D.L. Hughley has criticized people praising Sean “Diddy” Combs after the mogul was acquitted on the three most serious charges in his federal racketeering trial.
Speaking to TMZ on July 8, the actor and comedian said the trial revealed Combs was engaged in “stuff that is amoral.”
“I think that it’s clear that Puffy wasn’t charged for the things he did. He was charged in this vague, amorphous… the judge even during the trial, you could see he was having a hard time buying it,” said Hughley.
On July 2, a Manhattan jury acquitted Combs on three federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges, but convicted him on two lesser transportation to engage in prostitution counts involving two of his former girlfriends.
Hughley said the mogul’s eight attorneys — Marc Agnifilo, Teny Geragos, Brian Steel, Nicole Westmoreland, Alexandra Shapiro, Jason Driscoll, Anna Maria Estevao, and Xavier R. Donaldson — made all the difference.
“I think it shows two things: money will buy a great defense. I think if he’s charged and he has a public defender, he’s convicted,” Hughley said.
The comic also questioned the charges prosecutors brought against the Bad Boy Records founder.
“They charged him for all of these terms that they just couldn’t prove,” he said.
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Urban Hollywood 411 interviewed Los Angeles-based Civil Rights attorney Areva Martin after the verdict, who said Combs’ high profile defense team accomplished what they were hired to do.
“Obviously, the defense caused the jurors to believe that the prosecution had not proven this case beyond reasonable doubt,” she said. “What good defense lawyers do is poke holes in the prosecution’s case… it’s safe to say that the jurors believed the defense did a good job in that regard.”
Hughley said celebrations of the acquittal were wrong. Those praising the mogul’s partial victory on social media included Kim Porter’s friend Eboni Elektra, singers Tameka “Tiny” Harris and Kandi Burruss, and rapper Boosie Badazz.
There was also a massive crowd outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan the day of the verdict holding up signs and dousing themselves with baby oil.
“I think there are people who are morally bankrupt. I say that all the time,” said Hughley.
“Even if Puffy wasn’t convicted of the most serious [crimes], he still whooped a woman in front of everybody. Now he wasn’t charged for that, and the feds wouldn’t charge him for that,” Hughley stated, “but it speaks to who we are as a society. “Even if he’s not guilty of the crimes charged, he is a horrible dude.”
Hughley added, “I think there was a racial component. There’s no denying it.”
Diddy will be sentenced on Oct. 3. He faces up to ten years in prison for each conviction and remains jailed at least until sentencing day.
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