues of consent and force and threats of violence and free will, as the defense talked about it, would come into play. We heard testimony for days on end from Cassie Ventura, very emotional, from Jane, very emotional, describing not only violence in the case of Cassie Ventura, but over a 10-year period.

While the jury sent over several notes over days, they were hung. They were hung last night on the RICO charge. The judge said, keep deliberating. The defense wanted that to be the case. So did the prosecution. Why? Because they both wanted finality. If you're the defense, you want the final decision by the jury. Otherwise, the prosecution can have a second bite at the apple, because double jeopardy does not attach to a hung decision.

But here we are, the next day. Within an hour of them arriving to the courthouse behind me, they not only got rid of that hung count. They had a verdict on all five counts, all five felony counts. Now, in this instance, the jury said not guilty on RICO, the most serious, which could have had a lifetime sentence for Sean "Diddy" Combs. They said not guilty on sex trafficking for either Cassie Ventura or the pseudonym person Jane, but yes to the transportation relating to prostitution.

And here we are. Behind me, everyone's watching. There is a chance that Sean "Diddy" Combs could walk out of the front door of this courthouse. His mom is arriving right now.

Ms. Janice is there. She's just learned about her son's -- Ms. Janice, you have a comment, Ms. Janice, do you have a comment on your son's freedom? She is going inside of the courthouse right now. Mind you, NYPD has shut down this street. I have got all these barricades you see right here.

There's a truck full of them, not even a block away, preparing for a decision that is shortly to come. Stay tuned on CNN. We will bring you the very latest. Will Sean Combs walk out the front door until his prosecution sentence or will he remain until then? The judge will decide.

BROWN: It's just remarkable to think about the fact that Sean "Diddy" Combs woke up this morning, Wolf, not knowing if potentially he could spend the rest of his life behind bars, and now there is a chance, as you laid out, that he could walk out.

And there is his mom, as you said, Ms. Janice. You were trying to get a comment from her, Laura. She didn't want to the cameras, but you saw her there giving the peace sign.

BLITZER: She's a happy mother right now.

BROWN: She's a very happy mother, because this really was the best realistic scenario for Sean "Diddy" Combs and his family.

Laura Coates, thank you for all of your excellent work out there, pulling double duty all these weeks outside the courthouse and then going to do your 11:00 p.m. show. Terrific work.

I also want to thank the CNN crew behind the scenes who are bringing all the news out of this trial to you, Nicki Brown and Lauren del Valle, just so much hard work out there to bring you the very latest that is now culminating in today, with Sean "Diddy" Combs being acquitted on the most serious charges, Wolf.

BLITZER: She's waving to everyone out there, Sean "Diddy" Combs' mom, and she's obviously a happy lady right now.

And, to our viewers, thanks very much for joining us this morning.

"INSIDE POLITICS WITH DANA BASH" is coming up next right after a short break.