Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The arguments raised will begin Thursday at a sex trafficking trial in Sean Diddy’s comb, where prosecutors are expected to tell the jury that he forced his ex-girlfriend to participate in a sex show and opposed the defense against the music mogul, which Mogul believes the sexual act was agreed.
Combs, a former billionaire known for hip-hop music that boosts American culture, pleads not guilty to the blackmail plot, and pleads not guilty to every two counts of sex trafficking and transportation. If convicted on various charges, the founder of Bad Boy Records faces at least 15 years in prison and can be sentenced to life imprisonment.
In more than six weeks of testimony in the federal court in Manhattan, jurors heard two Combs’ ex-girlfriends testify that they attended days-long, drug-powered sex parties, sometimes called “freaks,” while male sex workers watched in combs, masturbated, and sometimes filmed.
The jury saw the comb’s hotel surveillance footage, beat a woman in the corridor, and heard the comb’s staff describe building a hotel room and buying drugs for the show.
Two alleged victims – rhythm and blues singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a woman known in court under the pseudonym Jane said Combs also threatened that they might cut off financial support or leak sex tapes when they complained about their treatment.
The comb’s behavior was equivalent to sexual trafficking because he used force, fraud and threats to force Ventura and Jane to the competition and was paid for male escorts, prosecutors said.
Combs’ defense attorney acknowledged that Combs was occasionally violent in domestic relations, but believed that his actions did not fall into sexual trafficking because the sexual behavior described by the prosecutor was voluntary.
Both Ventura and Jane testified that they sometimes attended the show because they liked the comb and wanted him to be happy, while the defense attorney thought he couldn’t know he wasn’t happy to attend.
The ending argument is expected to last until Friday. The jury is expected to begin its consideration later Friday or Monday.
Combs is a rapper and entrepreneur known for bringing artists like the infamous large and welcoming stars, and since the September 2024 arrest, the Federal Lockup in Brooklyn has been held.
During cross-examination by the two women, defense attorneys highlighted the gentle and clear text messages of Ventura and Jane who sent combs in his years-long relationship with him.
The defense chose not to call her own witnesses, but other information between Ventura and the comb was shown in Tuesday’s 30-minute defense case, including news of her promise to “become your little freak.”
The comb did not testify. The defendants in criminal cases in the United States do not need to present evidence, and the judge directed the jury not to refuse to testify against the defendant. To win a guilty verdict, the prosecutor must prove his case in reasonable doubt.
Legal experts say the jury will need to consider evidence of prosecution that, at least in some cases, women agree to women’s performance. A jury of 12 members must be unanimously guilty of any offences.
“The question is which narrative will add weight,” said Heather Cucolo, a professor at the New York Law School.
Prosecutors are also expected to believe Combs is guilty of blackmail conspiracy because his employees helped organize the “freak” and covered up the abuse.
Combs’ lawyers believe there is no conspiracy, partly because his employees don’t understand any misconduct about sexual performances, and that any drugs they buy for their boss are for personal use.
(Reported by Luc Cohen, New York; Editors by Noeleen Walder and Michael Perry)
