By Luc Cohen and Jack Queen
NEW YORK (Reuters) -The jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial is expected to begin its deliberations on Monday, after hearing dueling narratives from prosecutors and defense lawyers last week about whether the music mogul forced his former girlfriends to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy and two counts each of sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. A former billionaire known for elevating hip-hop in American culture, Combs could be sentenced to life behind bars if convicted on all five counts.
Over more than six weeks of testimony in Manhattan federal court, two of Combs’ former girlfriends — the rhythm and blues singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane — told the 12-member jury that he forced them to take part in the performances with paid male escorts, sometimes known as “Freak Offs,” while he watched, masturbated and occasionally filmed.
Both women testified that Combs beat them, and jurors saw a hotel surveillance video showing Combs attacking Ventura in a hallway in 2016.
“Cassie repeatedly told you that the defendant’s violence was in the back of her mind whenever he proposed a Freak Off,” prosecutor Christy Slavik said in her closing argument on Thursday. “The whole point was to control Cassie, to make her afraid to say no to the defendant. And it worked.”
Combs’ lawyers acknowledged that he was at times violent in domestic relationships, but argued Ventura and Jane took part consensually in the performances. During cross-examination, the defense highlighted tender and sexually explicit text messages the women sent Combs over the course of their years-long relationships with him.
“If he was charged with domestic violence, we wouldn’t all be here,” defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo said during his closing argument on Friday. “He did not do the things he’s charged with.”
The founder of Bad Boy Records, Combs lived a lavish lifestyle in his Miami and Los Angeles mansions and was feted for turning artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Usher into stars.
He has been held in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York;Editing by Noeleen Walder and Alistair Bell)
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