A North Carolina Republican hopes to close a loophole in a federal law that he says allows child predators to get away with making sexually explicit videos featuring young children. 
Congressman Mark Harris introduced <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Child-Predators-Accountability-Act-of-2025-Final-Text.pdf">legislation</a> on Monday that would allow predators to be punished for producing pornographic videos with children in the background, his office told The Daily Wire. He said that prosecutors sometimes have trouble bringing cases where a child may be seen in a pornographic video, but not engaged in an actual sexual act. 
“Protecting our children from sexual exploitation is one of the government&#8217;s most sacred duties — yet dangerous loopholes in federal law allow predators to evade justice and exploit minors,” Harris said. “We must act now to close these gaps, eliminate ambiguities, and equip law enforcement with tools to prosecute criminals fully and without excuse.”
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Harris&#8217;s office pointed to a <a href="https://cases.justia.com/federal/appellate-courts/ca7/19-1005/19-1005-2020-08-03.pdf?ts=1596490236">decision</a> from the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals where a man named Matthew Howard had two convictions of producing child pornography vacated on a technicality. 
“The videos in question do not depict a child engaged in sexually explicit conduct; they show Howard masturbating next to a fully clothed and sleeping child. In other words, the videos are not child pornography,” the court said in an August 3, 2020 ruling. 
The court said that the government&#8217;s case against Howard stretched the &#8220;statute beyond the natural reading of its terms considered in context.&#8221;
Harris says his bill would clarify the law to classify those videos as child pornography, arguing they harm children regardless of how the child was involved. It would amend “federal law in three parts to ensure that videos intentionally depicting a minor in a sexually exploitative context – regardless of their role in the act – are treated as child exploitation under federal law,” his office said. 
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/hiding-in-plain-sight-america-s-trafficking-epidemic">WATCH: Hiding in Plain Sight: America’s Trafficking Epidemic</a>
Under the definitions put forth in the legislation, intentionally depicting a child in a sexually explicit video would come with a 15-year minimum prison sentence. The bill is titled the ‘‘Child Predators Accountability Act of 2025.&#8221;
“Congress must act now to strengthen our laws and deliver real protections, ensuring that criminals who use children in any sexually exploitative context face real justice,” Harris told The Daily Wire.

Vice President JD Vance Speaks In North Carolina

EXCLUSIVE: Republican Moves To Close ‘Loophole’ Letting Child Predators Off The Hook

