Diddy Trial's Most Disturbing Claims: Week Seven Breakdown

If convicted on all charges, which also include arson and bribery, Combs could face a mandatory 15-year prison sentence, with the possibility of life behind bars.

The prosecution has brought a wide array of witnesses, including former girlfriends, employees, hotel staffers, and law enforcements agents involved in the hip-hop mogul's arrests and various encounters over the years.

The jury has also seen hundreds and thousands of text messages, phone calls, voicemails, and even video of sexual encounters alternately called "freak-offs," "king nights," and "hotel nights." As the prosecution argues coercion, the defense is countering with consent.

For the sixth week of testimony, the jury met Brandan Paul, a former assistant of Diddy's who admitted setting up hotel rooms, procuring drugs, and cleaning up afterward -- saying he was only aware of these nights being with his then-girlfriend "Jane" (she testified anonymously under this moniker) and believed they were consensual.

Along with "Jane" sharing how she felt coerced into "hotel nights" with Diddy and was shocked when former girlfriend Cassie Ventura's lawsuit closely mirrored her own thoughts and experiences, the jury heard from Ventura, several of the male escorts involved, as well as Ventura's mother and ex-boyfriend Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi.

A centerpiece of the prosecution's case has been the viral video of Ventura's physical assault in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in 2016, with jurors reliving that story from multiple individuals, including a security guard who alleged he was paid $100,000 by Combs directly to give him the only copies of that altercation.

To see the prosecution's entire case as it was laid out in the past six weeks, check out the links below.

As she concluded her powerful rebuttal, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey told the jury that Combs never believed this day would come -- that the women he allegedly abused would speak up, or that others would stand behind them. But, she said, he was wrong.

"For 20 years, the defendant got away with his crimes. That ends in this courtroom," Comey declared. "The defendant is not a god. He is a person. And in this courtroom, he stands equal before the law."

"Overwhelming evidence proves his guilt," she continued before resting her case. "It is time to hold him accountable. Find him guilty."

The jury was then dismissed for the weekend with Judge Arun Subramanian telling them he'll issue them instructions on Monday morning so they can begin deliberating.

As Comey continued her scathing rebuttal, she reminded the jury of two violent incidents that prosecutors say are central to understanding Combs' alleged pattern of abuse and control: The March 2016 assault on Ventura at the InterContinental Hotel in California, and a June 2024 altercation involving Combs and "Jane" at her Los Angeles home.

"These incidents were so far over the line, they have tried desperately to spin them," Comey told the jury, calling out the defense's attempts to downplay both.

"When violence is paired with unwanted commercial sex, it turns into trafficking," she explained, reinforcing the government’s argument that force and coercion were used in tandem with sex acts to meet the legal definition of sex trafficking.

Recalling Ventura's testimony, Comey detailed the brutal hotel attack: "Combs took Cassie's phone because he knows she won't leave if he has her phone," she said. "He threw Ventura to the ground to stop her from leaving and kicked her to remind her he has the power."

Comey also said Combs made a calculated choice when Ventura called hotel security during the incident. "Combs stayed in the hallway with Ventura once she called security so he can keep control of the situation and prevent security from seeing an escort in the hotel room," she argued.

Turning to the incident with "Jane" -- described in graphic detail during trial -- she said it was not an isolated outburst, but the culmination of a long-term scheme of coercion and control.

"Jane may have started that fight but he finished it -- with a vengeance," Comey said, pushing back on the defense's suggestion that Jane provoked the incident by hitting Combs. "Let me be very clear here: Nothing Jane did that night justifies the defendant's actions."

She told jurors that Combs had "literally beaten her into submission" and then forced her to engage in sex acts with an escort named Anton as a form of punishment. "Sean Combs won that fight and he made Jane pay by performing with Anton," Comey said. "She has no reason to lie about that."

Comey also accused the defense of desperately spinning the facts, saying they offered "just about any excuse you can think of to explain away Combs" behavior that night.

In one of the most chilling moments, Comey addressed the defense's assertion that alleged victims enjoyed what they so-called "Freak Offs" or "hotel nights."

"Being in a dark hotel room awake for days covered in oil, wearing 8-inch heels, often with a UTI … sitting in the same position … performing oral sex for hours," Comey described. "Having sex for hours, including with strangers… having unprotected sex with stranger after stranger -- a rotation of men for days."

