Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-aide says she was 'brainwashed'
A former personal assistant who accuses Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape has testified that she continued sending the hip-hop mogul loving messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was "brainwashed".
The woman, testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" pushed back at defence lawyer Brian Steel's suggestions that she fabricated her claims to cash in on "the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs".
Mia was on the witness stand on Monday for her third and final day at Comb's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan, which is in its fourth week of testimony.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit abuse.
Steel had Mia read aloud numerous text messages she sent Combs. In one from 2019, she told Combs that he'd rescued her in a nightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R Kelly, the singer who has since been convicted of sex trafficking.
"And the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?" Steel asked incredulously.
He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man "who terrorised you and caused you PTSD?" Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it.
It was one of many objections during a combative and often meandering cross-examination that stood in contrast to the defence's gentler treatment of other prosecution witnesses. Several times, the judge interrupted Steel, instructing him to move along or rephrase complicated questions.
In an August 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him - such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4am and rejecting Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger's offer to take her home - saying she remembered only "the good times".
Mia mentioned once feeling "bamboozled" by a woman. Steel asked why she didn't say Combs had bamboozled her as well.
"Because I was still brainwashed," Mia answered.
Mia said that in an environment where "the highs were really high and the lows were really low", she developed "huge confusion in trusting my instincts".
When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: "I have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true."
She said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward against Combs, telling jurors: "It's been a long process. I'm untangling things. I'm in therapy."
Mia alleges Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party and raped her months later in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She testified last week that the assaults were "random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out" she didn't think they'd happen again.
For a long time, Mia said, she kept the assaults to herself - staying quiet even after her friend, Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie, sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit, settled within hours for $US20 million ($A31 million), touched off Combs' criminal investigation.
Mia followed Cassie as the second of three key prosecution witnesses. The third, using the pseudonym "Jane", will testify later this week.
Mia said she didn't feel comfortable telling Cassie, the R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, that she was also victimised.
Steel suggested Mia only told prosecutors after she obtained legal counsel, accusing the witness of trying to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit against Combs.
But Judge Arun Subramanian shut down Steel's attempts to ask Mia if she chose her lawyer because of that lawyer's success getting hefty judgments for writer E Jean Carroll in sex abuse-related lawsuits against President Donald Trump.
A former personal assistant who accuses Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape has testified that she continued sending the hip-hop mogul loving messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was "brainwashed".
The woman, testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" pushed back at defence lawyer Brian Steel's suggestions that she fabricated her claims to cash in on "the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs".
Mia was on the witness stand on Monday for her third and final day at Comb's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan, which is in its fourth week of testimony.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit abuse.
Steel had Mia read aloud numerous text messages she sent Combs. In one from 2019, she told Combs that he'd rescued her in a nightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R Kelly, the singer who has since been convicted of sex trafficking.
"And the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?" Steel asked incredulously.
He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man "who terrorised you and caused you PTSD?" Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it.
It was one of many objections during a combative and often meandering cross-examination that stood in contrast to the defence's gentler treatment of other prosecution witnesses. Several times, the judge interrupted Steel, instructing him to move along or rephrase complicated questions.
In an August 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him - such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4am and rejecting Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger's offer to take her home - saying she remembered only "the good times".
Mia mentioned once feeling "bamboozled" by a woman. Steel asked why she didn't say Combs had bamboozled her as well.
"Because I was still brainwashed," Mia answered.
Mia said that in an environment where "the highs were really high and the lows were really low", she developed "huge confusion in trusting my instincts".
When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: "I have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true."
She said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward against Combs, telling jurors: "It's been a long process. I'm untangling things. I'm in therapy."
Mia alleges Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party and raped her months later in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She testified last week that the assaults were "random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out" she didn't think they'd happen again.
For a long time, Mia said, she kept the assaults to herself - staying quiet even after her friend, Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie, sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit, settled within hours for $US20 million ($A31 million), touched off Combs' criminal investigation.
Mia followed Cassie as the second of three key prosecution witnesses. The third, using the pseudonym "Jane", will testify later this week.
Mia said she didn't feel comfortable telling Cassie, the R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, that she was also victimised.
Steel suggested Mia only told prosecutors after she obtained legal counsel, accusing the witness of trying to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit against Combs.
But Judge Arun Subramanian shut down Steel's attempts to ask Mia if she chose her lawyer because of that lawyer's success getting hefty judgments for writer E Jean Carroll in sex abuse-related lawsuits against President Donald Trump.
A former personal assistant who accuses Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape has testified that she continued sending the hip-hop mogul loving messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was "brainwashed".
The woman, testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" pushed back at defence lawyer Brian Steel's suggestions that she fabricated her claims to cash in on "the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs".
