As Sean Combs’ prosecutors relaxation, right here is the case they’ve made : NPR

This report consists of descriptions of bodily and sexual violence.

After six weeks, federal prosecutors rested their case Tuesday (June 24) in opposition to hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, often known as Diddy or Puff Daddy. This is an outline of the proof and witnesses that the Southern District of New York has introduced in opposition to Combs — supplies and statements that they hope will persuade the jury to convict him of intercourse trafficking, transportation to interact in prostitution and racketeering.

It has been a wild month and a half outdoors of the particular courtroom proceedings. Neither the media nor the general public are allowed to carry any electronics into court docket, so dozens of reporters and plenty of followers have been handwriting a whole lot of pages of notes apiece through the trial. There are scores of TikTokers and YouTubers attending the proceedings every day — many sitting within the overflow courtroom that gives a dwell video feed of the principle courtroom — after which stampeding outdoors throughout breaks to stream hot-take movies for his or her followers. Diddy superfans and manosphere influencers proclaim their allegiances aloud within the overflow room (and within the precise courtroom as effectively). Every day, there are curious worldwide vacationers who cease by to absorb a totally American movie star trial. There was even a quick look by the musician now generally known as Ye. Beginning within the pre-dawn hours each weekday, there are scrums of digital camera crews who spend hours lurching throughout decrease Manhattan’s Pearl Avenue in hopes of grabbing photographs of the prolonged Combs clan, together with lots of the tycoon’s little children and his flamboyantly dressed mom, Janice Combs.

The scene contained in the courthouse is usually no much less intriguing, and typically feels almost as chaotic. On June 16, Decide Arun Subramanian dismissed one of many jurors, who gave inconsistent solutions about whether or not he lives in New York Metropolis or in New Jersey. The decide agreed with the prosecution’s issues that the juror was doubtlessly searching for a option to be a part of a high-profile prison trial. Final week, the decide additionally questioned one other juror about doubtlessly improper conversations he might have had with a former colleague. In mid-June, Subramanian chastised each the prosecution and protection groups a few leak of sealed proof to TMZ and The Day by day Mail. “Somebody is mendacity right here,” Subramanian stated.

Because the prosecution’s case drew to an in depth on Monday, protection lawyer Marc Agnifilo advised Subramanian that his workforce didn’t plan to name any witnesses on Combs’ behalf. As an alternative, the protection will current proof that they hope persuades the jury that the ladies concerned with Combs weren’t victims however keen members.

The costs in opposition to Combs, who has pleaded not responsible, are huge. Over the month and a half the federal prosecutors spent presenting their case, their narrative in opposition to Combs has been relatively meandering — and it is unclear whether or not that was an intentional technique or just a matter of managing witnesses’ schedules and wishes. One among their prime witnesses, Combs’ ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, was noticeably pregnant when she took the stand, and delivered her child simply two weeks after stepping down. Moreover, lots of the roughly 30 witnesses and far of the proof the prosecution has introduced to the jury cowl a number of parts of the federal government’s accusations.

Inside that densely knotted net, it is usually been laborious to tease out which parts of proof and statements from the stand prosecutors hope to align with which of their accusations. This is a have a look at the costs and what the federal government has introduced to the jury.

Intercourse Trafficking and Transportation to Interact in Prostitution

The costs embody two counts of intercourse trafficking by pressure, fraud or coercion in addition to bringing folks throughout state traces to interact in prostitution.

Each alleged victims named within the prison proceedings — Cassie Ventura and “Jane” — described very related conditions and environments surrounding the so-called “freak-offs, “lodge nights” or “wild king nights,” which allegedly included taking medication and performing sexually with male intercourse employees in entrance of Combs for a lot of hours at a time, with Combs directing their particular actions whereas filming them.

Sporting headphones, the jury additionally considered video clips and screengrabs of a few of these intercourse periods; these movies had been introduced below seal, in order that neither the general public nor the media would have the ability to see or hear the fabric. The protection maintains that the sexual encounters on this footage had been solely consensual.

Over 4 days of testimony, Ventura — who filed the primary outstanding civil swimsuit in opposition to Combs (which was settled a day later for $20 million) — alleged that he had bodily assaulted her on quite a few events, raped her, trafficked her and sought to manage each side of her private {and professional} life. Ventura testified that she liked Combs deeply, however that their relationship was constructed on management, energy imbalances, coercion and bodily abuse, and that he would allegedly threaten to blackmail her with the movies of the sexual encounters. She additionally stated that on a extensively seen surveillance video from 2016, during which Combs violently attacked her in a California lodge hallway, she was attempting to go away a freak-off. The jury additionally noticed pictures of Ventura’s bruises and accidents from different alleged bodily incidents.

