A juror who served on the federal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is speaking out for the first time following the music mogul’s acquittal on sex trafficking and racketeering charges. While Diddy was cleared of the most serious allegations, the jury did find him guilty on two prostitution-related charges.

The juror, identified only as George, was one of 18 individuals—including six alternates—who participated in the trial. In an interview with CNN’s Laura Coates, George admitted the case was complex and challenging from the outset.

“Reading all my notes and looking back at the evidence, I probably would have reached the same conclusion as the other jurors,” he explained. “There was always a little bit of doubt in people’s minds. I think it was a tough case to prove, especially the first charge of racketeering. There was always a little bit of doubt there, even from the beginning.”

George also weighed in on the key witnesses. He said Diddy’s legal team was effective in discrediting singer and former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard. “I even wrote in my notebook—it was like a takedown,” he recalled.

In contrast, George found Cassie’s testimony compelling. “She gave very credible testimony,” he said. “She wouldn’t have done all this just to come up there and lie about everything.”

The jury was also shown footage of one of the alleged “freak-offs”—a term used in the case to describe sexually explicit encounters involving Diddy and others. According to George, the video wasn’t as shocking as some expected: “It was actually pretty tame. It was just a lot of rubbing oil and stuff. It wasn’t anything too graphic.”

The interview provides rare insight into how the jury deliberated and the factors that contributed to the mixed verdict, which has continued to spark conversation across social media and news outlets.

Source: CNN