Mia was on the witness stand on Monday for her third and final day at Comb's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan, which is in its fourth week of testimony.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit abuse.
Steel had Mia read aloud numerous text messages she sent Combs. In one from 2019, she told Combs that he'd rescued her in a nightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R Kelly, the singer who has since been convicted of sex trafficking.
"And the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?" Steel asked incredulously.
He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man "who terrorised you and caused you PTSD?" Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it.
It was one of many objections during a combative and often meandering cross-examination that stood in contrast to the defence's gentler treatment of other prosecution witnesses. Several times, the judge interrupted Steel, instructing him to move along or rephrase complicated questions.
In an August 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him - such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4am and rejecting Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger's offer to take her home - saying she remembered only "the good times".
Mia mentioned once feeling "bamboozled" by a woman. Steel asked why she didn't say Combs had bamboozled her as well.
"Because I was still brainwashed," Mia answered.
Mia said that in an environment where "the highs were really high and the lows were really low", she developed "huge confusion in trusting my instincts".
When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: "I have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true."
She said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward against Combs, telling jurors: "It's been a long process. I'm untangling things. I'm in therapy."
Mia alleges Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party and raped her months later in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She testified last week that the assaults were "random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out" she didn't think they'd happen again.
For a long time, Mia said, she kept the assaults to herself - staying quiet even after her friend, Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie, sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit, settled within hours for $US20 million ($A31 million), touched off Combs' criminal investigation.
Mia followed Cassie as the second of three key prosecution witnesses. The third, using the pseudonym "Jane", will testify later this week.
Mia said she didn't feel comfortable telling Cassie, the R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, that she was also victimised.
Steel suggested Mia only told prosecutors after she obtained legal counsel, accusing the witness of trying to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit against Combs.
But Judge Arun Subramanian shut down Steel's attempts to ask Mia if she chose her lawyer because of that lawyer's success getting hefty judgments for writer E Jean Carroll in sex abuse-related lawsuits against President Donald Trump.
A former personal assistant who accuses Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape has testified that she continued sending the hip-hop mogul loving messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was "brainwashed".
The woman, testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" pushed back at defence lawyer Brian Steel's suggestions that she fabricated her claims to cash in on "the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs".
Mia was on the witness stand on Monday for her third and final day at Comb's federal sex trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan, which is in its fourth week of testimony.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his music industry clout to commit abuse.
Steel had Mia read aloud numerous text messages she sent Combs. In one from 2019, she told Combs that he'd rescued her in a nightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R Kelly, the singer who has since been convicted of sex trafficking.
"And the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?" Steel asked incredulously.
He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man "who terrorised you and caused you PTSD?" Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it.
It was one of many objections during a combative and often meandering cross-examination that stood in contrast to the defence's gentler treatment of other prosecution witnesses. Several times, the judge interrupted Steel, instructing him to move along or rephrase complicated questions.
In an August 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him - such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4am and rejecting Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger's offer to take her home - saying she remembered only "the good times".
Mia mentioned once feeling "bamboozled" by a woman. Steel asked why she didn't say Combs had bamboozled her as well.
"Because I was still brainwashed," Mia answered.
Mia said that in an environment where "the highs were really high and the lows were really low", she developed "huge confusion in trusting my instincts".
When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: "I have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true."
She said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward against Combs, telling jurors: "It's been a long process. I'm untangling things. I'm in therapy."
Mia alleges Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party and raped her months later in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She testified last week that the assaults were "random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out" she didn't think they'd happen again.
For a long time, Mia said, she kept the assaults to herself - staying quiet even after her friend, Combs' former longtime girlfriend Cassie, sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit, settled within hours for $US20 million ($A31 million), touched off Combs' criminal investigation.
Mia followed Cassie as the second of three key prosecution witnesses. The third, using the pseudonym "Jane", will testify later this week.
Mia said she didn't feel comfortable telling Cassie, the R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, that she was also victimised.
Steel suggested Mia only told prosecutors after she obtained legal counsel, accusing the witness of trying to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit against Combs.
But Judge Arun Subramanian shut down Steel's attempts to ask Mia if she chose her lawyer because of that lawyer's success getting hefty judgments for writer E Jean Carroll in sex abuse-related lawsuits against President Donald Trump.