Comey emphasized that Ventura had no financial incentive to lie, pointing out she had already received a $30 million settlement from both Combs and the InterContinental Hotel.

"Why would she risk it all by perjuring herself at a federal trial?" Comey asked. She noted that both Ventura and "Jane" testified about similar abusive encounters Combs allegedly orchestrated -- some of which were referred to as "king nights" or "wild king nights" by Combs' staff.

Comey also delivered a blistering rebuttal to the defense's Ventura's role in the sex acts that allegedly occurred at Combs' direction, arguing that power, abuse, and fear were the forces behind Ventura's compliance.

"So when the defendant told Cassie to set up a 'Freak Off,' what choice did she have?" Comey asked, reminding jurors that Ventura was just 21 years old when she entered into a relationship with Combs and that he had control over everything in her life -- "from her career to her home and her car."

Comey accused the defense of attempting to sanitize what occurred as just a regular part of the type of sex Combs and his partners enjoyed.

"Being a domestic abuser is not a defense to sex trafficking," she stated. "If part of the abuse is making your partner participate in a commercial sex act, you're guilty of sex trafficking."

She also shut down any implication that "Freak Offs" were consensual, mutual, or even pleasurable.

"These are not beautiful evenings," Comey told the jury. "They are the same things over and over set up for one man's pleasure, one man's enjoyment."

Comey reminded jurors of Ventura's testimony that Combs had hit her during some "Freak Offs" and referenced the 2016 hotel assault, which reportedly happened after a sex act was interrupted.

"There's no separating the violence from the sex," she said. "But make no mistake, the violence that happened away from hotels and away from 'Freak Offs' were about keeping Cassie obedient, controlling her."

Comey made one thing very clear, if the jury believes even one of the alleged "Freak Offs" or "hotel nights" meets the legal standard for sex trafficking, that's enough for conviction.

"To convict on a sex trafficking charge, the jury has to find only one 'Freak Off' or 'hotel night' was sex trafficking," Comey said during her rebuttal before walking the jury through the federal definition.

"Sex trafficking involves getting someone to say yes through illegal means like force, fraud and coercion," she added, noting that Combs is facing two counts of sex trafficking.

Comey also made clear that any financial benefits gained by Ventura and "Jane," only served to give Combs more control over their lives.

The prosecutor said Ventura and Jane both tried to leave Combs multiple times, but would get sucked back in, in part because of the trauma bond created over the course of their relationship.

"Those supposed benefits -- the homes, the money -- kept them trapped. The defendant did that on purpose," Comey said. "The cost of doing that was just a drop in the bucket. He was more than willing to spend that to trap Cassie and Jane."

Comey argued that Combs' inner circle helped facilitate his control over ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.

"They played both sides," Comey said, referring to Combs' former chief of staff Kristina Khorram and ex-head of security, D-Roc. "They were friendly with Ventura because it helped them get her back to Combs and do what he wanted."

Comey also revisited dramatic testimony from both Ventura and rapper Kid Cudi, who backed claims by ex-employee Capricorn Clark that Combs forcibly took her to Cudi's home.

"It makes total sense that when he's going to kill another man he's bringing a gun. When he's beating on a woman half his size he doesn't need a gun," Comey said, countering the defense's suggestion that Combs didn’t use firearms.

Regarding the infamous car explosion, Comey added: "He said he was going to blow up the car, and lo and behold, it blew up."

She proceeded to call out Combs for allegedly bribing hotel security guard Eddy Garcia to hide video evidence of him assaulting Ventura in 2016.

"Of course the police and an investigation were on Sean Combs' mind," Comey said.

"This is bribery," she added, pointing to the $100,000 payment and a non-disclosure agreement Garcia signed after handing over surveillance footage of the incident.

"The only reason Combs would say [not to make big purchases] is if he was worried the police may try to track down the video," she said.

Tackling the topic of "Jane," Comey also took aim at a defense claim about calls between Combs and the alleged victim.

