One of many most sensational celeb trials in a long time is anticipated early this week to go to jurors, who should determine whether or not music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs is liable for a stunning sequence of alleged intercourse crimes and conspiracies courting again years.
The trial in New York has been marked by graphic testimony from inside Combs’ music empire, alleging a sample of violence, threats and cover-ups that prosecutors have likened to a mob-like prison enterprise.
A key query posed within the case is whether or not Combs — who was as soon as value greater than $1 billion — used his energy and cash to hide alleged crimes, usually with the assistance of his sprawling group.
Prosecutors hammered dwelling this alleged conspiracy in closing arguments. Assistant U.S. Atty. Christy Slavik advised jurors Combs “counted on silence and disgrace” to allow and lengthen his abuse and used a “small military” of staff to hurt ladies and canopy it up, in accordance with the Related Press.
Combs “doesn’t take no for a solution,” she added.
However authorized consultants have stated the case is probably not fairly the slam-dunk that the tabloid headlines recommend.
Combs’ protection has freely acknowledged that the mogul behaved badly. They declare, nevertheless, that the costs in opposition to him are overblown and identified that some key witnesses didn’t report Combs’ misdeeds on the time.
“The idea of the protection appears to be that Diddy did actually horrible issues, however they don’t meet the weather of the crimes charged,” stated authorized skilled Jeff Chemerinsky, a former federal prosecutor.
On Friday, Combs’ legal professional labeled the prosecution’s case “exaggerated” and hammered a few of his accusers. Marc Agnifilo claimed Combs loved a “swinger” way of life and was addled by medication. He admitted Combs dedicated home violence, however that the racketeering and intercourse trafficking prices have been trumped up.
Witness Daybreak Richard testifies in Manhattan federal court docket.
(Elizabeth Williams / Related Press)
“He’s not a racketeer,” he stated. “He’s harmless. He sits there harmless.”
There isn’t any query the trial painted a damning portrait of Combs, the hip-hop star who constructed a large music, style and way of life empire and mingled with the elites of American society and energy. However Dmitry Gorin, a former L.A. County intercourse crimes prosecutor, stated jurors should decide whether or not the sheer quantity and seriousness of federal prices match the proof. Gorin questioned whether or not federal prosecutors overcharged within the high-profile case.
The federal indictment alleges that Combs and his associates lured feminine victims, usually below the pretense of a romantic relationship. Combs then allegedly used pressure, threats of pressure, coercion and managed substances to get ladies to interact in intercourse acts with male prostitutes whereas he sometimes watched in gatherings that Combs known as “freak-offs.” Combs gave the ladies ketamine, ecstasy and GHB to “preserve them obedient and compliant” in the course of the performances, prosecutors say.
Combs’ alleged “prison enterprise” threatened and abused ladies and used members of his enterprise to interact in intercourse trafficking, pressured labor, interstate transportation for functions of prostitution, coercion and enticement to interact in prostitution, narcotics offenses, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice, prosecutors stated. In bringing so-called RICO prices, prosecutors in opening statements stated Combs was helped by a cadre of firm staff, safety workers and aides. They allegedly helped manage the freak-offs after which coated up the incidents.
Combs is charged with one depend of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a most sentence of life in jail; two counts of intercourse trafficking by pressure, fraud or coercion, which carries a most sentence of life in jail and a compulsory minimal sentence of 15 years in jail; and two counts of transportation to interact in prostitution, which carries a most sentence of 10 years in jail.
Jurors heard from 34 witnesses, who offered six weeks of brutal and graphic testimony.
On the coronary heart of the case are three ladies who described graphic sexual assaults, together with Combs’ onetime lover Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who the protection acknowledged was a key witness for prosecutors.
Cassie Ventura in court docket.
(Elizabeth Williams / Related Press)
It was Ventura’s lawsuit in 2023 that set off the unraveling of Combs’ enterprise with its particulars of intercourse, violence and freak-offs. Witnesses testified that Combs gave the ladies ketamine, ecstasy and GHB to preserve them compliant in the course of the performances.
His final former girlfriend, referred to solely as Jane in court docket, described how the freak-offs and coerced intercourse continued even after the lawsuit and a raid by Homeland Safety Investigations in 2023 till his arrest final 12 months. A former worker, testifying below the pseudonym Mia, additionally testified that she was sexually assaulted.
The federal indictment alleges that Combs and his associates lured two of the ladies below the pretense of a romantic relationship. Combs then allegedly used pressure, threats of pressure, coercion and managed substances to get ladies to interact in intercourse acts with male prostitutes.
R&B singer Ventura, who had an extended relationship with Combs, testified early within the trial.
Ventura advised jurors she felt “trapped” in a cycle of bodily and sexual abuse, and that the connection concerned 11 years of beatings, sexual blackmail and a rape.