The prosecution supplied each witnesses and written proof that tried to verify that Combs had introduced intercourse employees, Ventura and Jane throughout state traces to take part within the freak-offs. Jurors have additionally considered receipts, telephone data and texts referring to a few of these interstate journeys. Moreover, they heard testimony from authorities brokers with Homeland Safety Investigations, who raided Combs’ properties and located weapons, medication and hundreds of bottles of child oil and lubricant allegedly used within the freak-offs.

The jury has additionally heard first-person testimony from a number of the intercourse employees, together with Daniel Philip and Sharay Hayes, who used the nickname “The Punisher.” Many different witnesses stated that they both noticed Combs bodily assault Ventura, or that they knew concerning the alleged extortion makes an attempt.

Throughout her six days of testimony, Jane stated that in the midst of her relationship with Combs, he promised a romantic relationship along with her within the type of dates and high quality time, however as an alternative pressured her into intercourse marathons. Like Ventura, Jane stated that getting ready for and recuperating from Combs’ intercourse marathons took up a lot of her time that her profession took a backseat, leaving her financially depending on Combs. She additionally stated that the lodge nights had been so frequent that she usually developed urinary tract and yeast infections.

After she learn Ventura’s civil lawsuit in opposition to Combs in November 2023, Jane texted him: “I really feel like I am studying my very own sexual trauma.” Prosecutors additionally confirmed texts and notes entries she wrote to Combs over a three-year interval saying that she didn’t need to have intercourse with different males, and that the lodge nights made her really feel humiliated. The jury additionally noticed texts from Combs’ staff that implied hiring male intercourse employees had develop into a operating joke amongst his employees.

Combs’ protection workforce has argued that whereas the rapper and producer has “unconventional” sexual preferences that embody a “swinger life-style,” he isn’t a intercourse trafficker, and that the intercourse marathons had been all consensual encounters. It additionally pointed to texts during which each Ventura and Jane expressed love for Combs, and helped him plan and coordinate these marathons, suggesting that they had been in reality keen members.

Racketeering Conspiracy

That is the RICO cost that alleges Combs used his enterprise empire — and his staff — to cover prison actions. In keeping with the indictment, these “members and associates engaged in, and tried to interact in, amongst different crimes, intercourse trafficking, pressured labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.” Inside these fees, the federal government doesn’t must show that Combs dedicated any of the acts himself, however present the jury past an inexpensive doubt that such acts had been dedicated to finally profit Combs and fulfill his needs.

Some former Combs staff whose names got here up time and again on the stand didn’t testify for the prosecution. They embody Kristina Khorram, Combs’ former chief of employees, who witnesses accused of serving to Combs get hold of the footage from the 2016 California lodge incident; aiding Combs in transporting unlawful and pharmaceuticals throughout state traces; and monitoring Ventura’s actions and whereabouts for Combs. The jury has considered texts despatched by Khorram during which she described numerous actions she undertook on Combs’ behalf, together with acquiring medication for her boss and taking them throughout state traces.

The jury has additionally considered texts between Kristina Khorram and Jane, during which Jane advised Khorram that Combs had threatened to launch intercourse tapes of her, indicating that Khorram knew about an alleged blackmail try. The jury has additionally seen texts between Khorram and Ventura discussing an alleged episode in Los Angeles in September 2016 during which a good friend of Ventura, Bryana Bongolan, says that an enraged Combs dangled her over a balcony.

The jury additionally heard recorded telephone calls between Khorram and Jane made after Ventura filed her lawsuit, during which Jane advised Khorram that she felt used and exploited — however that Khorram continued to e-book lodge rooms and journey for Jane to take part within the lodge nights.

A number of former assistants testified that they arrange or cleaned lodge rooms for the freak-offs or picked up or purchased medication for Combs as a part of their jobs. However a lot of them additionally spoke extremely of Combs and his enterprise acumen. One, George Kaplan, testified that he stop after witnessing Combs behave violently towards Ventura and one other girlfriend — but additionally known as him “a god amongst males.”

The federal government additionally confirmed lodge invoices and flight data from accounts owned by Combs and his firms that confirmed fee for journey and lodge rooms and for in depth damages to these rooms, together with from child oil.

Compelled labor

Along with the freak-offs and the alleged coercion of Combs’ girlfriends into de facto intercourse work, a number of former staff of Combs testified about how the hip-hop tycoon mistreated them as staffers.

Throughout her three days on the witness stand, a former worker testifying below the pseudonym Mia stated that Combs usually requested her to work 20-hour days, on one event saved her from sleeping for a number of days and refused to pay her extra time. Mia additionally testified that Combs bodily and sexually assaulted her a number of instances over the eight-year span she labored for him, however stated that she stayed within the job as a result of she was “brainwashed” to imagine that the work setting was acceptable if she needed an even bigger profession within the leisure business. The protection known as out dozens of social media posts during which Mia lavishly praised Combs. “The highs had been very excessive and the lows had been very low,” she stated repeatedly.

