\n\tOn the final day of the Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs trial before jury deliberations, the hip-hop mogul\u2019s attorney Marc Agnifilo enlivened the courtroom with an impassioned closing argument. In the coming days, the jury will determine whether Combs is guilty of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. A conviction could land him behind bars for life.<\/p>\n
\n\tAgnifilo\u2019s demeanor was animated and at times folksy, unlike the prosecution\u2019s cold, formal tone. He paced around the courtroom, beginning his summations by extolling Combs\u2019 character and business acumen, stating that he was a champion of diversity. \u201cSean Combs has become something that is very, very hard to be,\u201d Agnifilo said. \u201cHe is a self-made, successful, Black entrepreneur.\u201d He recounted some of the positive things Combs\u2019 former employees said about him on the witness stand, adding, \u201cDid they always like him? No way. Let\u2019s not even go there. But they loved him. They didn\u2019t want to leave him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe defense put a spotlight on the presence of Combs\u2019 children and mother in the courtroom, saying, \u201cThe man takes care of people.\u201d Taking a swipe at one of Combs\u2019 alleged victims, \u201cJane,\u201d Agnifilo said, \u201cI hope she\u2019s having a nice day, but ya know where she\u2019s doing it? In a house he\u2019s paying for.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAgnifilo argued that Combs is on a \u201cfalse trial,\u201d that he is not guilty of sex trafficking but is instead a member of the \u201cswingers lifestyle\u201d who participated in consensual \u201cthreesomes\u201d with his ex-girlfriends and male entertainers.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cNo one\u2019s forcing her to do this,\u201d Agnifilo said of Casandra \u201cCassie\u201d Ventura, Combs\u2019 ex who accused him of raping her and coercing her into hundreds of \u201cfreak-offs,\u201d drug-fueled sex parties that lasted days on end. At the center of the trial is a 2016 surveillance video that depicts Combs beating Ventura in a hotel hallway and allegedly attempting to drag her back into a \u201cfreak-off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cWe own the domestic violence,\u201d Agnifilo said. Throughout the trial, the defense has admitted that Combs was violent with Ventura, but that the violence was not connected to the \u201cfreak-offs.\u201d Agnifilo painted Ventura as a strong, smart woman who enjoyed her sex life with Combs. \u201cShe\u2019s a woman who actually likes sex,\u201d Agnifilo said. \u201cGood for her! She\u2019s beautiful, she should. She\u2019s intense. She\u2019s unafraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAgnifilo referenced Ventura\u2019s testimony about her brief love affair with the rapper Scott Mescudi, aka Kid Cudi. Ventura said she tried to keep her relationship with Mescudi a secret from Combs by purchasing a second cellphone. \u201cWhoooaaa! A burner phone!\u201d Agnifilo said, his voice jumping up an octave. \u201cCassie is keeping it gangsta!\u201d He said Ventura \u201cplayed\u201d both Combs and Mescudi, implying she would not have had a secret relationship if she was actually \u201cscared to death of Sean Combs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAddressing the kidnapping allegations against Combs, which pertain to his racketeering charge, Agnifilo referenced former assistant Capricorn Clark\u2019s claim that she was held for five days in a Manhattan office building and forced to take a lie detector test about stolen jewelry. \u201cA door-to-door kidnap,\u201d Agnifilo said mockingly, emphasizing that Clark slept at home, and that one of Combs\u2019 security guards drove her to and from the building each day. \u201cYou guys are here for long hours,\u201d he told the jury. \u201cAnyone here feel kidnapped?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tAgnifilo\u2019s tone was incredulous: \u201cHe\u2019s charged with kidnapping. That\u2019s real!\u201d And he told the jurors they \u201chave the right\u201d to question the government\u2019s claims and disregard witness testimony. <\/p>\n
\n\tThe lawyer picked apart the allegations of bribery, witness tampering and obstruction \u2014 and focused heavily on the implication that Combs orchestrated an act of arson on Mescudi\u2019s car. (Combs had allegedly said previously that he was going to blow up the vehicle, but an investigation at the time found no evidence linking Combs.) \u201cThat\u2019s not his style,\u201d Agnifilo said, suggesting that Combs would prefer a man-to-man confrontation with Mescudi \u2014 \u201ca good old-fashioned John Wayne, eight-in-the-morning Hollywood Hills fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThroughout the closing argument, Combs nodded and listened intently, either leaning back in his chair or crossing his arms on the table. In the morning, one of his sons, Justin Combs, was wearing a shirt that read \u201cFree Sean Combs,\u201d which is not permitted in the courtroom. A court marshal approached him, and Justin left and re-entered the room without the message visible.<\/p>\n
\n\tAgnifilo was theatrical in his summation and often used sarcasm to drive home his arguments. He used a mocking tone when describing the raids on Combs\u2019 properties, saying they made America \u201csafe from Astroglide.\u201d \u201cWay to go fellas, you guys just do you. They took Astroglide and baby oil and that is the evidence in this case,\u201d he said. When pooh-poohing the drug distribution racketeering charges, Agnifilo admitted \u201cthere\u2019s no question\u201d Combs \u201chad a drug problem,\u201d but that his drugs were for personal use only, and not part of a criminal enterprise. That when his staff picked up and delivered drugs like Xanax and ecstasy to Combs, they were not aware they were committing crimes \u2014 they were just carrying out personal assistant duties as is common in the entertainment industry. \u201cI don\u2019t suppose we\u2019ll see Beyonc\u00e9 at CVS,\u201d Agnifilo said.<\/p>\n
