Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is now at the mercy of a federal jury as deliberations began Monday in his high-profile trial on sex trafficking and racketeering charges.
After seven weeks of testimony, the case has been handed over to the 12-person jury comprising eight men and four women.
The music mogul faces five serious felony charges: racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking related to two ex-girlfriends, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has consistently denied all accusations against him.
In her closing arguments last Thursday, Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik portrayed Combs as the “leader of a criminal enterprise” who used violence, silence, and “shame” to coerce women into participating in drug-fuelled sexual encounters with male escorts, as reported by Rolling Stone.
These encounters, which were referred to as “freak-offs,” allegedly served to satisfy Combs’ voyeuristic fantasies.
Slavik emphasised that Combs refused to “take no for an answer” and always got what he wanted, with his inner circle and businesses making him “more powerful and more dangerous.” She claimed the mogul commanded an ‘armed and ready’ security staff willing to “protect” him against any perceived threats.
During her five-hour presentation, Slavik connected evidence from numerous witnesses, focusing particularly on testimony from Combs’ ex-girlfriends, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane”. Both women reportedly felt “obligated” to participate in and sometimes facilitate sexual encounters to keep Combs happy.
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According to the prosecution, Combs expected “total compliance,” and would become aggressive if he didn’t get it, especially toward Ventura, who detailed numerous instances of domestic violence during her testimony. “She knew that when he was happy, she was safe,” Slavik told the jury. “If the defendant wanted a freak-off, it was going to happen.”
In contrast, Combs’ defence attorney Marc Agnifilo delivered a fiery rebuttal on Friday, describing the government’s case as “fake,” “exaggerated,” and an attempt to criminalise the mogul’s private sex life. He argued that Combs was simply enjoying a “lifestyle” filled with open relationships, hotel threesomes, and recreational drug use, along with “regrettable instances of domestic violence.”
Agnifilo insisted that Combs was not a crime boss but a “self-made, successful, Black entrepreneur” who built “wonderful, sophisticated, real businesses that have stood the test of time.” He sarcastically criticised some of the prosecution’s evidence, such as the boxes of baby oil seized during raids of Combs’ homes last year.
Regarding Ventura’s testimony, Agnifilo characterised her relationship with Combs as “a great modern love story” and appeared emotional while discussing loving text messages the couple exchanged. While acknowledging Combs’ violent outbursts, including an infamous security video showing Combs assaulting Ventura in a hotel, Agnifilo claimed Ventura willingly participated in and enjoyed the freak-offs.
In her final address to the jury, prosecutor Maurene Comey stated that the defence offered “excuse after excuse for inexcusable criminal behaviour.”
If convicted on all charges, Combs faces the possibility of life imprisonment. The jury is now deliberating on the five counts against the music mogul.