Kidnapping

Capricorn Clark, a former Combs worker, testified that she had been kidnapped by folks related to Combs in 2004 after Combs suspected her of stealing high-end jewellery. She stated that associates of Combs locked her right into a dilapidated workplace constructing for 5 days, subjecting her to quite a few lie detector exams. Moreover, she stated that her interrogator advised her that if she failed the exams, she could be “thrown into the East River”; the exams had been inconclusive. She says she was fired when she reported the alleged kidnapping to executives at Combs’ Dangerous Boy Data. She later obtained a settlement from Combs after she accused him of wrongful termination.

Clark later returned to working for Combs, after being unable to safe some other job within the music business. Once more in his make use of and below his management, she stated that Combs kidnapped her as soon as extra in 2011, after he realized that Ventura had been courting the musician Child Cudi and that Clark knew about it.

Arson

Musician Scott Mescudi, who data as Child Cudi, took the stand to testify that in December 2011, whereas he was romantically concerned with Cassie Ventura, there was a break-in at his house. On the stand, he stated he and Ventura ended their relationship as a result of he was involved for his private security: “I knew Sean Combs was violent,” he testified.

The next month, somebody set fireplace to Mescudi’s Porsche, which was parked simply outdoors of his house; years later, he stated Combs pulled him apart at an occasion and apologized for “all the things.”

The prosecution additionally known as officers from the Los Angeles Police Division and the Los Angeles Hearth Division whose testimony aligned with Mescudi’s concerning the break-in and arson. LAFD arson investigator Lance Jimenez stated that the fireplace was brought on by a Molotov cocktail in what he opined was a “focused” incident. LAPD officer Christopher Ignacio testified that whereas responding to a name a few potential break-in at Mescudi’s residence, he noticed a Cadillac Escalade in entrance of the house, and that the Escalade was registered to Combs’ recording label.

Whereas she was on the stand, Clark stated Combs pressured her to accompany him to Mescudi’s home, saying “We will go kill him.” She additionally testified that Combs threatened to kill her if she went to the authorities, and that he stated he would kill her, Mescudi and Ventura if Mescudi advised police he suspected Combs of getting been in his house. Moreover, she stated she witnessed Combs brutally beating Ventura after he realized of her relationship with Mescudi.

Bribery

On June 3, Eddy Garcia, a former safety supervisor on the InterContinental Resort in Los Angeles, testified that Combs bribed him and his colleagues with $100,000, delivered in a paper bag, in change for the 2016 lodge safety video. Garcia additionally testified that he signed a nondisclosure settlement that known as for the destruction of proof and for Garcia’s silence. (Nondisclosure agreements, or NDAs, don’t stop folks from testifying in truth in authorized proceedings.)

In keeping with Garcia, Kristina Khorram was additionally concerned in that negotiation for the safety tape, buttressing the prosecution’s claims of racketeering. The jury additionally considered texts between Ventura and Khorram, during which Ventura wrote “nobody deserves to get dragged by their hair.”

Mia additionally testified that she believed a former safety worker nicknamed D-Roc tried to bribe her after Ventura filed a civil lawsuit in opposition to Combs; the jury noticed a blizzard of texts and telephone calls that Diddy, Khorram and D-Roc despatched Mia in that point interval, together with one during which D-Roc wrote: “I do know u did not ask for something, however I can ship my sister a present.”

Obstruction of justice

Cassie Ventura’s mom, Regina, testified that her household paid Combs $20,000 in 2011 to stop him from releasing sexually specific movies of Cassie after Combs realized that she had begun courting Mescudi. (She testified that Combs paid her again days later.) Her testimony was supported by that of former Combs Enterprises chief monetary officer Derek Ferguson, who confirmed that he had seen a fee of $20,000 from the Ventura household to Combs.

A former stylist for each Combs and Ventura named Deonte Nash additionally buttressed Regina Ventura’s testimony. Nash testified that together with witnessing Combs bodily attacking Cassie Ventura, he additionally witnessed Combs threatening to launch intercourse tapes of her, together with sending them to the locations her dad and mom labored as a way to get them fired.

In the course of the course of the trial to date, the jury has heard many different allegations in opposition to Combs — together with many episodes of bodily abuse perpetrated in opposition to girlfriends and staff and rampant drug use. The protection has maintained that whereas Combs could also be an abuser and concerned in “poisonous” and “jealous” relationships, and whereas the jury might not agree along with his life-style, none of these accusations are fees in opposition to him on this federal trial.