Congress

North Carolina

Politics

Pornography

Sex Crimes

Democrat Delegate Stacey Plaskett, the Virgin Islands&#8217; non-voting member of Congress, garnered headlines recently when it came to light that she took <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-who-texted-epstein-asking-for-trump-dirt-gives-patently-insane-excuse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">direction from</a> sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 congressional hearing.
Her relationship with Epstein is especially notable because Plaskett herself had &#8220;private nude images&#8221; of her stolen by her own ex-staffers, who used them to attempt to sabotage her re-election campaign. The husband of one of the culprits was, like Epstein, later found dead.
In March 2016, Plaskett asked staffer Juan R. McCullum to fix her iPhone. After snooping around, McCullum found nude images and videos, including one of her husband naked and wearing makeup while their young child was in the room, according to <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.187870.1.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">court papers</a>.
Plaskett is a member of the House Intelligence Committee. She has said she had texted with Epstein during a House Oversight Committee hearing because Epstein was providing her information about what to ask President Donald Trump&#8217;s former attorney, Michael Cohen, because Epstein &#8220;had information, and I was going to get information to get at the truth.&#8221;
After the Epstein revelations emerged, she faced a <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/11/19/congress/plaskett-remains-defiant-00659210" target="_blank" rel="noopener">censure vote</a> in the House, narrowly escaping on a 209-214 vote.
In July 2016, after leaving Plaskett&#8217;s office to work for Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-FL), McCullum created an email address and sent the photos to politicians and the media, as well as posted them to Facebook using a fake account. Police traced the accounts to McCullum and found that he had communicated with another former Plaskett staffer, Dorene Browne-Louis, who had gone on to work for the Department of Homeland Security.
&#8220;Somebody will pay for how we were treated,&#8221; he wrote to Browne-Louis.
Browne-Louis &#8220;made numerous false and misleading statements about her knowledge of McCullum&#8217;s activities,&#8221; and falsely denied deleting relevant text messages, prosecutors said. She later testified before a federal grand jury and provided false statements, including that she &#8220;did not know that McCullum wanted to seek revenge against Delegate S.P.,&#8221; court papers said.
A <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.187871/gov.uscourts.dcd.187871.31.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">superseding indictment</a> said Browne-Louis provided McCullum the email address of the governor of the Virgin Islands and political supporters — taken from confidential campaign documents — for the purpose of sending the pictures to him and others.
Using his fake email account, McCullum sent Browne-Louis multiple messages &#8220;containing derogatory statements about&#8221; Plaskett, and Browne-Louis &#8220;requested that he re-send her the nude Images and Videos,&#8221; the indictment said. Browne-Louis gave one of the images to a campaign staffer for Plaskett&#8217;s challenger in the August 6, 2016, Democratic primary election, who in turn gave it to a reporter.
In his messages, McCullum &#8220;voiced opposition to Delegate S.P. and attempted to use the communications to undermine Delegate S.P.&#8217;s re-election campaign.&#8221;
Both culprits pleaded guilty. In a <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.187871/gov.uscourts.dcd.187871.43.1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">victim impact statement</a>, Plaskett told the court that &#8220;our family&#8217;s privacy was invaded, pillaged and we were basically raped by Juan McCullum and Dorene Browne-Louis&#8230; Why, because I was mean? I demanded a lot, I demand most of myself.&#8221;
Plaskett continued, &#8220;We got calls from the White House with complaints that McCullum was pretending to be a member of the White House staff, we should have fired him then but I asked him to put his head down and let it blow over.&#8221;
&#8220;I&#8217;m so grateful for all the people at home who rallied around me,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;The women who saw it for what it was. Bringing a black woman down. McCullum you&#8217;re like some creep who rips a woman&#8217;s clothes off in public, like the slave seller ripping a black woman&#8217;s clothes off.&#8221;
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&#8220;Then you went further. They tried to first emasculate my husband. Say he was not a man, because there was a picture of him with makeup. Makeup it was obvious he was not happy to be wearing. That he lost in a bet. The worst was that they tried to put in the public that my husband and I allowed our daughter who was around 4-5 at the time of the picture in some perverted unnatural situation. For that reason, I want to physically destroy the two of them.&#8221;
Plaskett&#8217;s husband, Jonathan Buckney-Small, <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.187871/gov.uscourts.dcd.187871.43.2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> in his victim impact statement that he ran into McCullum after finding out about the photos and &#8220;NEVER had I felt the pulse the beat the flow my blood asking me to take matters in my own hands that night when you couldn&#8217;t look me in the eye. It was then it was clear I had a decision I had to make do I go to jail to make myself feel better or do I let time take you do [sic] jail.&#8221;
In March 2018, McCullum was sentenced to a year and a day in prison, 100 hours of community service, and two years of probation. In June 2020, a judge agreed to terminate his probation early.
In August 2016, a month after the photos and video were published, Browne-Louis&#8217;s husband, Gregory Benson Louis, was shot and killed outside the firehouse where he worked.
Browne-Louis also pleaded guilty. The government did not seek jail time in part because her husband was <a href="https://stthomassource.com/content/2016/08/19/vipd-identifies-victim-of-firehouse-homicide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">murdered</a>. She was sentenced to two years&#8217; probation.

Jeffrey Epstein and Stacey Plaskett

Congresswoman Who Texted With Epstein Was A Victim Of Revenge Porn

Congresswoman Who Texted With Epstein Was Previously Victimized With Revenge Porn