"Plaintiffs' lawyers don't get to tap phones," she told the jury. "Who taps phones? The feds. What he's doing on those calls is tampering with a witness."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey addressed multiple explosive allegations raised throughout the trial and pushing back hard on the defense's narrative, particularly the defense's efforts to shift blame away from Combs.

"The defense just spent a whole lot of energy trying to blame his victims and the U.S. government for his lies, his threats and for his inexcusable behavior," Comey told the jury. "Tossing up excuse after excuse for his inexcusable behavior."

"Make no mistake: This trial was about how, in Sean Combs' world, 'no' was never an option," she continued.

Comey next addressed the federal transportation charges, arguing Combs knowingly flew escorts across the country for sex.

"He flew escorts across the country, watched them have sex while he masturbated and then he handed them cash," Comey said. "Common sense alone shows you that when the defendant flew those escorts out, it was not for their scintillating conversation. It was for sex."

She continued, "His money is for sex, the sexual performance, not for time. That's prostitution," adding that even if the escorts were willing, "when they got cash at the end of the night, they were getting paid for sex."

She also pointed to Combs' own texts as his awareness of the crime: "He said in text messages to Ventura that she needed to make sure escorts weren't undercover cops. The jury also saw Combs text an escort asking if he was a cop."

While prosecutors rested their case on Thursday (read full recap below), the defense began their closing statements Friday morning.

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo began his statement by making it clear he and Combs' team "own the domestic violence" allegations from Ventura and Diddy's exes. "He did not do the things he is charged with, racketeering or sex trafficking. He didn't kidnap anyone or obstruct justice. He is going to fight to the death to defend himself against what he didn't do."

Agnifilo said the rapper and Ventura were "in love," calling their relationship a "great modern love story" and the "opposite" of a "racketeering conspiracy."

"She was always free to leave. She chose to stay because she was in love with him," he said of Cassie. "She's a woman who actually likes sex. Good for her. She's beautiful, she should. She's intense. She's unafraid."

Agnifilo said Ventura "played" both Kid Cudi and Diddy, calling her a "gangster" while referring to the burner phone she used for speak with the former. He accused her of lying to Combs "over and over and over" about Cudi, insinuating it proved she was "not afraid" of Diddy. Agnifilo also insisted Combs never threw a Molotov cocktail into Cudi's Porsche, calling it "nonsense."

"He's gonna fight him, not blow up his car," he added, this after also denying kidnapping allegations by Capricorn Clark, and Ventura.

Agnifilo also said Combs paying off a security guard at the InterContinental Hotel after the 2016 assault of Ventura wasn't about bribery or any police investigation, but to prevent any "bad publicity" that could come from its release. He also suggested the fight was over a phone, as Ventura was seen carrying something in her hand as she left the room, before Combs is seen with his phone after. Agnifilo later pointed to messages between Combs and Ventura saying that the drugs Combs took that day "were off, the drugs were bad."

He later "suggested" Combs also didn't rape Ventura after they split, pointing to text messages after the alleged incident in which she said, "I had a lot of fun with you thank you. I told myself I didn’t want anything to happen." Agnifilo argued that Ventura lied and said she was raped after her now-husband found out about the incident.

Agnifilo also tried to poke holes in the testimony of Mia, Combs' former assistant who claimed he sexually assaulted her, insisting "there was not any unwanted sexual contact" between the two at all.

He also insisted that while Combs used drugs, he never distributed them in a criminal capacity, before taking the sex trafficking charges on. Calling Combs and Ventura "swingers," he said their "freak offs" were "how they are close" and said there was "overwhelming" evidence to support she was into them.

Agnifilo admitted that while Combs did "from time to time" threaten to release "freak off" videos, he claimed Diddy "never wouldn't actually done it." Describing some of the footage, he added, "The music's nice, the mood seems friendly and easygoing and everyone is smiling, they're laughing ... There's a real, genuine intimacy and just nice quality to these evenings."

"He’s not the only man in America making homemade porn," Agnifilo added.

Of accuser Jane, Agnifilo said that while she may have had regrets about some of their activities together, that doesn't mean she wasn't a willing participant. He also called her accounts of assault "really, really inexplicable"

At the end of his 4-hour closing statement, he told the jury, "I am asking you to acquit Sean Combs of all the counts. He is not a racketeer. He sits there innocent, so return him to his family who has been waiting for him."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik concluded her closing argument by thanking the jurors for their time over the past seven weeks, acknowledging they had seen "lots of that evidence was hard to hear or hard to see and now it's all before you."

