Latest news with #Sean"Diddy"Combs
Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer mocks sex trafficking case in closing, says charges 'badly exaggerated'
Published Jun 27, 2025 • 2 minute read Sean "Diddy" Combs participates in "The Four" panel during the FOX Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif., Jan. 4, 2018. Photo by Richard Shotwell / Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. NEW YORK — Sean 'Diddy' Combs was portrayed in his lawyer's closing argument on Friday 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Attorney 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. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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's 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 $20 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Cassie and Jane both testified during the trial that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to perform in drug-fueled dayslong sex marathons with male sex workers while Combs watched, directed, masturbated 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 U.S. 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. Toronto Raptors Toronto Raptors Music Sunshine Girls Canada
Toronto Sun
5 days ago
- Toronto Sun
Sean 'Diddy' Combs jury sees more sex videos as prosecutors wind down case
Published Jun 23, 2025 • 2 minute read This courtroom sketch depicts Sean "Diddy" Combs sitting at the defense table during his bail hearing in New York on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. Photo by Elizabeth Williams / AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account NEW YORK — The jury at Sean 'Diddy' Combs ' sex trafficking trial viewed more video recordings on Monday of the sex marathons that have played a prominent role in a prosecution that was likely to rest by Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey sometimes referred to the mostly 1- or 2-minute clips filmed by the music mogul as 'explicit' videos, a signal for jurors to put on headsets that enabled them to hear and view the recordings without them being heard or seen by spectators in the Manhattan courtroom. Prosecutors have cited the drug-fueled multi-day events as evidence of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges, saying Combs relied on employees, associates and his business accounts to fly male sex workers to Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York, where his staff set up hotel rooms for the encounters and cleaned up afterward. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Last week, prosecutors showed jurors about 2 minutes of the footage from 2012 and 2014 involving Combs' then-girlfriend Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, a male sex worker and Combs. Cassie earlier testified that she participated in hundreds of the 'freak-off' events. She and Combs were in a relationship from 2007 until 2018. Cassie sued Combs in 2023 alleging years of abuse. He settled within hours, and dozens of similar lawsuits followed. The Associated Press doesn't generally identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has done. Defense lawyers last week showed the jury about 18 minutes of video clips from the sex performances involving Cassie after a lawyer said in opening statements that the videos prove sexual activity was consensual and not evidence of a crime. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. On Monday, prosecutors aired nearly 20 minutes of recordings from 2021 and 2022 of a single mother who was identified only by the pseudonym 'Jane,' male sex workers and Combs. Jane testified for six days earlier in the trial that she was romantically involved with Combs from 2021 until his September arrest at a New York hotel room. Joseph Cerciello, a Homeland Security Investigations agent, testified that dozens of the recordings from late 2021 until last August lasted many hours. Comey finished questioning Cerciello in the early afternoon Monday. After a cross-examination by the defense, the prosecution was expected to rest. The trial is in its seventh week, with closing arguments tentatively scheduled for Thursday after what was expected to be a brief defense presentation. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. He's been active in his defense, writing notes to his attorneys and sometimes influencing when they stop questioning witnesses. Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances. Toronto & GTA Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA Toronto Blue Jays NBA
IOL News
5 days ago
- IOL News
Diddy trial: Shocking testimony from male escort reveals two days without sleep during a 'freak off'
Sean "Diddy" Combs is currently on trial for multiple charges including sex trafficking and racketeering. As the proceedings near its conclusion, disturbing testimonies have emerged. The US judiciary is expected to wrap up its case against Sean "Diddy" Combs on Monday, June 23, after more than six weeks of testimony from a number of witnesses. Central to the prosecution's narrative are a series of text messages exchanged between a male escort, known as 'Jules' and an unknown associate of Diddy's (device owner who did all the communating), which detailed intricate arrangements for trips and sex parties, referred to as "freak offs". One particular exchange from August 2009 revealed the escort being promised a "tip" to attend a last-minute meeting in New York. Jules accepted just minutes later. On the stand, Jules reflected on the nature of this meeting, using the euphemism 'rabbit-like' to describe the sexual escapades that ensued. The court heard that he had travelled from Los Angeles to John F. Kennedy International Airport where he was given access to a luxury hotel. After freshening up, he was given a room number to go to. Two days later, Jules asked for his return flight to be booked. The device owner said that it would be done, but not before Jules came back up to the room. He was wanted back in an hour. Room service Jules responded that he needed a little more rest than one hour and asked if that would be okay. Jules said that he hadn't slept in two days and joked "u guys r rabbits lol." The device owner replied: "Lol, Ok hit me when you wake. Sorry bro. No stress. U let me know." Almost four hours later, Jules texted that he was coming to the room. He texted that he was "at the door knocking" and to let him know "if u are there". Jules later assumed that occupants of the hotel room "stepped out". About four hours later, the device owner finally gets back to him and said, "OK come up". Drugs and baby oil The court also saw new text evidence against the former music mogul when prosecutors introduced a tranche of photos from the March 2024 raid on Diddy's mansion in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles. Jurors saw pictures of high-powered rifles, drugs and hundreds of bottles of baby oil. Investigators also found bags containing ketamine, which were also photographed as evidence. The pictures show bottles of baby oil neatly lined in display cabinets, while dozen of boxes of the lubricant were also found stacked in the home. Defence attorney Marc Agnifilo has said the star likes to 'buy in bulk like any other American' and claimed Combs participated in consensual sex. Despite the trial coming to a close, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani admitted that lingering questions remain with the case, including questions about missing key witnesses. In 2024, Combs pleaded not guilty to five counts of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering. The case continues.