Jeffrey Epstein

Author Barry Levine claimed on Saturday that he believed the late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein&#8217;s ties to President Donald Trump were rooted in animosity rather than in any shared illegal activities.
Levine, author of &#8220;The Spider: Inside the Criminal Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,&#8221; spoke with CNN host Michael Smerconish about the recently released emails — held up by Democrats as proof the Trump and Epstein were cut from the same cloth — which he said did not necessarily mean what Trump&#8217;s critics claim they did.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨NEW: Epstein Book Author Barry Levine tells CNN what he thinks Epstein meant in 2011 email about TRUMP🚨
SMERCONISH: &#8220;The &#8216;dog that hasn&#8217;t barked is trump.&#8217; What do you think he&#8217;s referring to?&#8221;
LEVINE: &#8220;I think Jeffrey Epstein is referring to the fact that he believes that… <a href="https://t.co/aCRhvzBjX3">pic.twitter.com/aCRhvzBjX3</a>
— Jason Cohen 🇺🇸 (@JasonJournoDC) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonJournoDC/status/1989704803388215738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 15, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The &#8216;dog that hasn&#8217;t barked is trump.&#8217; What do you think he&#8217;s referring to?&#8221; Smerconish referenced an email Epstein sent in 2011.
&#8220;I think Jeffrey Epstein is referring to the fact that he believes that Donald Trump talked to Michael Ryder, who was the Palm Beach police chief in 2004 and began the first investigation into Jeffrey Epstein,&#8221; Levine said. That investigation began in earnest in 2005, and Trump officially banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago in 2007.
&#8220;I suspect that Jeffrey Epstein was saying he was &#8216;75% there,&#8217; believing that Trump might have been the whistleblower at the time,&#8221; Levine continued. &#8220;That particular year, the 2 men had a falling out — not only over the fact that Ghislaine Maxwell was taking young women from his spa at Mar-a-Lago for Jeffrey Epstein — but they also had a nasty real estate deal that both men were trying to get &#8230; So there was bad blood between the two of them.&#8221;
Levine seems an unlikely figure to defend President Trump, however, as his statements come against the backdrop of another book he wrote in 2019 — &#8220;All the President&#8217;s Women: Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator&#8221; — in which he delved into the accusations of sexual misconduct made against Trump. It should noted that those accusations, described in detail in the book, involved women who were not underage at the time they supposedly interacted with Trump.

Donald Trump

Biographer Douses Dem Epstein Fever Dream In Ice Bath: Trump Was ‘Whistleblower’

Democrats

Media

Pedophilia

ICE arrested on Tuesday an illegal alien who raped and sodomized his 9-year-old stepdaughter, the agency told The Daily Wire.
The Department of Homeland Security released the names of five more criminal illegal aliens, whom it referred to as “the worst of the worst.” The arrests came as the Trump administration has ramped up deportation efforts, and ICE has faced protests from Democratic lawmakers and leftist activists.
One of the men arrested was Michael Kabiona, an illegal alien from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who was convicted of sexual conduct against a child.
“Thanks to ICE, this depraved pedophile is not in our communities to hurt and victimize more children,” Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire. “It’s disgusting that ICE law enforcement is experiencing a 1000% increase in assaults against them while they are removing creeps like this who commit unforgivable crimes against children. Our ICE agents are heroes, end of story.”
Kabiona was convicted in 2015 for raping and sodomizing his 9-year-old stepdaughter over a two-year period, <a href="https://www4.erie.gov/da/sites/www4.erie.gov.da/files/archive/index.php-2352.html?q=pedophilic-rapist-convicted-after-trial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to Erie County, New York, prosecutors. He was sentenced to just 12 years in prison, much less than the maximum 25 years he faced.
Kabiona was convicted after testimony from the young girl whom he victimized. The victim was left with chronic injuries to her genitalia. He first came to America as a refugee, his lawyer <a href="https://buffalonews.com/news/local/buffalo-man-gets-12-years-for-sexually-assaulting-child/article_d4c24671-f7c2-5f45-85b0-5243c01d74b8.html">said</a> after the trial, claiming that the whole incident was a “shame” because  Kabiona “fought for so long to get here from a war-torn country.”
<div id="attachment_960449" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-960449" class="size-full wp-image-960449" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-13-Aug-2025-02-06-PM-83-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1810" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-13-Aug-2025-02-06-PM-83-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-13-Aug-2025-02-06-PM-83-300x212.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-13-Aug-2025-02-06-PM-83-815x576.jpg 815w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-13-Aug-2025-02-06-PM-83-768x543.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-13-Aug-2025-02-06-PM-83-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/08/MixCollage-13-Aug-2025-02-06-PM-83-2048x1448.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Kabiona via DHS.</div>
ICE also announced the arrest of 41-year-old Lorentino Martinez-Tejeda, an illegal alien from Mexico who was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault on a minor in McHenry County, Illinois. Martinez-Tejeda <a href="https://www.mchenrycountyil.gov/Home/Components/News/News/14873/11527?arch=1&amp;npage=21">pled guilty</a> to sexually assaulting a victim under the age of 13 and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Another illegal alien picked up by ICE was 36-year-old Nidia Tanya Quistian-Nino of Mexico, who was convicted of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver in Warton County, Texas.
The agency also picked up 51-year-old Francisco Antonio Villalobos, an illegal alien from El Salvador, convicted of kidnapping in Urbana, Illinois.