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Herald Sun
14 hours ago
- Herald Sun
'Not a god': arguments end in Combs trial ahead of jury deliberations
Sean "Diddy" Combs's lawyer aimed Friday to skewer the credibility of the music mogul's accusers, saying in closing arguments they were out for money while rejecting any notion he led a criminal ring. But in their rebuttal -- the trial's final stage before jurors are tasked with deciding the verdict -- prosecutors tore into the defense, saying Combs's team had "contorted the facts endlessly." Prosecutor Maurene Comey told jurors that by the time Combs -- once among the most powerful people in music -- had committed his clearest-cut offenses, "he was so far past the line he couldn't even see it." "In his mind he was untouchable," she told the court as the case came to a dramatic close. "The defendant never thought that the women he abused would have the courage to speak out loud what he had done to them." "That ends in this courtroom," she said. "The defendant is not a god." For most of Friday's hearing defense attorney Marc Agnifilo picked apart, and even made light of, the testimony of women who were in long-term relationships with Combs, and who said he had coerced them into drug-fueled sex parties with paid escorts. Agnifilo scoffed at the picture painted by prosecutors of a violent, domineering man who used his employees, wealth and power to foster "a climate of fear" that allowed him to act with impunity. Combs, 55, is a "self-made, successful Black entrepreneur" who had romantic relationships that were "complicated" but ultimately consensual "love stories," Agnifilo said. In his freewheeling, nearly four-hour-long argument, Agnifilo aimed to confuse the methodic narrative US attorney Christy Slavik provided one day prior. She had spent nearly five hours meticulously walking the jury through the charges and their legal basis, summarizing thousands of phone, financial, travel and audiovisual records along with nearly seven weeks of testimony from 34 witnesses. Central to their case is the claim that Combs led a criminal enterprise of senior employees -- including his chief-of-staff and security guards -- who "existed to serve his needs." But Agnifilo underscored that none of those individuals testified against Combs, nor were they named as co-conspirators in the indictment. "This is supposed to be simple," the defense counsel told jurors. "If you find that you're in the weeds of this great complexity, maybe it's because it just isn't there." "It takes a lot of courage to acquit," he said in closing. If convicted, Combs faces upwards of life in prison. - 'Brazen' - Casandra Ventura and a woman who testified under the pseudonym Jane described abuse, threats and coercive sex in excruciating detail, for days. Combs's defense has conceded that domestic violence was a feature of the artist's relationships, but that his outbursts did not amount to sex trafficking. The defense insisted the women were consenting adults making their own choices. Prosecutor Comey snapped back that they were being "manipulated" into "brazen" acts of sex trafficking, reiterating once again for jurors what the government says are the clearest-cut examples. Agnifilo pointed to Ventura's civil lawsuit against Combs in which she was granted $20 million: "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it would be Cassie," he said. Comey called that notion insulting: "What was her prize? Black eyes? A gash in her head? Sex for days with a UTI?" Agnifilo also pointed to a violent episode between Combs and Jane, when she says she struck him in an argument before he brutally beat her, struck her down in the shower, and then forced her into giving an escort oral sex. "Jane may have started that fight, but he finished it with a vengeance," Comey said, calling that incident the most obvious sex trafficking case and saying he had "literally beaten her into submission." Throughout the trial, jurors were shown voluminous phone records, including messages of affection and desire from both women -- and Agnifilo emphasized the love and romance once again. Both prosecutors said taking those words literally, and in isolation, doesn't paint the whole picture. They also referenced testimony from a forensic psychologist who explained to jurors how victims become ensnared by abusers. "The defense is throwing anything they can think of at the wall, hoping something will stick," Comey said. On Monday, Judge Arun Subramanian will instruct jurors on how to apply the law to the evidence for their deliberations. Then, 12 New Yorkers will determine Combs's future. mdo/sla Originally published as 'Not a god': arguments end in Combs trial ahead of jury deliberations
The Advertiser
21 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Diddy's lawyer says charges 'badly exaggerated'
Sean "Diddy" Combs has been portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Lawyer Marc Angifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at the hip hop impresario's properties. "Way to go, fellas," Agnifilo said as he began a presentation expected to last several hours. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of the swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo also called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise - I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the closing. All his life Combs has taken care of people, Agnifilo said, including the ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane, whose rent he is paying. "I don't know what Jane is doing today," Agnifilo said. "But she's doing it in a house he's paying for." Referring to lawsuits filed by Combs' accusers, he said: "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money." He noted that Combs' girlfriend of nearly 11 years - Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - sued him in a lawsuit that was settled for $US20 million ($A31 million) in a day in November 2023, triggering a federal probe the following day. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," Agnifilo said. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fuelled days-long sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. If convicted, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. He did not testify during the trial that is in its seventh week. After Agnifilo completes his closing, Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey was expected to deliver a rebuttal summation before the judge reads the law to the jury, which is not expected to begin deliberations until Monday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Sean "Diddy" Combs has been portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Lawyer Marc Angifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at the hip hop impresario's properties. "Way to go, fellas," Agnifilo said as he began a presentation expected to last several hours. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of the swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo also called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise - I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the closing. All his life Combs has taken care of people, Agnifilo said, including the ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane, whose rent he is paying. "I don't know what Jane is doing today," Agnifilo said. "But she's doing it in a house he's paying for." Referring to lawsuits filed by Combs' accusers, he said: "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money." He noted that Combs' girlfriend of nearly 11 years - Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - sued him in a lawsuit that was settled for $US20 million ($A31 million) in a day in November 2023, triggering a federal probe the following day. