Diddy trial day 33 recap: Prosecutors say Combs used ‘power, violence and fear’ to commit a decade of crimes

“It is time to discover the defendant responsible, ” prosecutor Christy Slavik on Thursday advised the federal jury that may resolve the destiny of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.

After a seven-week trial, Slavik delivered an almost five-hour closing assertion that sought to tie collectively the mountain of proof in opposition to Combs, urging the eight males and 4 girls of the jury to search out that Combs, behind the scenes, used “energy, violence and concern to get what he wished.”

Slavik took the jury via a tour of the case in opposition to Combs, arguing that the rapper and onetime tastemaker used his affect and enterprise empire to drag off years of prison conduct.

“Nobody may cease him,” Slavik claimed, “and he managed to do that for 20 years, as a result of he used his interior circle, his cash and his affect to cowl up his crimes.”

Combs has pleaded not responsible to racketeering conspiracy, intercourse trafficking and transportation to interact in prosecution. He may spend the remainder of his life in jail, if convicted on all counts. His lead protection lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, is scheduled to current his closing arguments to the jury Friday.

The case in opposition to Combs is centered on greater than 100 days-long drug-fueled intercourse orgies throughout which the rapper’s romantic companions had been allegedly compelled to have intercourse with male prostitutes to fulfill Combs’ unconventional sexual wishes. In keeping with the testimony, Combs would choreograph the classes after which watch them whereas masturbating.

Combs’ attorneys have acknowledged that the mogul is a violent man who has abused unlawful medicine and leads a “polyamorous” way of life. However they insist that each one intercourse acts detailed for the jury had been the voluntary non-public conduct of consenting adults and never the enterprise of regulation enforcement.

Calling 34 witnesses throughout 28 days of testimony, prosecutors allege Combs used his music empire as a prison group that allowed him to get away with intercourse trafficking, drug distribution, kidnapping, arson, bribery, compelled labor and witness tampering over a decade-long stretch of alleged criminality.

“Up till at the moment, the defendant was capable of get away along with his crimes due to his cash, his energy and his affect,” Slavik advised the jury. “That stops now. It is time to maintain him accountable. It is time for justice.”

Prosecutors eye a racketeering conspiracy conviction

The prosecution’s summation positioned Sean Combs squarely atop a prison enterprise that relied on an interior circle of workers who they known as “loyal lieutenants,” together with his chief of employees and bodyguards. The prosecutor argued Combs additionally relied on quite a few assistants she known as “foot troopers” within the enterprise.

“They had been younger,” Slavik stated. “They did not blink a watch.”

Prosecutors alleged these crimes included an settlement to distribute medicine, kidnapping, arson, bribery, intercourse trafficking, acquiring labor by power and threats, arranging journey for the needs of business intercourse and serving to Combs cowl up different crimes. She advised the jury there have been “tons of” of drug distribution offenses alone that might be sufficient to convict on the racketeering conspiracy cost. Slavik additionally highlighted for the jury three situations of alleged kidnapping, the firebombing of rapper Child Cudi’s automobile, two situations of alleged bribery, and dozens of instances when Combs’ alleged victims traveled throughout state traces for the needs of the intercourse events.

To pronounce Combs responsible of racketeering, the jury should unanimously discover that he and one other member of the alleged conspiracy agreed that two crimes can be dedicated.

“Right here, although, you might have way over two acts,” Slavik advised jurors.

Prosecutors say testimony of Cassie Ventura and “Jane” show intercourse trafficking

The singer Cassie Ventura known as them “freak-offs.” Combs’ ex-girlfriend, identified by the pseudonym Jane, known as them “resort nights.” His assistants knew them as “wild king nights.”

No matter they’re known as, these episodes are proof of intercourse trafficking as a result of Combs used power, threats, fraud and coercion to trigger Ventura and Jane to take part, Slavik stated throughout the federal government’s closing argument.

“The cost is concerning the defendant’s use of unlawful actions to get Cassie and Jane to say sure,” Slavik stated. “This isn’t an try to criminalize dysfunctional relationships or unconventional sexual conduct.”

Slavik advised the eight males and 4 girls within the jury field they don’t want to search out that each one the freak-offs had been the merchandise of power, fraud or coercion.

“You solely want to search out the weather of intercourse trafficking are met on one event,” she stated, answering a query that has been the topic of countless hours of media protection of the Combs case. “So, if there was one time, one single freak-off, when the defendant knew or recklessly disregarded that Cassie or Jane was taking part due to his lies, his threats or his violence, that is it.”

The jury was proven a collage of male escorts prosecutors stated Ventura and Jane had been made to have intercourse with in a “sluggish development from masturbating and touching to oral intercourse to intercourse,” usually a number of instances over a number of nights.

“They had been accomplished when the defendant stated they had been accomplished and never any prior to that,” Slavik stated.

Prosecutors attempt to nail down prostitution counts

Among the many prices in opposition to Combs are two counts of transportation for the needs of prostitution, which carry smaller doable jail sentences than the fees of intercourse trafficking or racketeering conspiracy.

Prosecutors argued they simply proved Combs violated the regulation when he paid for his former girlfriends to journey throughout the nation for “freak-offs.” In a single instance, from August 2009, Slavik confirmed jurors textual content messages from Combs coordinating journey with an escort named Jules. She then confirmed Combs’ American Categorical assertion that signifies Combs paid for Jules’ flight, automobile from the airport and the $2,000 invoice from The London resort in New York Metropolis.

“Freak-offs didn’t happen in isolation. The defendant wished them on a regular basis,” Slavik advised the jury. “You heard about many situations when the defendant flew in escorts from throughout the nation so he may watch them have intercourse.”