Michael Kabiona

EXCLUSIVE: ICE Nabs ‘Depraved Pedophile’ Who Raped 9-Year-Old Stepdaughter

Buffalo

Congo

Department of Homeland Security

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

New York

Trump Administration

U.S.

Ghislaine Maxwell&#8217;s attorneys have formally petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn her 2021 sex trafficking conviction, claiming that her crimes were covered under a 2007 plea deal.
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for her role in the crimes of deceased convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/07/28/us-news/ghislaine-maxwell-makes-long-shot-supreme-court-bid-to-overturn-sex-trafficking-conviction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claiming</a> through her attorneys that the controversial deal — struck between Epstein and South Florida prosecutors — included her in addition to allowing the disgraced financier to plead guilty to state charges of solicitation and to procuring minors for the purpose of prostitution.
Her attorneys, husband-and-wife team <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24/24-1073/368155/20250728111721067_24-1073ReplyInSupportOfPetitionForWritOfCertiorari.pdf">David Oscar and Mona Markus</a>, are citing one specific stipulation from the 2007 agreement that resulted in Epstein serving only 13 months in a work-release program — a line stating that the Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office would “not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein.&#8221; The agreement named four such &#8220;potential co-conspirators,&#8221; but Maxwell was not one of them.
&#8220;Rather than grapple with the core principles of plea agreements, the government tries to distract by reciting a lurid and irrelevant account of Jeffrey Epstein’s misconduct,” Maxwell’s attorneys wrote. &#8220;But this case is about what the government promised, not what Epstein did.&#8221;
&#8220;This promise is unqualified. It is not geographically limited to the Southern District of Florida, it is not conditioned on the co-conspirators being known by the government at the time, it does not depend on what any particular government attorney may have had in his or her head about who might be a co-conspirator, and it contains no other caveat or exception,&#8221; they wrote. &#8220;This should be the end of the discussion.&#8221;
Maxwell has been in the headlines recently as she&#8217;s agreed to cooperate with the United States Justice Department in its continued efforts to get to the bottom of Epstein&#8217;s crimes. She recently spoke with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in an interview that stretched over two days, and according to reports, gave him the names of some <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ghislaine-maxwell-gave-doj-info-on-100-people-linked-to-epstein-her-lawyer-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener">100 people</a> who were connected to Epstein in some way.
President Donald Trump has said that he wants to publish as much information about Epstein as possible, but has been adamant that the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-democrats-cant-quit-the-epstein-files" target="_blank" rel="noopener">victims should be protected</a>. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has said the same, stating that he would block a bipartisan push to release the files because the measure did not do enough on that front.
Trump also left the door open for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-hes-allowed-to-pardon-ghislaine-maxwell-keeps-option-open-after-doj-meeting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pardoning Maxwell</a>, saying recently that he at least was leaving the option on the table.

Sunday, January 4, 2015 Ghislaine Maxwell

Epstein Accomplice Rolls Dice With Supreme Court, Appeals To Get Conviction Tossed

