On Friday, legal representative of the renowned personality Sean “Diddy” Combs presented a case before the Manhattan jury. The charges against Combs spanned sex trafficking and RICO violations. However, the defense argued these allegations simply painted non-criminal sexual preferences and a harmless “swingers’ lifestyle” as serious crimes. A spirited closing argument by Marc Agnifilo maintained the assertion of Combs’ innocence.
Critically, Agnifilo declared that his client, Combs, never pressured anyone to partake in multi-day, substance-induced sexual events, or “freak-offs,” against their consent. He hailed Combs as a self-made millionaire and a trendsetter in his field with humble beginnings in New York. Agnifilo accused the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s office of launching an unwarranted attack against Combs, targeting him for fraudulent prosecution.
Agnifilo praised Combs’ contributions to ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’, which he stated had begun as early as when Combs was merely 24. Agnifilo drew attention to the fact that in the trial, no member of Combs’ Bad Boy Records enterprise claimed to be part of a criminal organization. Combs, he admitted, struggled with substance addiction, often having assistants fetch drugs. However, Agnifilo asserted it was more for personal consumption and not a systematic aspect of their job.
Further defending his client, Agnifilo acknowledged Combs’ past domestic violence incidents, which he claimed Combs concurred to acknowledge judicially if charged for it. This domestic abuse was noticeably in the limelight during the trial, with efforts made by Combs’ defense to exclude video evidence of Combs’ assaulting his ex-partner, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura.
However, when the move to exclude the incriminating footage failed, it was incorporated into the defense narrative. While conceding Combs’ behaviour might have come across as ‘intimidating’, they argued it didn’t imply his guilt in establishing a criminal enterprise or trafficking women for sex.
The jury was made privy to testimonies by hotel employees, who claimed Combs and his associate continuously tried to bribe the security detail for the tape. The bribes were successful, much to the dismay of the prosecution. However, Agnifilo clarified the intention wasn’t to obstruct law enforcement, but to prevent the evidence from reaching the press.
Agnifilo also addressed testimonies presented which showed Combs’ desperate attempts to reach out to Ventura after she left their shared hotel room. Agnifilo interpreted Combs’ actions as those of a ‘fool’, who was merely seeking to reconcile with his girlfriend.
Despite the acquisition of the original footage by Combs, the jury learned of an additional copy secretly made by a hotel security guard on his cellphone. The accusations of domestic violence against Combs gained public attention when this video was leaked.
Agnifilo described the 11-year-long relationship between Ventura and Combs as a romantic saga, contrary to the allegations of abuse and sexual exploitation. Throughout her testimony, Ventura spoke about her enduring cycle of abuse, humiliation, and subsequent recovery during her relationship with Combs, something that started when she was just 21 and freshly signed to Bad Boy Records.
Evidence unravelled through graphic recounts of Ventura being directed by Combs to engage in degrading sexual acts with male escorts at ‘freak-offs’. It was allegedly a non-negotiable demand from Combs, regardless of her physical or emotional state–recovering from his physical assaults, dealing with health concerns attributed to the sexual activities or her menstruation.
Ventura and other unnamed witnesses testified to experiencing Combs’ wrath, threats of financial cutoff, and professional ruin should they rebel against him. At 55, Combs refutes all the charges included in the five-count indictment, such as sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and engaging in prostitution.
To convict Combs of the RICO charge – one that could lead to a life sentence – the jury is required to uncover evidence of at least two instances of committed crimes from eight listed overt criminal actions. These actions include bribery, drug distribution, kidnapping, obstruction, and others by members of his supposed organization.
To determine guilt in sex trafficking, jurors need to establish at least one occurrence within the ‘freak-offs’ incidents cited in witness testimonies. Both Ventura and another woman, referred to only as Jane in court, testified that Combs made them look for male escorts online for these ‘freak-offs’ and financed their travel across the country and to several Caribbean islands.