Outside the New York courthouse where Sean “Diddy” Combs was found not guilty Wednesday on charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking, fans of the rapper celebrated by covering themselves in baby oil.
Baby oil became a notable symbol at the center of Diddy’s trial after police found hundreds of bottles of the substance in the artist’s residences in Los Angeles and Miami. The baby oil allegedly contributed to Diddy’s purported “freak-offs,” as witnesses claimed the oil was provided to those involved in the sexual events.
CNN’s Laura Coates reported on the scene, which involved a gathered crowd spraying bottles of baby oil on themselves and each other. The individuals have since been identified as supporters of Diddy on social media.
“I kid you not: people are pouring baby oil on one another outside this courthouse, baby oil having a very big play in the freak-offs we heard about,” Coates said. “You have people saying, ‘It’s not RICO, it’s freako.’”
The New York jury still found Diddy guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. These crimes, however, were the lesser offenses of the rapper’s five criminal charges — each prostitution charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison, whereas guilty verdicts on either sex trafficking charge would have held a minimum of 15 years. If Diddy were found guilty of racketeering, he could have faced life in prison.
“If it don’t slip, you must acquit,” one man said outside the courthouse, holding a bottle of baby oil and referencing Johnnie Cochran’s infamous defense of O.J. Simpson.
Diddy has not yet been sentenced for the two counts of prostitution. The rapper still faces a significant amount of civil claims against him.