Courts

Crime

Supreme Court

President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed the controversy surrounding Jeffrey Epstein as a &#8220;Democrat CON JOB,&#8221; saying that further revelations would &#8220;put an end to this HOAX.&#8221;
Trump took to Truth Social to comment on Democrats&#8217; sudden fascination with Epstein, after years of either ignoring the case or actively blocking Republicans from releasing Epstein&#8217;s flight logs.
&#8220;The Radical Left Democrats are doing everything in their power to distract and obfuscate from our GREAT six months of service to America, results of which many are saying is the BEST six months in Presidential history,&#8221; Trump posted.
&#8220;They have gone absolutely CRAZY, and are playing another Russia, Russia, Russia Hoax but, this time, under the guise of what we will call the Jeffrey Epstein SCAM,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;As things are revealed and, I hope will take place quickly, you will see that it is yet another Democrat CON JOB. Hopefully, the Grand Jury Files will put an end to this HOAX. Everyone should see what is there, but people who are innocent should not be hurt. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!&#8221;
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Thursday met with longtime Epstein confidante Ghislaine Maxwell — who is currently serving 20 years for her role in Epstein&#8217;s crimes — and said he planned to continue the interview Friday.
&#8220;Today, I met with Ghislaine Maxwell, and I will continue my interview of her tomorrow. The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,&#8221; he posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Today, I met with Ghislaine Maxwell, and I will continue my interview of her tomorrow. The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time.
— Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) <a href="https://twitter.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/1948519521071047090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
According to her attorney, Maxwell has agreed to &#8220;testify truthfully&#8221; and appreciates the president&#8217;s &#8220;commitment to uncovering the truth.&#8221;

President Trump Hosts Phillipines President Marcos At The White House

Trump Dismisses Epstein Case ‘HOAX’ As His Justice Department Interviews Ghislaine Maxwell

Trump Dismisses Epstein Case 'HOAX' As His Justice Department Interviews Ghislaine Maxwell

Department of Justice

Trump&#8217;s Department of Homeland Security slammed a Minnesota newspaper for suggesting that illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes against children may have just been confused about American culture.
The agency slammed the Minnesota Star Tribune on Wednesday for running an <a href="https://www.startribune.com/hmong-minnesotans-face-deportation-laos-ice-arrests/601385285">article</a> that said a group of Laotians arrested for child sex crimes may be victims of a “cultural misunderstanding.” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire that the story was one of the worst examples of media coverage of the deportations of convicted criminals.  
“We have seen a lot of gross reporting, but this may take gold for despicable. There is no excuse for anyone to commit crimes against innocent children. These pedophiles are the types of sickos our brave ICE law enforcement officers are putting their lives on the line to arrest and remove from American communities,” she said. 
Last Thursday, the Star Tribune wrote that the Department of Homeland Security was overlooking the fact that Laotians arrested for child sex crimes grew up in a culture where young marriages are normal. 
“Some Hmong Minnesotans say they suspect many of the decades-old arrests that led to the deportations were a result of Hmong culture encouraging girls as young as 14 to date and even marry older men, which is against the law in the United States,” the outlet reported. “Their lives in Southeast Asia often lacked education, several Hmong Minnesotans said, and they often did not understand American laws.”
One of those featured sympathetically in the article was Chia Neng Vue, an illegal alien from Laos who was convicted in 1998 of criminal sexual conduct with a child under the age of 13 and committing a crime for the benefit of a gang. 
Despite a judge ordering his removal in October 2003, Vue continued to rack up a criminal history in the United States. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Vue was arrested at least five more times between 2009 and 2012 for crimes including possession of a gun, first-degree criminal sexual conduct, and domestic abuse.
“This illegal alien repeatedly broke our laws, committed sex and other violent crimes,&#8221; McLaughlin told The Daily Wire. &#8220;Why does the media continue to peddle sob stories of criminal illegal aliens — including child pedophiles — but ignore their American victims?&#8221;
&#8220;Instead of glorifying child pedophiles and violent criminal illegal aliens, the Minnesota Star Tribune should be thanking our law enforcement for removing these pedophiles from Minnesota,&#8221; she added.
A GoFundMe for Vue mentions that he has a family currently, but described his 1998 conviction for criminal contact with a girl under the age of 13 as part of “some bad decisions as a juvenile.&#8221;
The Star Tribune also quoted Democratic-Farmer-Labor State Senator Foung Hawj, who suggested that the ICE operations were overbroad. “Here we are, sending their children back over some petty misdemeanor, or things like early marriage that are transitioned by culture,” he said.
Hawj did not return a request for comment on whether he supported the deportation of Vue. 
The outlet also quoted another woman saying the cultural difference should be examined. 
“It’s seen in the eyes of American culture as, ‘You’re a predator,’” the woman said. “But in Hmong culture, he did nothing wrong.”
Other illegal alien Laotians arrested by Homeland Security Investigations in St. Paul include 44-year-old Yia Xiong, who was convicted of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and 44-year-old Thong Lao, who was convicted of second-degree sexual assault of a child.

