– Advertisement –
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer told jurors that the case against his client was “badly, badly exaggerated.”
Lawyer Marc Agnifilo spoke for four hours on Friday. He said the government was trying to criminalize what he called Combs and his girlfriends’ “swingers lifestyle.”
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting people for prostitution.
Agnifilo said the case was a “fake trial” and that the government had unfairly targeted Combs. Prosecutors objected when he said this, and the judge agreed with them.
Warning: Some details in this story may be upsetting.
The day before, prosecutor Christy Slavik gave a five-and-a-half-hour closing speech. She said Combs used his fame and power to traffic women and commit serious crimes.
She accused Combs of giving his ex-girlfriends drugs and using violence to force them into events called “freak-offs,” where they had sex with male escorts while he watched and filmed.
Slavik was calm and used a digital presentation. Agnifilo, on the other hand, was energetic, walking around the courtroom and making jokes.
He questioned the honesty of the two main witnesses, Casandra Ventura (also known as Cassie) and another woman identified only as “Jane.”
Agnifilo described Combs’ long relationship with Ventura as “one of the great modern love stories.” He said she was not a victim and was a willing partner in their sexual activities.
“She’s a woman who actually likes sex – good for her,” he said. “She’s beautiful, she should.”
He pointed out that Ventura already got millions of dollars from Combs in a civil lawsuit settlement. He suggested she came out on top.
He admitted there was domestic violence in their relationship, but said that did not make it the same thing as sex trafficking.
Agnifilo talked about a 2016 video showing Combs hitting Ventura in a hotel hallway. He said this wasn’t sex trafficking because she appeared to call him back into the room when a guard showed up.
“There was nothing scary in the room,” he said. He claimed the freak-off events were “beautiful evenings” with music and fancy rooms.
He also tried to discredit “Jane’s” story about Combs being violent toward her.
Agnifilo attacked the racketeering charge, saying there was no strong proof that Combs and his staff ran a criminal operation.
He said Combs’ former chief-of-staff, Kristina Khorram, was just a kind woman—not a criminal helper.
He also argued that the male escorts were paid for their time, not for sex.
At the end of his speech, Combs hugged his lawyer. His twin daughters and mother were sitting behind him in the courtroom.
Later that day, prosecutor Maurene Comey responded to the defence. She was more aggressive than Slavik had been.
She accused the defence of wrongly saying the women were lying and wanted to keep taking part in sex acts after being abused.
“You can’t separate the violence from the sex,” she said. “They were trapped emotionally, physically, and financially.”
Comey said Ventura had no reason to lie in court after already settling her lawsuit.
Jurors will return Monday to hear the judge’s instructions. Then they will start deciding the case.
Combs could face a sentence of up to life in prison if found guilty of the most serious charges.
Sources: CNN, BBC.
– Advertisement –
