Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs went on trial on sex trafficking charges on Monday, with prosecutors saying the Bad Boy Records founder lured women into romantic relationships, forced them to take part in days of drug-fueled sex parties and then blackmailed them with videos he recorded of the encounters.
Combs viciously attacked women when they resisted taking part in the parties, known as “Freak Offs” or otherwise upset him, prosecutor Emily Johnson said during her opening statement in Manhattan federal court. She told jurors they would hear testimony from victims who said Combs, 55, routinely beat them and exploded with rage at the smallest slights.
High on drugs, sexual fantasies
The case has drawn intense media coverage because of Combs’ fame. “They will tell you about some of the most painful experiences of their lives. The days they spent in hotel rooms, high on drugs, dressed in costumes to perform the defendant’s sexual fantasies,” Johnson said. Combs has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
If convicted on all counts, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and could face life in prison. For their first witness, prosecutors called Israel Florez, a former security guard who responded to the scene after Combs’ then-girlfriend, the rhythm and blues singer Casandra Ventura, reported that Combs attacked her in the hallway of a hotel near Los Angeles in 2016.
Combs apologised
CNN last year broadcast footage that appeared to show Combs attacking Ventura. Combs apologised after the video aired. Defence lawyer Teny Geragos said on Monday that prosecutors were trying to twist Combs’ romantic relationships into a racketeering and sex trafficking case. “Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case. This case is about voluntary choices made by capable adults in consensual relationships,” Geragos said in her opening statement. Marc Agnifilo, Combs’ lead lawyer, has said the 2016 hotel incident depicted the aftermath of a dispute over infidelity.
In a court hearing on Friday, Agnifilo said Ventura had a history of domestic violence, seeking to undercut prosecutors’ argument that she was a victim.
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Who is Sean “Diddy” Combs
Combs is known for turning rap and rhythm and blues artists like Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige into stars, and in the process, elevating the mainstream appeal of hip-hop in American culture in the 1990s and early 2000s. Born in Manhattan’s Harlem neighbourhood and raised by a single mother, Combs went on to live in mansions in Miami and Los Angeles and host lavish parties for the cultural elite in destinations like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez. Over the course of a two-month trial, jurors are expected to hear testimony from three and possibly four of the rapper’s female accusers, as well as his former employees who prosecutors say helped arrange and cover up his actions.
Combs’ defence strategy at trial will hinge on undermining the credibility of the women who testify against Combs. His lawyers will argue that the women were motivated by money to accuse him of wrongdoing and have unreliable memories. Combs also has faced at least 50 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse, including one from Ventura, whose lawsuit was settled for undisclosed terms. Ask yourself why they are making this allegation now? What is their motive? For many of them, the answer is simple: money, defence attorney Geragos said during her opening statement.
(With inputs from agency)
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