"You heard how the defendant ran his criminal enterprise with total control and with the loyal assistance of his inner circle -- his chief of staff, who was his right hand, and his security team, whose names changed over time," she asserted. Slavik then listed key witnesses and recounted the numerous messages, records, and images presented.

"All of this evidence paints a clear picture of how the defendant committed crime after crime for two decades, how he didn’t take no for an answer. The evidence shows you how he and his inner circle committed crimes and how far they would go to cover them up," she stated.

Slavik's final words to the jury were a direct challenge: "Up until today, the defendant was able to get away with these crimes because of his money, his power, his influence. That stops now. It’s time to hold him accountable."

Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo is scheduled to present the defense's closing arguments on Friday at 9:00 a.m. See more of today's updates below.

Slavik asserted that Combs engaged in witness tampering and obstruction of justice after Ventura's lawsuit was filed in November 2023. She stated, "For years, the defendant took great pains to keep his criminal conduct from being exposed." However, "many of the crimes that we’ve been speaking about were made public when Cassie filed her lawsuit."

Combs, knowing the civil allegations could trigger a criminal investigation, allegedly enlisted his "inner circle" to "neutralize" potentially damaging witnesses. Slavik noted, "Paying people off with $100,000 in a brown paper bag wasn't an option -- he needed to stay under the radar."

The jury heard recordings from Combs' Khorram's phone, specifically two calls between Combs and Jane made "shortly after the lawsuit was settled." Slavik argued, "the only reason the defendant is doing this, is reaching out to Jane, is fear of a criminal investigation."

"The defendant tries to feed Jane the false narrative of the events of the past 3 years," Slavik said. "What he says to her, he knows it isn’t true – it's what he wants her to say to protect him. That’s witness tampering, that’s obstruction."

Slavik detailed how Combs repeatedly attempted to get Jane to claim she was a "willing participant in the 'hotel nights'," but Jane resisted, and Combs "cut her off." Slavik also pointed out a "scratching of a Sharpie writing on paper" in the background of the recording, suggesting Khorram was present but silent to conceal her involvement, instead writing notes. "They were working together as a team," Slavik asserted.

Later in the call, Combs allegedly "dangles a carrot," telling Jane she "wouldn’t have to worry about anything as long as she’s on his side." Two days later, he instructed Khorram to ensure Jane's rent was paid on time. Slavik stated Khorram complied because "she knew what a threat Jane could be to the defendant," helping Combs "cover up his crime" and then "record these calls with Jane to fabricate evidence."

Slavik further accused Combs of attempting to pressure Mia into lying to law enforcement in 2023 and 2024, citing these efforts as "additional examples of witness tampering and obstruction."

Combs allegedly had his former head of security, D-Roc, contact Mia after Cassie Ventura's lawsuit became public, the first time they had spoken in over two years. D-Roc reportedly suggested that Combs and Ventura's conflicts were typical for a couple and that others who worked with Mia felt the same. Slavik stated that Combs and D-Roc were "working together to neutralize the Mia threat."

Records show D-Roc and Combs communicated about their outreach to Mia in late 2023 and early 2024. D-Roc updated Combs on conversations and even sent copies of Mia's messages. Slavik claimed D-Roc gave Mia "a false version of events" and tried to persuade her that "everyone else accepted that story," then continued his outreach and eventually "offered her money."

In February 2024, Combs reportedly called Mia five times in a row at 6 a.m., then texted her asking her to call him to "jog his memory" about events. "As a criminal investigation became more and more real, the defendant tried repeatedly to reach out to Mia," Slavik said. Mia testified she "felt terrified and threatened" by Combs' attempts to contact her, particularly as she was already cooperating with federal investigators in 2024.

Slavik directly addressed the racketeering conspiracy charge, focusing on allegations of forced labor against Ventura, Jane, Mia and Clark.

