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Sharay Hayes -- the exotic male dancer nicknamed "The Punisher" who testified during Diddy's trial -- says he thinks the jury made the right call on Diddy's verdict ... one he thinks he might have helped them arrive at.

We caught up with Hayes just hours after the jury found Diddy guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution -- which carries a maximum combined 20-year sentence -- but found him not guilty on the more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

Sharay says he always saw this case through the lens of a toxic relationship filled with domestic violence issues ... but, he didn't think the prosecution's claims of sex trafficking held up.

Diddy might be headed off to prison, but his image will recover given a little time ... so says prominent defense lawyer Jose Baez.

The lawyer who repped Casey Anthony and Aaron Hernandez joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday -- hours after Diddy was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking.

Jose says Diddy's going to "bounce back" from this ... especially in the music industry, where he guesses artists will be willing to overlook his convictions if it means making a hit record.

Joe Tacopina is taking a victory lap at the expense of federal prosecutors ... because he's always said the racketeering and sex trafficking charges against Diddy didn't add up -- and a jury agreed.

The famous defense attorney joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and ripped prosecutors for bringing what he says were trumped-up charges against Diddy.

Joe, who's been banging this drum for months now on our weekly series on Tubi, "TMZ Presents: United States V. Sean Combs: Inside the Diddy Trial," says the evidence and testimony never pointed towards racketeering or sex trafficking.

Cassie's worried about what Diddy might do to her if the judge lets him out on bail prior to his sentencing ... and, she's asking the judge to make sure she never finds out.

The singer-songwriter submitted a letter to the court Wednesday requesting the judge not allow Diddy to head back into the world before he's sentenced for his conviction on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.

Cassie and her attorney, Douglas Wigdor, say Diddy is "likely to pose a danger to the victims who testified in this case" -- including Cassie herself.

The Diddy case started with prosecutors claiming he was a racketeer and sex trafficker who was blowing up cars and distributing drugs ... but now it's been reduced to transporting prostitutes across state lines -- and his team says that's not enough to keep him locked up before sentencing.

Diddy's legal team just fired off a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian outlining the reasons why they say he should be released from federal custody.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy's defense says the jury "unambiguously rejected the government's allegations that Mr. Combs ran a years-long criminal enterprise or engaged in sex trafficking -- the core of the government's case."

Diddy had a message for his family after skating on the most serious charges in his criminal trial ... "I'm coming home."

After the not guilty verdicts for racketeering and sex trafficking were read in court Wednesday, Diddy turned around in his seat and nodded to his family and told them he would see them soon.

Diddy's mom, Janice Combs, was seated behind him in the gallery ... along with his three daughters and his sons Christian, Justin and Quincy ... plus Dana Tran, the mother of his youngest child, and a bunch of extended family members.

Diddy's team is preparing for his possible release by ramping up security at his Miami estate, where he would return if he's allowed out while awaiting sentencing … TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … within the last couple of hours, the music mogul's team began making arrangements for his potential return -- including increased security measures at his waterfront estate on the exclusive, guard-gated Star Island.

We’re told security has been beefed up both at his property and at the entrance to the island, as media and paparazzi have already started swarming the area in anticipation of his release.

Diddy will still need to wait to receive his sentence ... but, the jury's role in the process is done -- and, they have officially pulled an Elvis and left the building.

Multiple cameramen captured the jury leaving the federal courthouse in Manhattan in a black van with opaque windows, mostly hiding their faces. However, our reporters on the scene assure us these are the 12 people who decided the rap mogul's fate.

The van rolled out past the photogs and over a removable barrier ... before joining the rest of the busy NYC traffic.

The final verdict in the Sean "Diddy" Combs federal criminal trial is in, and it's NOT GUILTY on 3 of the 5 counts -- they acquitted him of racketeering, sex trafficking of Cassie and sex trafficking of Jane.

He's only been convicted on counts 3 and 5 ... which are both transportation for the purpose of prostitution, AKA the Mann Act. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for each of those counts.

Wednesday morning, about an hour after jurors arrived and went straight into the jury room, the foreman sent a note out to Judge Arun Subramanian telling him they'd reached the unanimous verdict.

Dawn Richard is absolutely unimpressed with the outcome of Diddy's trial ... calling his 2-count conviction a "disappointment" in a statement via her attorney, Lisa Bloom.

However, Bloom notes the criminal charges he faced in his federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial are different than the civil claims they filed against him, adding ... "We will continue to aggressively fight our case until we obtain full and complete justice for Dawn."

Remember ... the former Danity Kane member sued the disgraced music mogul back in September 2024 for sexual assault and battery. She also accused him of depriving her of food and sleep during her time on his MTV reality show "Making the Band."

Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal criminal trial has come to a shocking -- to some -- conclusion ... and despite his acquittal on sex trafficking charges ... Cassie Ventura vowed to keep fighting for survivors.

Cassie's lawyer Doug Wigdor said in a statement ... his client “paved the way” for Diddy to be found guilty on counts 3 and 5 -- which are both transportation for the purpose of prostitution, AKA the Mann Act. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for each of those counts.

Wigdor commended Cassie for filing a civil complaint in November 2023 against Diddy ...  opening the floodgates for the criminal case that, again, resulted in some convictions ... and a slew of lawsuits filed by other alleged victims.

So now that disgraced music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs has been found guilty on two of five counts in his federal criminal trial in NYC, what happens to him now?

Shortly after the jury verdict was read in court, Judge Arun Subramanian thanked the jury for their service and dismissed them. Diddy defense attorney Marc Agnifilo implored the judge to let his client walk today pending sentencing ... since he's been acquitted of the most serious charges.

The judge asked for briefs from the prosecution and the defense teams on release pending sentencing ... Judge Subramanian has indicated he could rule on whether to keep Diddy in custody until he's sentenced, or released on conditions on bond. The sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Diddy is about to learn his fate ... because the jury in his federal criminal trial says they have reached a verdict.

This is the second time the jury sent a note about a verdict ... on Tuesday, they said they reached a verdict on the sex trafficking and Mann Act counts but were unable to reach a verdict on the racketeering conspiracy charge.

Diddy's just waiting to hear the verdict now ... and, he and his family members are falling back on prayer during this difficult time.

The rapper led his family in prayer Wednesday morning before heading back to his holding settle in the Manhattan federal courthouse ... telling his fam to be strong.

He asked God to bless his family and the hearts of the jurors during the prayer, finishing off the remarks with an "Amen."

Diddy is on the verge of finding out if he's going to federal prison or being set free ... because the jury in his criminal trial is nearing the finish line in terms of a verdict.

The jury came back Tuesday afternoon and said they had reached a verdict on four of the five charges against Diddy ... but they were deadlocked on the racketeering conspiracy charge.

Deliberations only began Monday and jurors asked earlier Tuesday for transcripts about some Cassie testimony regarding freak-offs ... and they only need to find one instance of Diddy using force, fraud or coercion to get Cassie to engage in a freak-off to find him guilty of sex trafficking.

Sean “Diddy” Combs is in a real nail-biter after a partial verdict was reached Tuesday in his federal criminal trial -- and the mogul tried to calm his family's nerves.

Diddy turned to his mother, Janice, seated behind him in the second row, after she asked him a few muffled questions inside the NYC courtroom. Diddy then leaned in and whispered to his mom, "I'll be alright" and "love you," while thumping his chest.

The Bad Boy Records CEO also said something under his breath to his six adult kids, who were present in the gallery, including Christian, Justin and Quincy. The children then exited the courtroom with sad faces.