Sean “Diddy” Combs is reaching the finish line of his sex trafficking and racketeering criminal trial, as jury deliberations began Monday after seven weeks of testimony from 34 witnesses. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Judge Arun Subramanian instructed the jury, made of eight men and four women, to weigh that “the evidence is the testimony” on Monday. A foreperson was elected shortly thereafter.
Combs’ arrest and highly publicized trial followed years of misconduct allegations and open-secret knowledge of the mogul so-called “freak-offs” — but wrongdoing was thrown in a new light after 2016 footage of him assaulting his ex-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles was released last spring. A litany of lawsuits and accusations followed later that year, beginning when Ventura sued Combs in November alleging sexual abuse and control. The former partners settled the next day for $20 million.
During prosecution’s closing remarks last week, they emphasized how Combs allegedly used violence and influence to execute a series of “brutal crimes.”
“The defendant used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted,” assistant U.S. attorney Christy Slavik told the jury in the prosecution’s closing arguments, according to the Associated Press. “He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law.”
Prosecution presented evidence of his alleged criminal conspiracies that trace back over 20 years, including the alleged kidnapping of Ventura and his former assistant Capricorn Clark, as detailed over the previous weeks of the trial. They also cited the alleged bombing of musician Kid Cudi’s car, among other crimes — all of which prosecution said Combs was able to orchestrate through his powerful platform and loyal staff.
Combs’ defense team reached their closing arguments Friday, in which they refuted and downplayed the racketeering and sex trafficking charges against the disgraced music mogul, arguing that the prosecution team had failed to present any actual evidence of either charge.
“He did not do the things he’s charged with. He didn’t do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking,” attorney Marc Agnifilo told jurors on Friday, according to the Associated Press. “Did any witness get on that witness stand and say, ‘Yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise — I engaged in racketeering?’”
Agnifilo went so far as to call Combs’ entire trial a “fake trial” and mocked the federal agents who seized hundreds of bottles of lubricant and baby oil from the rapper’s property. “Way to go, fellas,” he reportedly said of the government workers.
The attorney further argued that the prosecution had “badly exaggerated” the presented evidence against Combs — twisting his swinger lifestyle and penchant for recreational drug use, threesomes and domestic violence into a criminal case of racketeering and sex trafficking.
If convicted on the racketeering charge, Combs faces up to life in prison, as well as an additional statutory minimum sentence of 15 years if he’s found guilty of sex trafficking. Combs’ homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided on March 25, 2024, and he was arrested in New York City on Sept. 16 that year.
