Sean Combs, a/k/a P. Diddy, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently. P. Diddy’s lawyers and P. Diddy received a so-called “split verdict” yesterday in his long-running federal criminal jury trial. The federal criminal defense attorneys in P. Diddy’s case put on a master class on how to deal with bad facts in front of a jury and attack the most serious charges head on. In this article we talk about P. Diddy’s federal criminal defense lawyers, what the jury verdict means, and what kind of sentencing exposure Sean Combs faces in his federal criminal defense trial.

Just a reminder that the team at Evergreen Attorneys is dedicated to fighting federal criminal defense cases all across the country. You can read more about us, what we do, and what our clients say here. We are the premiere federal criminal defense law firm in Dallas and Colorado. Call us if you want help with your federal criminal case today.

Who are P. Diddy’s Lawyers?

Puff Daddy, a/k/a Sean Combs, a/k/a P. Diddy hired a diverse and experienced team of federal criminal defense lawyers. Here is a list of the P. Diddy lawyers in no particular order:

• Alexandra A.E. Shapiro
• Jason A. Driscoll
• Marc Agnifilo
• Teny Geragos
• Anna Estevao
• Brian Steel
• Xavier R. Donaldson
• Nicole Westmoreland

As you can see, Sean Combs’ attorneys were truly a team. These lawyers came for many different law firms and likely cost P. Diddy well over $5 million dollars to hire and maintain through trial. Keep in mind that P. Diddy was once reported to have a net worth of over $800 million dollars.

P. Diddy’s lawyers did an excellent job of dealing with incredibly difficult facts. Everyone has seen the Intercontinental Hotel videos of P. Diddy assaulting his ex-girlfriend. That was always going to be something in front of the jury. Instead of trying to minimize or brush that evidence away, P. Diddy’s lawyers put on a masterclass. They told the jury, “yes, P. Diddy is a domestic abuser and did bad things; but that is not RICO.” Putting on this type of defense is difficult because it always requires 100% client buy-in to admit bad facts. Sean Combs clearly was willing to follow the advice of his federal criminal defense attorneys on this point.

P. Diddy’s lawyers showed the advantage of having federal criminal defense attorneys from different backgrounds, from all over the country, bringing their unique skill set to his criminal defense.

What Were the Charges Against P. Diddy?

P. Diddy was charged in case number 24-crim-542 in the federal U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. P. Diddy was charged in Count One with a Racketeering Conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 1962. This is commonly called a RICO charge and alleged that P. Diddy ran a large and sprawling criminal enterprise. RICO cases have become more and more common recently. Prosecutors love to charge RICO cases because the penalties can include up to life imprisonment and they make it easier for federal criminal prosecutors to introduce damaging evidence at trial.

Count Two charged Sean Combs with Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion in violation of 18 U.S.C. 1591. This has become a much more common federal criminal charge in recent years. Evergreen Attorneys see the federal sex trafficking charge often threatened because it can carry a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years.

Count Three charged P. Diddy with Transportation to Engage in Prostitution in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 2421.

Count Four charged P. Diddy with another Sex Trafficking by Force, Fraud, or Coercion count in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 1591. This count and count 5 were added in a superseding indictment just months before the P. Diddy federal criminal trial started.

Count 5 alleged that P. Diddy committed Transportation to Engage in Prostitution in violation of 18 U.S.C. Section 2421(a). This was the other count added in the superseding indictment.

The most important thing you should know about the charges is this: Count 1 was the most serious (up to life in prison) and Counts 2 and 4 carried the most mandatory minimum prison time (15 years each). How did P. Diddy’s lawyers do at his federal criminal trial? Read on to find out.

P. Diddy Lawyers Get Split Verdict

A split verdict is when a jury decides to find a defendant “not guilty” on some counts, but “guilty” on other counts. Split verdicts often represent a compromise among jurors in tough cases where they don’t want to let a defendant get off scott free. P. Diddy’s lawyers obtained a split verdict from the jury in his case.

The jury acquitted P. Diddy on Count 1, Count 2, and Count 4. P. Diddy’s lawyers were able to convince the jury to find him “not guilty” on the three most serious charges. The jury did, however, convict P. Diddy on Count 3 and Count 5; both of those counts were the transportation to engage in prostitution charges. They are also commonly referred to as “Mann Act” charges by experienced federal criminal defense attorneys.

Sean Combs Sentencing: What to Expect?

Want to know how sentencing will work for P. Diddy? Need to know all the ins-and-outs of what the top federal sentencing lawyers in the country should expect? Start here with our introduction to Federal Sentencing guide.

Because of the split verdict, the prosecution is going to face a much tougher time getting significant prison time in the Sean Combs case. The federal criminal defense lawyers ably fighting for P. Diddy have already told the judge that they think his expected Sentencing Guideline range will be 21 to 27 months. With credit for the time he has spent in jail pre-trial and pre-sentencing, a sentence in this range would likely be less than a year.

The Government, on the other hand, is claiming that P. Diddy will face a much higher federal sentencing guideline range. The Government claims that all sorts of Guideline enhancements apply. As a result of those proposed enhancements, the Government believes a Guideline range for P. Diddy will be “at least” 51-63 months’ imprisonment. That means the Government thinks the baseline advisory sentence a judge should consider is at least 5 years in prison.

Over the coming months, P. Diddy’s lawyers will undoubtedly continue their stellar record in this case while preparing for sentencing. They will help P. Diddy prepare for the upcoming Pre-Sentence Investigation Report interview. They will likely consider bringing on highly-qualified prison consulting experts, such as the esteemed Walt Pavlo of Prisology (he writes a weekly Forbes article).

The defense will make both factual and legal arguments in the form of PSR objections. Those objections will be an attempt to make sure that the sentencing guideline range is not enhanced like the government wants. P. Diddy’s lawyers will put together powerful mitigating evidence that was not heard or seen at trial. Ultimately, P. Diddy’s lawyers will argue that Mr. Combs should receive lesser punishment than what the Government is seeking.

At sentencing, expect the Government to call many of the same witnesses from trial. The federal criminal lawyers in defense of P. Diddy will put on favorable witnesses who will talk about the good that P. Diddy has done in the community. The judge will review written sentencing position statements called sentencing memorandums. Then, the judge will ask P. Diddy if he wants to say anything before being sentenced. This is known as the opportunity to “allocute” during sentencing. It will likely be the only time the public hears directly from P. Diddy about these allegations before he is sentenced.

P. Diddy Verdict Takeaways

Stellar federal criminal defense work matters. Some of the absolute best federal criminal defense attorneys in the country came together in the P. Diddy case and defended against a mountain of evidence. They also defended against a daily onslaught of negative press stories about P. Diddy (think “baby oil”).

When your life is on the line, you need a federal criminal defense attorney who is willing to think outside the box and take big risks. You need hope. And that is what you get with Evergreen Attorneys. Call us today at (303) 948-1489 for a confidential consultation or email me directly at [email protected].

Hope is just a phone call away.