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," Agnifilo said. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fuelled days-long sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. If convicted, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. He did not testify during the trial that is in its seventh week. After Agnifilo completes his closing, Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey was expected to deliver a rebuttal summation before the judge reads the law to the jury, which is not expected to begin deliberations until Monday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Sean "Diddy" Combs has been portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Lawyer Marc Angifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at the hip hop impresario's properties. "Way to go, fellas," Agnifilo said as he began a presentation expected to last several hours. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of the swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo also called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise - I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the closing. All his life Combs has taken care of people, Agnifilo said, including the ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane, whose rent he is paying. "I don't know what Jane is doing today," Agnifilo said. "But she's doing it in a house he's paying for." Referring to lawsuits filed by Combs' accusers, he said: "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money." He noted that Combs' girlfriend of nearly 11 years - Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - sued him in a lawsuit that was settled for $US20 million ($A31 million) in a day in November 2023, triggering a federal probe the following day. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," Agnifilo said. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fuelled days-long sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. If convicted, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. He did not testify during the trial that is in its seventh week. After Agnifilo completes his closing, Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey was expected to deliver a rebuttal summation before the judge reads the law to the jury, which is not expected to begin deliberations until Monday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028 Sean "Diddy" Combs has been portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Lawyer Marc Angifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at the hip hop impresario's properties. "Way to go, fellas," Agnifilo said as he began a presentation expected to last several hours. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of the swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo also called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise - I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the closing. All his life Combs has taken care of people, Agnifilo said, including the ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane, whose rent he is paying. "I don't know what Jane is doing today," Agnifilo said. "But she's doing it in a house he's paying for." Referring to lawsuits filed by Combs' accusers, he said: "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money." He noted that Combs' girlfriend of nearly 11 years - Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - sued him in a lawsuit that was settled for $US20 million ($A31 million) in a day in November 2023, triggering a federal probe the following day. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," Agnifilo said. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fuelled days-long sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. If convicted, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. He did not testify during the trial that is in its seventh week. After Agnifilo completes his closing, Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey was expected to deliver a rebuttal summation before the judge reads the law to the jury, which is not expected to begin deliberations until Monday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Diddy's lawyer says charges 'badly exaggerated'
Sean "Diddy" Combs has been portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument as the victim of an overzealous prosecution that tried to turn the recreational use of drugs and a swinger lifestyle into a racketeering conspiracy that could put the music mogul behind bars for life. Lawyer Marc Angifilo mocked the government's case against Combs and belittled the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and baby oil at the hip hop impresario's properties. "Way to go, fellas," Agnifilo said as he began a presentation expected to last several hours. He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" evidence of the swinger lifestyle and threesomes to combine it with recreational drug use and call it a racketeering conspiracy. "He did not do the things he's charged with. He didn't do racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking," the lawyer said. Agnifilo also called Combs' prosecution a "fake trial" and ridiculed the notion that he engaged in racketeering. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?" Agnifilo asked. "Did any witness get on that witness stand and say yes, I was part of a racketeering enterprise - I engaged in racketeering?" No, Agnifilo argued, telling jurors that those accusations were a figment of the prosecution's imagination. Combs' family, including six of his children and his mother, were in the audience for the closing. All his life Combs has taken care of people, Agnifilo said, including the ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane, whose rent he is paying. "I don't know what Jane is doing today," Agnifilo said. "But she's doing it in a house he's paying for." Referring to lawsuits filed by Combs' accusers, he said: "This isn't about crime. It's about money. This is about money." He noted that Combs' girlfriend of nearly 11 years - Casandra "Cassie" Ventura - sued him in a lawsuit that was settled for $US20 million ($A31 million) in a day in November 2023, triggering a federal probe the following day. "If you had to pick a winner in this whole thing, it's hard not to pick Cassie," Agnifilo said. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fuelled days-long sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched and sometimes filmed the encounters. If convicted, Combs could face a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life. He did not testify during the trial that is in its seventh week. After Agnifilo completes his closing, Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey was expected to deliver a rebuttal summation before the judge reads the law to the jury, which is not expected to begin deliberations until Monday. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) National Sexual Abuse and Redress Support Service 1800 211 028