MixCollage-09-Jul-2025-02-27-PM-8008

Trump Department Of Homeland Security Slams Journos For Defending Illegal Immigrant Pedophiles

Deportations

Legacy Media

Minnesota

The public is reacting to Sean “Diddy” Combs being found not guilty of the more serious charges against him and only being found guilty of violating the Mann Act.
Many commentators agree that while Combs didn’t get off scot-free, he did escape a life sentence, which was a possibility if he’d been found guilty of all charges.
“This is f***ng ridiculous,” journalist Megyn Kelly <a href="https://www.megynkelly.com/2025/07/02/megyn-kelly-reacts-to-shock-verdict-in-sean-diddy-combs-trial/">said</a>, reacting to what transpired in the courtroom. “I just find it absolutely outrageous the amount of crime that this guy just got away with.”
She went on, “I believe he committed arson. He definitely battered [ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura]. He battered Jane, too. The statute of limitations for battery in Los Angeles, California, is one year. So if they didn&#8217;t charge him for battery within one year, and they couldn&#8217;t, because he bought the tape and it remained hidden thanks to those security guards out there, then they could never charge him with that again.”
“He was a famous man, and they didn&#8217;t want to find him guilty,” Kelly said at another point, adding that she plans to make it her “personal mission” to “maintain his humiliation in the minds of all Americans.” 
Actress Rosie O’Donnell also weighed in on the situation, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLm-n2ZpnzG/">writing</a> on Instagram, &#8220;i guess a jury just never wants to believe that a woman stays because of power and coercion—wow—they just think women stay because what? money—fame—‘they love the abuse&#8217; &#8211; what a f***ing joke. this decision got me angry.&#8221;
Rapper 50 Cent, who has been openly critical of Diddy throughout the trial, also <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DLm_dgduIbQ/">posted</a> on Instagram about the verdict. &#8220;Diddy beat the Rico, that boy a bad man !&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;he like the Gay John Gotti.&#8221;
Ventura’s lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, also shared a statement: &#8220;This entire criminal process started when our client Cassie Ventura had the courage to file her civil complaint in November 2023. Although the jury did not find Combs guilty of sex trafficking Cassie beyond a reasonable doubt, she paved the way for a jury to find him guilty of transportation to engage in prostitution. By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/cassie-venturas-lawyer-releases-statement-diddy-split-verdict-123351258">wrote</a>, per Good Morning America.
He went on, &#8220;We must repeat – with no reservation – that we believe and support our client who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial. She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion. This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.&#8221;
According to some <a href="https://www.mediaite.com/media/tv/cnn-reports-people-are-pouring-baby-oil-on-each-other-outside-diddy-courtroom-and-chanting-its-not-rico-its-freak-o/">reports</a>, people outside the courthouse reacted to the “not guilty” verdict by pouring baby oil on themselves in celebration. This was a reference to the vast amounts of baby oil reportedly recovered from Combs’ residence, which was used during his infamous “freak off” sex parties.

