Diddy sex trafficking trial jury reaches partial verdict after 6 weeks of testimony and 2 days of deliberation

The Irish Sun

17 hours ago

A PARTIAL verdict has been reached in the federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Judge Arun Subramanian received a letter from the jury at around 4:40 pm informing the court that the jury has reached a verdict on some of the charges.
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs listens as lead prosecutor Maurene Comey makes rebuttal arguments for the government on June 27
Credit: Reuters
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Diddy performs onstage at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards in New Jersey in September 2023
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
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Sean Combs huddled with his defense team in court on June 30
Credit: Reuters
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Cassandra 'Cassie' Ventura sobbed on the stand during her testimony, which went on for four-days
Credit: Reuters
In closing arguments, prosecutors described Combs as the "leader of a criminal enterprise" who used his expansive "wealth, power, violence, and fear to get what he wanted."
"He thought that his fame, wealth and power put him above the law," Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik said.
"It was his kingdom. Everyone was there to serve him."
The core evidence of the prosecution's case was the disturbing and graphic nature of the drug-fueled "freak-offs" that at times Combs allegedly
Slavik described to jurors how Combs forced his former lovers
Ventura and Jane were sometimes required to perform the lewd acts, which were also called "hotel nights and wild king nights," while they were hurting from urinary tract infections (UTIs), according to prosecutors.
On the other hand, Combs'
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'They go into the man's bedroom. They go into the man's most private life. Where is the crime scene? The crime scene is your private sex life. That's the crime scene," Marc Agnifilo, Combs' lead defense attorney, said during closing arguments.
Agnifilo summarized the seven-week trial as a "tale of two trials," arguing one side is the one told by the evidence of the case, by witnesses, videos, and text messages, and the other was a "badly, badly, exaggerated" story told by prosecutors.
The defense attorney argued the sexual encounters involving Combs, Ventura, "Jane," and male escorts were consensual, and called the "freak-offs," which were sometimes video recorded, "homemade porn."
"You want to call it swingers, you want to call it threesomes, whatever you want to call it, that is what it is - that's what the evidence shows," Agnifilo told the jury.
"He did what he did. But he's going to fight to the death to defend himself from what he didn't do," Agnifilo told the jury.
Read our live blog of the verdict of Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial...
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Jury has reached a verdict on some of the charges
The jury has reached a verdict on the sex trafficking and transportation for engaging in prostitution charges.
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