\n\tAddressing the racketeering charges, the attorney said there is a \u201cgaping lack of evidence,\u201d and with respect to the transportation to engage in prostitution charges, he repeated the defense\u2019s stance that Combs paid male escorts for their \u201ctime,\u201d not for sex.<\/p>\n
\n\tWrapping things up, Agnifilo leveled with the jury. \u201cIt takes a lot of courage to acquit,\u201d he said. He said the concept of a jury is one of the great things about America, and that it is a difficult thing for a juror to rule against the federal prosecutors. \u201cYou guys are the United States of America,\u201d he said, raising his voice. \u201cYou should feel bold, you should feel the courage that you will need to call this as you see it, and I am asking you to summon that courage and to do what needs to be done and to do the right thing.\u201d He asked the jurors to acquit his client on all charges. \u201cHe sits there innocent. Return him to his family who have been waiting for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tBeginning her rebuttal, which is the last time the jurors will hear from the attorneys after seven grueling weeks of trial, prosecutor Maurene Comey sighed: \u201cWe\u2019re almost done.\u201d Comey delivered her most fiery remarks yet, taking the baton after fellow prosecutor Christy Slavik delivered a five-hour closing argument on Thursday. She laid into the defense, saying the notion that the male escorts were not paid for sex \u201cdoesn\u2019t even pass the laugh test.\u201d When Combs handed them wads of cash at the end of \u201cfreak-offs,\u201d it wasn\u2019t for their \u201cscintillating conversation,\u201d Comey said. She referred to an escort\u2019s testimony that supported her argument. Despite what the defense posited, the escorts did not need to label themselves as prostitutes for their conduct to be considered prostitution.<\/p>\n
\n\tSupporting the racketeering charge, Comey listed a handful of alleged crimes carried out by Combs\u2019 employees on his behalf. \u201cThis is a guy who cannot get his own water bottle or plug in his own phone charger,\u201d she said, implying that of course he would not commit his own crimes. \u201cHe\u2019s the general. Not a foot soldier, not a lieutenant. He delegated. And his inner circle did the dirty work for him,\u201d Comey added, pointing to his chief of staff Kristina Khorram as his primary alleged co-conspirator.<\/p>\n
\n\tConcerning the drug distribution charges, Comey said, \u201cThere is no requirement that drugs be distributed for profit or in large quantities to be illegal.\u201d In other words, Combs handing ecstasy pills to Ventura and Jane would still be considered distribution under the law.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe tone of her rebuttal intensified as Comey addressed the defense\u2019s underlying argument: that Ventura, another rape accuser \u201cMia\u201d and Jane are \u201clying.\u201d She explored each alleged victim\u2019s incentives to commit perjury. Ventura already won a $20 million settlement against Combs, so there\u2019s no money grab there. Mia similarly already settled with Combs, and because she isn\u2019t seeking fame or attention, she testified under a pseudonym. And Jane, who never sued Combs and has no plans to, testified that the defendant continues to pay her rent and legal fees. For that reason, if she had any incentive to lie, it would be in favor of Combs, Comey argued.<\/p>\n
\n\tSince opening arguments back in May, the defense has painted Combs\u2019 accusers as \u201cstrong\u201d women with agency. \u201cYou know what, they\u2019re right about that,\u201d Comey said. \u201cThey were strong enough to survive what the defendant put them through and testify at this trial.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tComey returned to what she called \u201cthe most clear-cut example of sex trafficking in this case,\u201d when, in June 2024, Combs allegedly violently attacked Jane before giving her drugs and arranging a \u201cfreak-off\u201d with a male escort. \u201cIs this coercion?\u201d Combs allegedly said to Jane, mocking the federal investigation looming over him.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe trial reached an explosive climax as Comey rested her rebuttal. \u201cFor 20 years, the defendant got away with his crimes. That ends in this courtroom,\u201d she said. \u201cThe defendant is not a god. He is a person. And in this courtroom, he stands equal before the law. Overwhelming evidence proves his guilt. It is time to hold him accountable. Find him guilty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tThe jury could make its decision as early as next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On the final day of the Sean \u201cDiddy\u201d Combs trial before jury deliberations, the hip-hop mogul\u2019s attorney Marc…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20272,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[171,349,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-20271","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-sean-diddy-combs","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114757832924714325","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}