Diddy

‘F***ing Ridiculous’: Megyn Kelly, Others React To Diddy Verdict

'F***ing Ridiculous': Megyn Kelly, Others React To Diddy 'Not Guilty' Verdict

Entertainment

Megyn Kelly

Sean 'Diddy' Combs

A Manhattan jury on Wednesday delivered a mixed verdict in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal trial, acquitting him of the most serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking.
Jurors found Combs, 55, guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
Ultimately, Combs was found guilty on count three, the Mann Act Transportation of his ex-girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, and on count five, the Mann Act Transportation of his former girlfriend, Jane. 
During the weeks-long trial, prosecutors accused Combs of using his wealth and fame to coerce ex-girlfriends into drug‑fueled marathons of sexual exploitation known as “freak‑offs.” 
In November 2023, Ventura filed a civil lawsuit accusing Combs of rape, repeated physical abuse, and years of abuse. The lawsuit was settled within 24 hours, but it was followed by a series of additional civil complaints from other alleged victims with similar complaints.
Next, federal authorities launched a criminal investigation into the rap mogul. In March 2024, federal agents raided Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a federal sex trafficking probe.
The raids resulted in Diddy being charged with sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution, and racketeering. 
The trial began in June in Manhattan federal court. The rapper pleaded not guilty to all charges.
While the rapper’s legal team painted him as a “complicated” man with an unorthodox but fully consensual sex life, prosecutors wasted no time sharing some sordid details from sexual encounters they say were coerced, as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/diddy-trial-defense-admits-hes-complicated-but-domestic-violence-is-not-sex-trafficking?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Diddy+Trial%3A+Defense+Admits+He%E2%80%99s+%E2%80%98Complicated%2C%E2%80%99+But+%E2%80%98Domestic+Violence+Is+Not+Sex+Trafficking%E2%80%99">reported</a>.
“He called himself the king, and he expected to be treated like one,” she said as a reference to the viral hotel surveillance footage showing him physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and “flinging her around like a rag doll.”
The prosecutor also went into detail about one specific incident which allegedly occurred at the rapper’s notorious “freak-off” parties. Johnson alleged that a male prostitute was instructed to urinate in Ventura’s mouth, which led to her saying she “felt like she was choking.”
<div class="ad-wrapper" data-testid="ad-wrapper">A security card testified that Combs paid him a bribe to destroy the security footage of him assaulting Ventura.</div>
Johnson said Combs was able to get away with it for so long thanks to his “inner circle and vast resources of his business empire.”
Additional civil litigation remains active, and sentencing on the federal convictions is expected later this year. Combs has not commented publicly since the verdict was released this morning.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Found Guilty On 2 Counts, Acquitted Of Most Serious Charges

Sean 'Diddy' Combs Found Not Guilty Of Racketeering And Sex Trafficking

Lawsuit

The sex-trafficking trial of disgraced music mogul Sean &#8220;Diddy&#8221; Combs ground to screeching halt on Monday, just one hour after the jury began deliberating, when the jurors slipped a note to Manhattan Federal Court Judge Arun Subramanian questioning whether or not &#8220;Juror 25&#8221; would be able to carry out his civic duty.
The note, sent to Subramanian around 12:40 p.m. local time, stated that the majority was unsure of said juror&#8217;s ability to adhere to the judge&#8217;s instructions — but it did not give any indication as to why they believed that was the case.
&#8220;We have a juror, ‘Juror 25,’ who we believe cannot follow your honor&#8217;s instructions,&#8221; the note said, according to a report published Monday by the New York Post.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
JUST IN: Jury deliberating Diddy&#8217;s fate sends note to Judge
&#8220;We have a juror, No. 25, who we are concerned cannot follow your honor&#8217;s instructions.&#8221;<a href="https://t.co/XkHn2q4y3s">pic.twitter.com/XkHn2q4y3s</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1939760285184819411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The juror&#8217;s name was not revealed, but the Post described him as &#8220;a 51-year-old man with a thick European accent,&#8221; and noted that he works as a scientist in Manhattan and holds an advanced degree in molecular biology.
A live report from CourtTV stated that during jury selection, the juror revealed he&#8217;d seen the video of Combs attacking then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and said that &#8220;he had formed an opinion about that particular video,&#8221; but said at the time that he would be able to &#8220;set his opinion aside&#8221; when it came time to discuss the case.
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The foreperson requested the chance to speak with the judge personally — or, if that was not possible, suggested that the judge should interview Juror 25.
Combs&#8217; trial came to an end on Friday after seven weeks of testimony and evidence, and the jury began deliberating at 11:30 a.m. on Monday. The rapper and music producer has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; transportation to engage in prostitution; and racketeering — and could spend up to life in prison if he&#8217;s convicted on any one of the three biggest charges against him.
Thus far, the judge has directed the jury to continue deliberations until further notice.

