Nicole Westmoreland, a member of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ all-star protection workforce, advised NCS in an unique interview on Tuesday that the music mogul’s workforce has reached out to the Trump administration about a possible pardon following his conviction on two fees of transportation to have interaction in prostitution final month.
“It’s my understanding that we’ve reached out and had conversations in reference to a pardon,” Westmoreland mentioned.
Trump indicated that he was unlikely to pardon Combs throughout an interview with Newsmax final week, saying, “I was very friendly with him, I got along with him great and he seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well. But when I ran for office, he was very hostile.”
Trump added that this makes pardoning Combs “more difficult to do.”
Asked of Combs’ emotions about his possibilities of a pardon, even after Trump’s remarks, Westmoreland mentioned this week that Combs “is a very hopeful person, and I believe that he remains hopeful.”
When contacted by NCS, a White House official mentioned they “will not comment on the existence or nonexistence of any clemency request.”
Last month, a jury convicted Combs on two lesser fees of transportation to have interaction in prostitution and acquitted the hip-hop mogul of probably the most severe fees – racketeering conspiracy (known as RICO) and intercourse trafficking. Combs was going through as much as life in jail. Instead, he now faces a most sentence of 20 years – although, he’s more likely to serve a shorter sentence, in response to authorized analysts. Prosecutors haven’t formally mentioned what sentence they’re going to pursue – presentencing filings aren’t due till September – however had beforehand indicated he might face a minimal vary of 51 to 63 months (or, roughly 4 to five years) in jail. In a submitting final week, they indicated their assessed vary might find yourself be “substantially higher.”
Prosecutors accused Combs of main a legal enterprise made up of a few of his closest workers, alleging they used threats, violence, pressured labor, bribery and different crimes to drive Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and one other girl, “Jane,” to have interaction in drug-fueled intercourse acts with male escorts known as “Freak Offs” or “hotel nights.”
During the two-month trial, Combs’ protection attorneys centered a lot of their efforts on questioning – and making an attempt to discredit – witnesses introduced forth by the prosecution.
The prosecution introduced its case over six weeks and known as 34 witnesses in the course of the federal legal trial. Combs’ protection introduced a roughly 30-minute case and known as zero witnesses. Combs didn’t testify.
Of their strategy, Westmoreland mentioned their technique was to “tell the truth.”
“We didn’t need a creative story. We didn’t need to overreach. We knew that telling the truth would mean not guilty. We knew that he had not sex trafficked anyone and we knew that RICO was absurd. So we figured, hey we’ll tell the truth and that will pay off. And I believe for the most part that strategy worked.”
Westmoreland added that the case shouldn’t have been introduced by the federal government within the first place, and that their second mistake was “allowing it to keep going.”
“The government knew that there was no way Combs committed sex trafficking or RICO and they just continued prosecuting anyway,” she mentioned. “I think the jury saw through it.”
“Mr. Combs was painted like a monster (by the prosecution),” Westmoreland additionally advised NCS this week, when requested about what, if something, Combs wish to inform the general public. “There were a lot of allegations made before trial and so I would imagine that any and everyone would want to clear their name.”
Westmoreland’s position as a part of Combs’ protection
At trial, Westmoreland cross-examined a number of witnesses, together with former “Danity Kane” singer Dawn Richard and Ventura’s longtime good friend Bryana Bongolan, who accused Combs of dangling her over a 17-story balcony in 2016.
During a tense cross-examination of Bongolan, Westmoreland introduced the jury with resort data that confirmed Combs was in New York on the Trump Hotel on the date that Bongolan testified she was dangled over the balcony in Los Angeles – arguing that it was not potential for Combs to have engaged within the alleged incident.
“You agree that one person can’t be in two places at the same time?” Westmoreland requested Bongolan on the stand.
Outside the presence of the jury, Judge Arun Subramanian later likened Westmoreland’s cross-examination of Bongolan to a “‘Perry Mason’ moment,” referencing the basic community authorized drama.
“It was an honor for the judge to say that,” Westmoreland mentioned this week. “I knew that Mr. Combs was being wrongfully accused, so to be able to bring that out, it’s one of the things that I live for.”
Bongolan mentioned throughout her testimony that whereas the small print and date of the alleged incident are murky, she has “no doubt” that the incident occurred, even when she remembered the date incorrectly.
Combs has been held in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since his arrest in Manhattan in September 2024. The choose has denied him bail a number of instances.
Combs’ protection had requested the courtroom to launch him on bail on a $50 million bond. They have argued he isn’t a hazard to the group and isn’t a flight danger. Still pending is a movement asking the choose to completely acquit Combs or give him a brand new trial.
Other witnesses within the case, together with Ventura, beforehand wrote letters to the choose, pleading for him to stay incarcerated, telling the courtroom they might worry for their security if he have been launched from jail forward of his sentencing – although one former girlfriend, Gina Huynh who was initially speculated to testify towards Combs – wrote a letter in his assist urging the choose to launch him on bail.
As previously reported, Huynh was a part of the prosecution’s case towards Combs, initially anonymously known as “Victim-3.” But earlier than the trial started, prosecutors alerted the courtroom whereas “Victim-3” was underneath subpoena to testify, that they had misplaced contact along with her and her lawyer, and “she may not show up.”
When requested how Huynh got here to write down a letter in assist of Combs’ launch for the protection, Westmoreland didn’t share specifics.
“I’m not exactly sure on who called who in reference to that, so I don’t know, but obviously Gina didn’t help the government, so they didn’t call her. Gina supports Mr. Combs and wrote a letter and reference to that support.”
When requested if Combs himself – who the federal government had beforehand accused of witness tampering – contacted Huynh to write down the letter, Westmoreland replied, “Absolutely not.”
Combs was bodily violent on quite a few events with Ventura, and photographic and video proof of her being assaulted was proven to the jury all through the trial, together with 2016 resort surveillance footage of Combs beating Ventura, which was first revealed by NCS in May 2024. In his resolution to disclaim Combs bail instantly after the decision, the choose cited Combs’ admitted sample of violence in his relationships.
Combs is going through dozens of civil lawsuits separate from his federal legal trial.
The lawsuits come from males, girls and from individuals who declare that they have been minors on the time of the alleged incidents, which span many years. Combs has beforehand denied all claims. Westmoreland advised NCS on Tuesday that she discovered it telling that these allegations weren’t a part of the federal government’s case.
“We are talking about the United States government. This is the federal government, right? It doesn’t really get any stronger than that,” she mentioned, later including that “if there was any real evidence of those allegations, we would have heard all about it in the criminal trial.”
The authorities, she added, “did not put up allegations” like these outlined within the civil lawsuits. “And if they had any evidence of that, they would have… That speaks volumes by itself,” she mentioned.
Combs’ expertise at trial and his time in jail has been “humbling,” Westmoreland mentioned on Tuesday.
“He appreciates the second chance. He was facing life,” she mentioned, in connection to him being acquitted of the extra severe fees. “And so I think that that really, that does something to the soul.”
“Being in jail is definitely, it’s hard,” his lawyer added. “I think he learned a lot through this situation. And I think it would be humbling to the strongest person on the face of the planet.”
Combs’ sentencing is at present set for October 3. Westmoreland confirmed that the protection is making ready an enchantment “as soon as possible.”