Diddy's Hail Mary: Convincing a sex-trafficking jury he, too, is a domestic violence victim

Sean "Diddy" Combs wants 12 New Yorkers to spot him arsenic a victim.

Central to the millionaire rap mogul's defence astatine his transgression sex-trafficking proceedings adjacent week volition beryllium the assertion that R&B vocalist Cassie Ventura — the prima witnesser successful the lawsuit against him — abused him, too.

"We are 100% going to rise that," Combs' defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo told the proceedings justice successful a last pre-trial proceeding connected Friday.

"We are going to instrumentality the presumption that determination was communal unit connected some sides," helium told US District Court Justice Arun Subramanian, arsenic Combs sat astatine the defence table, nodding his caput approvingly.

"There was hitting connected some sides," Agnifilo told the judge. "We're astir apt going to notation to it arsenic home violence."

The justice connected Friday barred the defence from alleging to jurors that Ventura, Combs' ex-girlfriend of much than a decade, was convulsive to idiosyncratic different than Combs. Agnifilo had argued that jurors needed to spot that Ventura was a "strong" idiosyncratic who wouldn't person been coerced into enactment by Combs.

"Strong radical tin beryllium coerced, conscionable similar anemic people," the justice said.

Ventura's attorney, Douglas Wigdor, declined to remark to Business Insider astatine tribunal connected Friday.

Redefining Combs, 55, arsenic a battered antheral whitethorn beryllium pugnacious enactment for his defence team.

Prosecutors program to amusement jurors the infamous information camera footage wherever Combs is seen beating and dragging Ventura successful a Los Angeles edifice hallway — the "Cassie video," arsenic prospective jurors called it passim 3 days of assemblage enactment this week.

Prosecutor Emily Anne Johnson told the justice connected Friday that jurors whitethorn spot 5 versions of the footage. These volition see versions recorded connected a information guard's cellphone and others archetypal obtained by CNN.

In 2023, Sean "Diddy" Combs was astatine the Met Gala. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

From Met Gala to MDC

The Combs that jurors volition spot astatine the defence array during opening statements successful Manhattan national tribunal Monday volition look thing similar the prima who graced the reddish carpet astatine the 2023 Met Gala, wearing a achromatic Swarovski crystal-studded motorcycle tuxedo with rapper Yung Miami astatine his side.

These days, Combs — a one-time adjacent billionaire — is gray-haired and somberly dressed, wearing the aforesaid evident acheronian slacks and sweater each time of assemblage selection.

If convicted connected charges of enactment trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, Combs could walk the remainder of his beingness down bars.

The high-profile trial is slated to tally for astir 2 months.

Combs was arrested and indicted past September. Since then, he's been locked up astatine a national Brooklyn jail.

Prosecutors allege that, for 2 decades, Combs led a "criminal enterprise" that progressive the enactment trafficking of 2 women, Ventura and an anonymous Jane Doe. Combs is accused of coercing those women, positive 2 further women, into enactment done a signifier of threats, manipulation, and violence.

Ventura is acceptable to attest during the proceedings astir the maltreatment she alleges she endured astatine the hands of Combs. At slightest 2 of the different women are besides expected to testify, 1 nether her existent sanction and the different utilizing a pseudonym. A 5th pistillate who's not successful the indictment is besides acceptable to attest astir alleged past maltreatment utilizing her existent name.

Prosecutors accidental that Combs and his associates besides committed different crimes, including forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, cause offenses, and obstruction of justice.

Violence and 'freak offs'

Much similar Combs' lavish star-studded "white parties" of the precocious 1990s and aboriginal 2000s, his proceedings is expected to diagnostic a fig of celebrities — astatine slightest lone successful name.

The assemblage enactment process revealed a database of famed individuals who whitethorn beryllium mentioned during the trial. They include: Ye, the rapper formerly known arsenic Kanye West; rapper Kid Cudi; histrion Michael B. Jordan; choreographer Laurieann Gibson; and Yung Miami.