Sean “Diddy” Combs attends trial in New York federal court

Diddy Trial On Pause After Just One Hour Of Jury Deliberations, Note Reveals Problem With ‘Juror 25’

Diddy Trial On Pause After Just One Hour Of Jury Deliberations, Note Reveals Problem With 'Juror 25'

Celebrities

trial

The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Tuesday included testimony from a former hotel security guard claiming he was paid $100,000 to destroy footage of the rapper assaulting his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in 2016.
The footage went viral after being released by CNN in May 2024, a full year before Combs’ trial began. Eddie Garcia told the jury that he was approached by the rapper’s chief of staff, Kristina Khorrum, with an offer to exchange cash for destroying the video and all copies of it.
Garcia described an alleged phone call he had with Combs during which the rapper said he had “a little too much” to drink preceding the assault, saying “it could ruin him” if the video got out. “You know how it is with women,” Combs reportedly said.
The former security guard said it was promised that he would be taken care of, per <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/arts/music/sean-combs-diddy-trial-cassie-hotel.html">The New York Times</a>.
The witness said he turned down the rapper’s request at first, but eventually agreed. “He was excited, said ‘Eddy, my angel, I knew you could help. I knew you could do it,’” Garcia said of Combs.
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Garcia said he and his supervisor handed over the USB drive during a meeting at a high rise apartment building. &#8220;I was very nervous and my voice kept cracking,&#8221; the security guard said of the meeting. Garcia testified that he signed a non-disclosure agreement asserting that there were &#8220;no duplicates, backups, stored drives&#8221; containing the video and then was given $100,000 in cash in a paper bag.
The security guard said he was told “not to make any big purchases” because “it would draw attention.”
It’s not clear how the security footage wound up on CNN, as the outlet noted.
Ventura testified earlier during the trial, providing the jury with graphic details of alleged physical, sexual, and psychological abuse during her decade-long relationship with the Bad Boy Records founder. The defense claims that Combs had an unconventional sex life, but is not guilty of the criminal activities he’s been charged with.
Combs pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Combs and Cassie

Diddy Trial: Security Guard Claims He Was Paid $100K To Destroy Hotel Assault Footage

Bribery

Manhattan

Day eight of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ trial included testimony from his former assistant, George Kaplan, who detailed how he both set up and covered up his employer’s infamous “freak off” parties in hotel rooms.
Kaplan testified that he worked long days, clocking 80 to 100 hours per week and at least once being on shift for close to 24 hours straight, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/entertainment/live-news/diddy-trial-cassie-court-case-05-21-25">CNN</a>. The former executive assistant reported that he was paid around $125,000 and that Combs threatened his employment frequently, saying he would be let go over mistakes, such as purchasing the wrong item at a store. 
Kaplan said he was tasked with answering phone calls, emails, and texts from Combs, including requests for “clothing or potentially food from somewhere, or drugs or liquor or an iPad or a speaker,” the outlet noted. He was also required to fly to various cities such as New York, Miami, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Orlando to deliver a “hotel bag” containing a speaker, candles, liquor, baby oil, extra clothing, and Astroglide lubricant. 
Combs’ former assistant said he also understood his job to include visiting the hotel room after his employer left to clean up evidence of the parties, which might consist of empty bottles of baby oil and lube, and in one instance, drug residue. He testified that this was done to “protect” Combs’ image and ensure hotel cleaning staff could not take pictures and publicize them, as ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/sean-combs-trial-day-12-recap-jurors-hear/story?id=122050227">reported</a>.
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Kaplan confirmed that the “freak offs” lasted several days and included prostitutes, drugs, and alcohol. The assistant claimed Combs asked him to buy illegal drugs on two occasions, including a bag of MDMA in Miami and an unknown substance in Los Angeles. 
Also on day eight of the trial, clinical and forensic psychologist Dawn Hughes testified about the tendency for victims of domestic abuse to stay in abusive relationships. This comes after the prosecution’s star witness, Cassie Ventura, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/diddy-trial-combs-ex-girlfriend-cassie-ventura-shares-graphic-details-of-freak-offs">took the stand</a> to testify against Combs. Ventura and Combs were together for 11 years, and she accused him of physical, mental, and sexual abuse during that time.
Rapper Kid Cudi is expected to testify on Thursday, and Kaplan will face cross-examination from the defense. Combs’ legal team seeks to prove that his unconventional sex life was shocking but not illegal. Meanwhile, he has been charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs pleaded not guilty to the charges. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.

George Kaplan

Diddy Trial: Witness Says He Concealed ‘Freak Off’ Party Aftermath From Hotel Staff

Diddy Trial: Former Assistant Testifies About Hiding 'Freak Off' Party Aftermath From Hotel Staff

New York City

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