eNCA
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- eNCA
Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial offers fodder for influencers and YouTubers
USA - The criminal trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs is now in its sixth week of testimony - and interest among influencers and YouTubers is still soaring, as online personalities flock to the Manhattan federal courthouse to livestream their musings. Every day, it's the same routine: content creators on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube rub shoulders with legacy media organisations as they set up cell phone tripods and stage their shows, enthusiastically relaying their hot takes. The trial of Combs, once a titan of the music industry who faces life in prison if convicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, can't be broadcast. The federal courthouse doesn't allow cameras, laptops, phones or even wireless headphones inside. So, alongside the many journalists covering the trial, influencers hustle in and out of the courthouse throughout the day to recount the proceedings beat by beat, dropping off and picking up their electronics at security each time. One woman who goes by the TikTok name "KealoHalika" said in the first two days of testimony she earned an estimated 10,500 followers; her account now has 40,500 followers. "It was like craziness," she told AFP outside the courthouse. "It's been a lot of moving pieces. It's definitely changed my life." Combs is incarcerated and doesn't enter or exit the courthouse publicly. But some of the high-profile attendees and witnesses do, including members of the music mogul's family and figures like Kid Cudi, the rapper who testified that Combs's entourage torched his car. These paparazzi-esque arrivals and exits are catnip for content creators to in turn feed their followers. The brief cameo of Ye, who stopped by to lend his "support" to Combs amid the proceedings, was a particular field day for the chronically online. Donat Ricketts, a 32-year-old artist from Los Angeles, was a regular at the high-profile Tory Lanez and A$AP Rocky trials in California. He told AFP he makes between $8,000 and $10,000 a month, including through YouTube's ad revenue program and fan donations. "This is my first time traveling to another state to cover a case," said the creator with about 50,000 YouTube subscribers. "It feels like vacation, plus I'm being able to work and make money from YouTube." Ricketts didn't study journalism - but he thinks his "big personality" and ability to relate to online viewers sets him apart. "This case is the turning point where mainstream media knows that the 'independent journalists' are a force to be reckoned with," he said. - 'Personal narrative' - According to a 2024 Pew Research Center study, one in five Americans get news from influencers online; for people under 30, the share jumps to 37 percent. Reece Peck, a professor of political communication and journalism at the City University of New York, called the competition among content creators "Darwinian." "They're so scared of losing their clientele or their audience. And so with that logic, that you have to constantly create content, the news cycle is such an attractive source of material," Peck told AFP. And the Combs trial is a fount, he said: "It's sex, it's violence, and it's celebrity." Emilie Hagen said she does have a journalism degree but these days publishes via her Substack, also putting out content on Instagram and TikTok. AFP | Leonardo Munoz "I'm there every day providing humorous updates," she told AFP of the Combs trial. Dozens of traditional media outlets are providing coverage and analysis of the trial. But Hagen said she's "able to go down rabbit holes that they're not allowed to go down." "I don't have to stick to the daily recap," she said. "I can insert a personal narrative." Many of her most fruitful videos are of "me interacting with all of the wild people that come to the trial outside the courthouse," she added. Hagen said she's notched 12,000 more Instagram followers and 10,000 more on TikTok since proceedings began. She said some fans have donated, which recently allowed her to hire a linesitter. Getting into the main courtroom, as opposed to overflow rooms with video feeds of the trial, can require either arriving overnight or the day prior, and many influencers along with media outlets like ABC News and The New York Times hire people to hold spots. But even with the deluge of news updates from media outlets and content streams from influencers, some people still want to see the trial for themselves. Val Solit, a teacher from Los Angeles on vacation to New York, dropped by the proceedings after having lunch in nearby Chinatown with her partner. "I like crime and dramas," she told AFP, likening the hype to the 1990s-era trial of O.J. Simpson. "It was kind of fascinating to come and see it." "It's history in the making." By Andrea Bambino, Maggy Donaldson And Celine Gesret
Int'l Business Times
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Int'l Business Times
Sean 'Diddy' Combs Trial Offers Fodder For Influencers And YouTubers
