Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial to delve into the seediest side of rap's 'bad boy'
Share this @internewscast.com

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy” Combs, the renowned hip-hop mogul, was once the king of lavish White Parties in the Hamptons, drawing in celebrities, columnists, and photographers from all corners. However, as his trial begins on Monday, prosecutors aim to paint a picture of a man who used his fame for darker purposes, casting him as a deviant who abused women behind closed doors.

Prosecutors assert that for over twenty years, the founder of Bad Boy Records leveraged his power and reputation from his hip-hop empire to harm young lives.

He is confronted with an indictment describing “Freak Offs,” where drug-fueled orgies allegedly took place, forcing women to engage with male sex workers while Combs recorded them.

Numerous witnesses have come forward to accuse Combs of terrorizing people into silence by choking, hitting, kicking and dragging them, often by the hair, prosecutors say. Once, the indictment alleges, he even dangled someone from a balcony.

Combs’ lawyers contend prosecutors are trying to police consensual sexual activity.

And while Combs, 55, has acknowledged one episode of violence — the caught-on-camera beating of his former girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie — his lawyers say other allegations are false.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday at a federal courthouse in Manhattan. Testimony will likely start the following week.

If convicted on all charges, which include racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transporting people across state lines to engage in prostitution, Combs faces a possible sentence of decades in prison.

Investigation followed Cassie lawsuit

Although dozens of men and women have alleged in lawsuits that Combs abused them, this trial will highlight the claims of four women.

One of them is Cassie, who filed a lawsuit in late 2023 saying Combs had subjected her to years of abuse, including beatings and rape after they met in 2005.

The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, did.

Her lawsuit, which offered the first public account of the Freak Offs described in the indictment, was settled in a day. Four months later, though, federal investigators raided Combs homes in Los Angeles and Miami and confronted him at a private airport in Florida, seizing 96 electronic devices. They also found three AR-15-style rifles with defaced serial numbers.

The three-time Grammy winner was indicted last September. He has since been held in a federal jail in Brooklyn after judges ruled that he would be a threat to intimidate witnesses and victims if released.

The 17-page indictment against Combs accuses him of using employees of his business endeavors — including record labels, a recording studio, an apparel line, an alcoholic spirits company, a marketing agency, a television network and a media company — to facilitate his crimes through acts that included kidnapping, arson and bribery.

Prosecutors plan to show jurors travel records, text messages and emails, hotel records and videos to supplement testimony and support their claims about what they call “Freak Off activity.”

Jurors will also see security camera video showing Combs punching, kicking and then dragging Cassie in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.

After the video aired on CNN last year, Combs apologized, saying, “I take full responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted then when I did it. I’m disgusted now.”

Defense says Freak Offs were consensual

Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said at a bail hearing that Combs wrote “a very large check” to Cassie after she filed her lawsuit. The lawyer said the payout motivated others to come forward with false claims.

Agnifilo said Combs was “not a perfect person” and that there had been drug use and toxic relationships, but he said the rapper was undergoing therapy before his arrest.

He said Cassie and Combs were in a 10-year relationship that was “very loving at times” and sometimes chose to bring a third person into their intimacy.

“That was their thing,” he said. “It was a sought-after, special part of their relationship.”

The trial is not Combs’ first. In 2001, he was acquitted of bringing an illegal handgun into a crowded Manhattan dance club where three people were wounded by gunfire. A rapper in Combs’ entourage, Jamal Barrow, who performed under the name Shyne, was convicted in the shooting and served nearly nine years in prison.

At a pretrial conference Thursday, Combs confirmed to a judge that he turned down a plea offer that would have carried a lesser penalty than what he might face if he is convicted at his upcoming trial.

Just before he left the courtroom after the hearing, he defiantly shook his fist in the air.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Woman standing in front of her house, surrounded by numerous Amazon packages.

Amazon Delivery Chaos: Hundreds of Parcels Flood My Home with No End in Sight

HUNDREDS of large Amazon packages kept arriving at the doorstep of one…
One year after Trump assassination attempt, Butler widow demands accountability from Secret Service

One Year After Attempted Assassination on Trump, Butler Widow Calls for Secret Service Accountability

One year after Corey Comperatore was killed at a Trump rally in…
Woman standing in front of a small airplane.

Tragic Mid-Air Collision Claims Life of 20-Year-Old Female Student Pilot as Two Planes Attempt to Land

A STUDENT pilot lost her life in a mid-air collision involving the…
Neighbors complain about bad smell near Pullman Innovations Chicago factory near Torrence Avenue; Alderman Peter Chico to address

Alderman Peter Chico to Address Complaints of Foul Odor Near Pullman Innovations Factory on Torrence Avenue

CHICAGO (WLS) — The South Deering community is demanding answers after what…
Chinese satellites complete groundbreaking mission 22,000 miles above Earth

Chinese Satellites Achieve Revolutionary Milestone 22,000 Miles in Space

China’s space program made significant progress recently when two of its satellites…
Iga Swiatek vs. Belinda Bencic odds, picks, prediction

Odds, predictions, and picks for Iga Swiatek vs. Belinda Bencic matchup

Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission…
George Mason University faces investigation in Trump administration's anti-DEI crackdown

George Mason University Under Investigation Amidst Trump Administration’s Crackdown on DEI

WASHINGTON (AP) — On Thursday, the Trump administration initiated a civil rights…
Trump Wins Massive Payout From CBS Over Kamala Interview Scandal, Details of Settlement Humiliate Network

Trump Dismisses Iran’s Recent Threats, Shares Anecdote About His Last Sunbathing Experience

In a spontaneous press briefing at the White House, President Trump fielded…

Ashley Biden Defends Former President Soon After Doctor Declines Testifying on Cognitive Concerns

ASHLEY Biden has spoken out online for the first time, making a…
Toddler Clay Parisher added to tragic list of dead from historic Texas floods

Tragic Loss: Toddler Clay Parisher Among Latest Victims of Texas Flood Disaster

A tragic addition has been made to the already heart-wrenching list of…
Photo of a teenage girl and a woman.

Brave 17-year-old dies rescuing his entire family from a van that fell off a cliff into dangerous floodwaters.

A BRAVE teenager saved her entire family after their van plunged off…
Silver stainless steel water bottle with black lid and handle.

Walmart Urgently Recalls 850,000 Water Bottles After ‘Ejecting’ Incident Leaves Two Blind

An urgent recall has been announced for approximately 850,000 stainless steel water…