Puff Daddy Found Innocent

ByABC News
March 22, 2001, 1:34 PM

March 16 -- Millionaire rap mogul Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs was cleared of all charges this evening in New York. Combs had been charged with illegal gun possession and bribery, stemming from a 1999 New York nightclub shooting that wounded three people.

As the verdicts of innocence were read, Combs lowered his head, and his two defense attorneys, Benjamin Brafman and Johnnie Cochran, grabbed him in a bear hug.

There was brief applause in the packed courtroom, where the crowd included Combs' mother, Janice, who blew him a kiss.

The jury in Manhattan Superior Court had been deliberating since midday on Wednesday in the case against Combs, one of the biggest names in the rap music industry.

If convicted, Combs, 31, whose businesses include Bad Boy Records and the Sean John clothing line, could have faced up to 15 years in prison.

The case originated with a shooting in Club New York on Dec. 27, 1999, when prosecutors alleged Combs jostled another patron, sparking a dispute that prompted a rapper associate, Jamal "Shyne" Barrow, 21, to open fire.

Combs and his entourage, including actress-singer Jennifer Lopez, fled in a vehicle that police stopped after a chase of several blocks. They found a gun in the car, and Combs was accused of trying to bribe his driver to claim ownership of the weapon.

Barrow was found guilty of reduced charges of assault and reckless endangerment, while Combs' bodyguard Anthony "Wolf" Jones also was cleared of charges of bribery and illegal gun possession.

In closing arguments on Monday, Combs' defense argued that the entertainer was the victim of people seeking to profit from his fame and fortune.

Damages sought in various lawsuits against Combs stemming from the incident totaled more than $1 billion.

Among those filing lawsuits are the three people who were wounded in the shooting Natanya Reubens, who has seven lead fragments lodged in her head; Robert Thompson, who was hit by a bullet in his shoulder; and Julius Jones, who also was shot in the shoulder.