Slavik detailed harrowing accounts of Ventura and Jane being coerced into "grueling days-long sexual encounters without sleep." She stated that Combs forced them "to have sex with multiple men, multiple times over multiple days." The prosecutor highlighted the severe physical toll these experiences took, noting, "They got sores, they got sick, they got infections." Both women, Slavik said, testified to regularly contracting urinary tract infections from these "Freak Offs," reaching a point where "antibiotics were ineffective."

"This was not for Cassie's pleasure. This was work," Slavik emphasized, adding that both Jane and Cassie sometimes endured these "Freak Offs" or "hotel nights" while still suffering from UTIs from previous encounters. When they expressed exhaustion or illness, Combs allegedly told them to "keep going and 'finish strong.'"

Moving to Mia, Combs' former assistant, Slavik described her as a victim of both forced labor and sexual abuse. "The defendant treated Mia differently than many of the other personal assistants -- he demanded more and he abused her," Slavik stated, adding, "Mia was also required to provide sexual services to the defendant."

Slavik detailed several alleged sexual assaults against Mia, including forced oral sex, asserting that Combs, as her boss, had "all the power and control" over her. "So even though she never wanted to have sex with him, he knew that she couldn't say no and that she wouldn't say no," Slavik told the jury.

She underscored the profound impact these experiences had, saying, "These sexual assaults were the most traumatic things that ever happened to her, so much so that she planned to die with that secret."

Slavik also recounted instances of Combs' violence towards Mia, including throwing objects and slamming her arm into a door. Mia also reportedly witnessed Combs' violence towards Cassie Ventura. "Mia saw and experienced extreme violence at her boss's hands," Slavik said. "It's no wonder she was always worried about her physical safety if she was to tell him no."

The prosecutor further claimed that after acts of violence, Combs would involve HR or other employees to "punish Mia," frequently threatening her job, which was her "entire world at the time." Mia reportedly felt she couldn't go to law enforcement because she had observed that Combs was "above the police."

Addressing seemingly "loving messages" Mia had sent to Combs, Slavik explained that Mia testified Combs would treat her "like his best friend" at times and "like she was worthless" at others. "The high highs and low lows that Mia described were a cycle of abuse that created a trauma bond," Slavik concluded. "In the moment, Mia couldn’t see it for what it was."

Slavik then discussed Clark, another former employee, also alleging forced labor. Clark worked for Combs intermittently from 2004 to 2012 and faced "frequent threats to herself and her job" and experienced physical force. Slavik characterized the human resources department at Combs' company as a "puppet" that failed to advocate for Clark or other employees.

As an example, Slavik recounted a time when Clark tallied $80,000 in owed overtime pay, only for Combs to rip up the paper and never pay her, with HR taking no action. Slavik preempted a potential defense argument that Clark wasn't forced because she returned for jobs, stating, "that doesn’t erase the previous forced labor." She claimed Combs ensured Clark couldn't secure employment elsewhere in the industry, telling her "she would never work again and made sure it was true."

For the two counts of interstate transportation for prostitution with both Ventura and "Jane," the prosecution must convince the jury that Combs knowingly transported an individual in foreign and interstate commerce for the purpose of prostitution.

There has been testimony and evidence throughout the trial that Combs allegedly paid for male escorts to travel across the country to engage in sexual acts with Ventura and Jane, and were paid for their involvement. Ventura and Jane often coordinated these arrangements themselves, per their testimonies.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik reminded the jury of multiple instances where escorts were flown to New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and even Ibiza for "freak offs" with Ventura and "hotel nights" with Jane.

Sly, a frequent "entertainer" for Combs and Jane, lived in Atlanta and was mentioned as participating in "hotel nights" in LA, NYC, and Miami, with Combs covering his flights and hotel accommodations for the duration.

Another "entertainer" named Paul purportedly met the couple in Turks and Caicos, with Slavik reminding the jury that Combs "orchestrated and paid for Paul’s travel to the Turks for the purpose of a ‘hotel night.'"

On one documented occasion, Combs purportedly contacted Cowboys 4 Angels for an escort traveling from Las Vegas to LA. Slavik told the jury that Combs sent money to Jane, who then forward it to Cowboys 4 Angels.

Khorram, Slavik argued, knew so much about these evenings, she coined her own term for them, "Wild King Nights." She claimed that Khorram helped facilitate travel for escorts, thousands in cash for Combs to have on hand when requested.

