Jurors began deliberating Monday in Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ intercourse trafficking case, weighing fees that would put the hip-hop multi-millionaire in jail for existence.
Pass judgement on Arun Subramanian started studying directions at the regulation on Monday morning to the jury of 8 males and 4 girls. Now, they’re going to sift via seven weeks of on occasion graphic and emotional testimony concerning the rap, model and fact TV impresario’s propensity for violence and his sexual predilections, together with drug-fueled intercourse marathons dubbed “freak-offs” or “resort nights.”
Combs, 55, has pleaded now not accountable to federal fees of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of intercourse trafficking — on the subject of two of his ex-girlfriends — and two counts of transportation to interact in prostitution for allegedly arranging to fly intercourse employees throughout state strains.
CBS Information felony contributor Caroline Polisi, a felony protection legal professional, stated the prosecution’s highest probability at getting a conviction might be with the intercourse trafficking fees.
“The prosecution made transparent there best needs to be one example, out of those loads of ‘freak-offs,’ one example the place it was once coerced by way of power, fraud or coercion, and that may come with threats of damage that does not even come with bodily hurt,” Polisi stated. “In order that can come with worry of economic hurt, worry of reputational hurt. Consider, he videotaped all of those encounters, and the federal government laid out explicit cases the place he threatened to unencumber the ones tapes.”
In ultimate arguments remaining week, federal prosecutors and Combs’ protection staff took their remaining pictures at convincing jurors to convict or acquit the Grammy Award-winning founding father of Unhealthy Boy Information.
“The defendant used energy, violence and worry to get what he sought after,” Assistant U.S. Legal professional Christy Slavik stated. “He concept that his reputation, wealth and gear put him above the regulation.”
She stated that he used his “shut interior circle and a small military of private team of workers, who made it their venture to satisfy the defendant’s each and every need, advertise his energy and offer protection to his recognition in any respect prices.”
Protection attorney Marc Agnifilo countered, “This is not about crime. It is about cash.” He famous that one among Combs’ accusers within the felony case additionally sued him in civil court docket.
“He isn’t a racketeer. He isn’t a conspirator to devote racketeering. He’s none of this stuff. He’s blameless. He sits there blameless. Go back him to his circle of relatives, who’ve been looking forward to him,” the attorney instructed jurors.
In all, 34 witnesses testified, headlined by way of Combs’ former girlfriends Cassie — the R&B singer born Casandra Ventura — and “Jane,” who testified below a pseudonym. Each girls stated he regularly was once violent towards them. Cassie stated he pressured her into loads of sexual encounters with paid male intercourse employees whilst Jane recounted a lot of “resort nights.”
Jurors additionally noticed now-infamous safety digicam video of Combs beating, kicking and dragging Cassie at a Los Angeles resort in 2016 and clips from movies of sexual encounters.
Combs selected to not testify, and his legal professionals did not name any witnesses of their protection case. His lawyers elected as a substitute to problem the accusers’ credibility all over long cross-examination wondering.
The protection has stated that Combs veered into violence, however his legal professionals care for that the intercourse acts had been consensual. They contend that prosecutors are intruding in Combs’ private existence and that he is finished not anything to warrant the costs towards him.