She stated Combs threatened to leak movies of her sexual encounters with quite a few male intercourse employees whereas drug-intoxicated and coated in child oil as he watched and orchestrated the freak-offs.
A kind of alleged freak-offs led to an notorious resort beating, Ventura testified. Video from that March 2016 night time reveals Combs punching and kicking Ventura as she cowers and tries to guard herself in entrance of an L.A. resort elevator financial institution. He then drags her down the corridor by her hooded sweatshirt towards their resort room.
A second angle from one other digicam captures Combs throwing a vase towards her. She suffered bruising to her eye, a fats lip and a bruise that prosecutors confirmed was nonetheless seen throughout a film premiere two days later, the place she donned sun shades and heavy make-up on the crimson carpet.
A canopy-up then ensued, in accordance with prosecutors. Ventura said that the police visited her condo. She answered a number of of their questions, however advised the jury she nonetheless wished to guard Combs on the time.
“I might not say who I used to be speaking about,” she advised the jury. “In that second, I didn’t wish to damage him in that method. There was an excessive amount of occurring. It was loads.”
Eddie Garcia, the InterContinental Lodge safety guard, testified that Combs gave him a brown paper bag containing $100,000 in money for the video.
Sean Diddy Combs in court docket.
(Elizabeth Williams / Related Press)
Garcia stated that after his supervisor agreed to promote the video recording, he met with Combs, Combs’ chief of workers, Kristina Khorram, and a bodyguard. After Garcia raised considerations in regards to the police, he stated Combs known as Ventura on FaceTime, handed him the cellphone and advised Ventura to inform Garcia that she additionally wished the video “to go away.” After that, Garcia stated he took the cash and break up it with co-workers, in accordance with reporting from contained in the courtroom.
Prosecutors allege this reveals the conspiracy.
In her closing argument, Slavik stated racketeering legislation applies when somebody commits crimes as a part of a gaggle, and in Combs’ case, “the defendant was a strong man, however he turned extra highly effective and harmful due to his interior circle, his companies — the enterprise,” she advised jurors, in accordance with AP.
Underneath the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, often called RICO, there are 35 particular offenses, together with homicide, bribery and extortion, and federal prosecutors want to indicate a sample involving at the least two overt acts as a part of a prison enterprise.
Individuals usually consider the mob, road gangs or drug cartels. However any unfastened affiliation of two or extra individuals is sufficient, like Combs’ entourage, stated Neama Rahami, a former federal prosecutor and protection legal professional.
Whereas the testimony in opposition to Combs was graphic and detailed, Rahami stated the protection hopes jurors will query why these on the stand didn’t report the habits to authorities on the time and in some instances stayed in Combs’ orbit.
Rahami stated she discovered elements of the prosecution’s case underwhelming, particularly given the advanced and critical prices they filed.
“I nonetheless assume Combs is responsible, however the protection has a great probability of securing not responsible verdicts, particularly on the intercourse trafficking counts,” she stated.
The protection was aggressive in cross-examination, hammering witnesses about why they didn’t report Combs on the time or just depart him. In addition they offered textual content messages of assist and love after the alleged assaults. The protection additionally targeted on the cash and different issues they bought from Combs.
“This isn’t a couple of crime. That is about cash. It’s about cash,” Agnifilo stated, in accordance with the AP.
However the degree of graphic testimony may be onerous for jurors to disregard.
Bryana Bongolan, a pal of Ventura, testified that Combs dangled her over a 17-story balcony and tossed her onto balcony furnishings in September 2016.
Capricorn Clark, a former assistant to Combs, advised jurors Combs pressured her from her condo at gunpoint to go together with him to musician Child Cudi’s dwelling in December 2011. As soon as there, Combs and Clark entered the empty home, after which Cudi, whose actual title is Scott Mescudi, confirmed up.
To keep away from getting legislation enforcement concerned, Clark testified, Combs ordered her to name Ventura, who was at the moment Combs’ ex-girlfriend, and stated they wanted to persuade Cudi to not snitch to the cops. “In case you guys don’t persuade him of that, I’ll kill all you m—,” Clark quoted Combs saying.
Cudi testified that his Porsche was later firebombed in his driveway with a Molotov cocktail.
Prosecutors bought the final phrase Friday earlier than the jury went dwelling for the weekend, reminding them of the Cudi automobile explosion.
“He delegated and his interior circle dealt with the soiled work for him,” prosecutor Maurene Comey stated, in accordance to CNN. “He stated he was going to explode the automobile, and lo and behold, it blew up.
“For 20 years, the defendant bought away together with his crimes. That ends on this courtroom,” Comey added. “The defendant shouldn’t be a god. He’s an individual.”
Related Press contributed to this report.