The criminal trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs is now in its sixth week of testimony -- and interest among influencers and YouTubers is still soaring, as online personalities flock to the Manhattan federal courthouse to livestream their musings. Every day, it's the same routine: content creators on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube rub shoulders with legacy media organizations as they set up cell phone tripods and stage their shows, enthusiastically relaying their hot takes. The trial of Combs, once a titan of the music industry who faces life in prison if convicted on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, can't be broadcast. The federal courthouse doesn't allow cameras, laptops, phones or even wireless headphones inside. So, alongside the many journalists covering the trial, influencers hustle in and out of the courthouse throughout the day to recount the proceedings beat by beat, dropping off and picking up their electronics at security each time. One woman who goes by the TikTok name "KealoHalika" said in the first two days of testimony she earned an estimated 10,500 followers; her account now has 40,500 followers. "It was like craziness," she told AFP outside the courthouse. "It's been a lot of moving pieces. It's definitely changed my life." Combs is incarcerated and doesn't enter or exit the courthouse publicly. But some of the high-profile attendees and witnesses do, including members of the music mogul's family and figures like Kid Cudi, the rapper who testified that Combs's entourage torched his car. These paparazzi-esque arrivals and exits are catnip for content creators to in turn feed their followers. The brief cameo of Ye, who stopped by to lend his "support" to Combs amid the proceedings, was a particular field day for the chronically online. Donat Ricketts, a 32-year-old artist from Los Angeles, was a regular at the high-profile Tory Lanez and A$AP Rocky trials in California. He told AFP he makes between $8,000 and $10,000 a month, including through YouTube's ad revenue program and fan donations. "This is my first time traveling to another state to cover a case," said the creator with about 50,000 YouTube subscribers. "It feels like vacation, plus I'm being able to work and make money from YouTube." Ricketts didn't study journalism -- but he thinks his "big personality" and ability to relate to online viewers sets him apart. "This case is the turning point where mainstream media knows that the 'independent journalists' are a force to be reckoned with," he said. According to a 2024 Pew Research Center study, one in five Americans get news from influencers online; for people under 30, the share jumps to 37 percent. Reece Peck, a professor of political communication and journalism at the City University of New York, called the competition among content creators "Darwinian." "They're so scared of losing their clientele or their audience. And so with that logic, that you have to constantly create content, the news cycle is such an attractive source of material," Peck told AFP. And the Combs trial is a fount, he said: "It's sex, it's violence, and it's celebrity." Emilie Hagen said she does have a journalism degree but these days publishes via her Substack, also putting out content on Instagram and TikTok. "I'm there every day providing humorous updates," she told AFP of the Combs trial. Dozens of traditional media outlets are providing coverage and analysis of the trial. But Hagen said she's "able to go down rabbit holes that they're not allowed to go down." "I don't have to stick to the daily recap," she said. "I can insert a personal narrative." Many of her most fruitful videos are of "me interacting with all of the wild people that come to the trial outside the courthouse," she added. Hagen said she's notched 12,000 more Instagram followers and 10,000 more on TikTok since proceedings began. She said some fans have donated, which recently allowed her to hire a linesitter. Getting into the main courtroom, as opposed to overflow rooms with video feeds of the trial, can require either arriving overnight or the day prior, and many influencers along with media outlets like ABC News and The New York Times hire people to hold spots. But even with the deluge of news updates from media outlets and content streams from influencers, some people still want to see the trial for themselves. Val Solit, a teacher from Los Angeles on vacation to New York, dropped by the proceedings after having lunch in nearby Chinatown with her partner. "I like crime and dramas," she told AFP, likening the hype to the 1990s-era trial of O.J. Simpson. "It was kind of fascinating to come and see it." "It's history in the making." arb-mdo/ksb Getting into the main courtroom of the trial of Sean Combs, as opposed to overflow rooms with video feeds, can require either arriving overnight or the day prior, offering big business for linesitters AFP Rapper Kid Cudi leaves federal court after testifying at the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking trial AFP The criminal trial of Sean Combs has influencers and YouTubers flocking to the courthouse and relaying the scene to their online fanbases AFP The Sean Combs trial has been a fount of content for influencers and YouTubers to put on their channels AFP A man livestreams outside the Manhattan federal courthouse, where Sean "Diddy" Combs is on trial for sex trafficking and racketeering charges AFP