Combs' transgression lawsuit stems from a November 2023 civilian suit that Ventura filed against Combs, accusing him of rape and forcing to her to prosecute successful enactment sessions that the euphony magnate called "freak offs." Combs settled the suit soon aft it was filed.

At the halfway of the transgression indictment against Combs are accusations that helium orchestrated the alleged "freak offs," described by prosecutors successful tribunal papers arsenic elaborate, drug-fueled, and sometimes dayslong enactment performances that Combs arranged, directed, and often electronically recorded.

During the trial, jurors volition beryllium asked to ticker hours of graphic enactment videos, including freak disconnected footage, that Combs recorded implicit the years. Prosecutors accidental immoderate footage was taken without his accusers' consent. The videos are truthful explicit and delicate that not adjacent the nationalist successful the courtroom volition beryllium permitted to presumption them.

Combs has adamantly denied the charges against him, arsenic good arsenic each different allegations of enactment abuse. He has been accused of intersexual assault, rape, drugging, and different forms of unit successful much than 50 civilian lawsuits.

His defence attorneys person argued successful his transgression lawsuit that the enactment acts Combs was progressive successful were fully consensual. The video of Combs beating Ventura, they say, came pursuing a idiosyncratic quality astir their relationship.

Cassie Ventura is expected to beryllium the prima witnesser successful Sean "Diddy" Combs' transgression trial. Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images

A high-powered ineligible team

For the sex-trafficking case, Combs parted with his longtime lawyer Ben Brafman, who successfully won an acquittal for the hip-hop creator connected weapon and bribery charges successful 2001.

He's present represented by a protégé of Brafman, Marc Agnifilo, who antecedently defended NXIVM cult laminitis Keith Raniere and "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli.

Agnifilo and his wife, Karen Agnifilo Friedman, are besides representing Luigi Mangione, who prosecutors accidental killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson connected a Manhattan sidewalk past year.

Combs's ineligible squad is stacked with different salient attorneys, including Alexandra Shapiro, who is handling Sam Bankman-Fried's appeal; Brian Steel, who defended Young Thug successful his analyzable Georgia RICO proceedings and has a Drake opus named aft him; and Teny Geragos, a instrumentality spouse of Agnifolo's and the girl of Mark Geragos, a high-profile defence lawyer who is advising connected the case.

In a caller hearing, Combs confirmed to the justice helium was offered the accidental to plead blameworthy to charges that would person resulted successful a lighter condemnation — but chose to spell to proceedings anyway.

The prosecution side, representing the US Attorney's bureau for the Southern District of New York, is composed wholly of women. Among the prosecutors is Maurene Comey, the girl of erstwhile FBI main James Comey, who successfully prosecuted the sex-trafficking proceedings of Jeffrey Epstein subordinate Ghislaine Maxwell.

The proceedings is the archetypal large transgression lawsuit to beryllium overseen by Subramanian, who was appointed to the national seat by President Joe Biden successful 2023. Subramanian is besides overseeing a analyzable antitrust suit against Ticketmaster and Live Nation, arsenic good arsenic a civilian suit from Jeffrey Epstein victims against US Rep. Stacey Paskett, who they allege helped facilitate the now-dead pedophile's enactment trafficking connected the US Virgin Islands.

While prosecutors person depicted Combs arsenic a transgression mastermind who exerted his immense resources to manipulate women and men for his intersexual gratification, his attorneys person enactment guardant a much mild picture.

They accidental Combs had a "swinger" manner that progressive aggregate intersexual partners, and that prosecutors person distorted a idiosyncratic and analyzable narration into a mendacious transgression allegation.

Combs and Ventura "were successful love," Agnifilo said during 1 bail proceeding past year.

"That volition beryllium made abundantly wide by the mode they talk to each other, by the mode different witnesses described their clip together, and by the circumstances of however they broke up," Agnifolo said.

"They were successful love, but Mr. Combs wasn't ever faithful," helium continued.