"At times, it seemed like KK was disapproving, but that doesn’t matter," Slavik insisted. "She knew exactly what was happening and made sure the defendant had everything he needed."

As evidence of Khorram's alleged awareness, Slavik played an audio message Combs sent her where he said, "I want them to hunt for the sexiest, most unapologetic wild king sex room in Vegas." Khorram's reply was, "Is Paul coming to Vegas too?" Paul was a frequent escort hired to join "hotel nights" with Jane.

A key component of the prosecution's case is that in allegedly coercing both Ventura and "Jane" into repeated "freak offs"/"hotel nights" despite their repeated and voiced resistance, Combs did not act alone. They are arguing this was a joint effort by an inner circle of loyal and trusted  "lieutenants," as Slavik has characterized it throughout her closing arguments.

"He needed help getting drugs for the ‘Freak Offs,’ getting cash to pay the escorts, and he needed help keeping Cassie and Jane in line," Slavik told the jury, saying that he again returned to people like former chief of staff Kristina Khorram and various security personnel, including security head Damion "D-Roc" Butler.

She referenced Jonathan Perez, a former assistant who'd seen a video of Jane with an escort, and his testimony that Khorram had interrogated him about it. "KK knew that what was happening in those videos was wrong," Slavik said. "But she did damage control."

In the alleged incident of Butler taking away Ventura's belongings and returning her to Combs after she'd run away, even purportedly tending to her injuries, per Ventura's testimony, Slavik argued, "It would be absurd to think he didn’t know what Cassie and the defendant were doing for days at a time over and over again. Of course he knew."

She said it was beyond logic to imagine that these "most trusted lieutenants" could possibly be unaware of what was happening right around them, even as they were involved in different facets of the operations. "They knew what he was doing, and they helped him do it," she insisted.

Pivoting to Ventura, Slavik said that "freak offs" became the aspiring R&B singer's job, "it became her shame." Ventura had testified that her career suffered as she wound up spending more and more time arranging and participating in these sessions, which could last more than a day.

In the case of Ventura, Slavik noted she never participated in a "freak off" with drugs. Additionally, she was only 19 years old when she met Combs and he was literally in charge of her career after singing her to his record label.

She recalled the testimony of a former assistant of Combs, David James, who said he heard his boss say, "I got her right where I want her. She’s young," with James adding, "He said that she was very moldable."

Slivak argued that the relationship with Ventura was enticing for Combs because of "the age difference, the power inequality, Cassie’s naivete." She added, "You’ve heard it many times now -- the defendant wouldn’t take no for an answer. And with Cassie, the defendant thought he found someone who wouldn’t even try."

She pointed out the physical abuse Ventura detailed -- a stark contrast to Jane's relationship, which only devolved into alleged abuse toward its end. "The defense doesn’t deny the abuse, they just want to call it domestic violence," Slavik said, pushing back against the notion that the alleged abuse could be completely unrelated to Ventura's involvement in "freak offs."

Slavik said the two were intertwined, telling the jury, "Just like the abuse lasted for the entire relationship, the defendant was having ‘freak offs’ with Cassie during the entire relationship."

Even more than when he paid for Jane's rent, Slavik pointed out that Combs paid for Ventura's apartment, car, phone, and more. He'd signed Ventura to a 10-record deal, but only ever released one, early on. After that, Slivak alleged that he would not allow her to make her own money by releasing music.

"He made her dependent on him. And when he wanted to, he took those things away, or had security do those things for him," she argued.

She went on to argue that this went even beyond Ventura herself, such as when Combs allegedly demanded $20,000 from Ventura's family when he found out about her dating Mescudi.

As the same account her parents wired the money into had millions in it, Slavik said, "This wasn't about the $20k, this was about control." He also allegedly threatened to release videos of Ventura in "freak offs" at this time.

She described the relationship -- which included nearly a decade of alleged violence and "freak offs" -- as one built on the "trauma bond" Ventura had with Combs. She mentioned Ventura testifying that she'd seen Combs physically injure multiple friends of hers during their time together, how he controlled where she could go and with whom.

Replaying the infamous InterContinental Hotel assault video, Slavik argued that this leaves "no doubt" Combs was sex trafficking her, saying the fact she was trying to flee and he not only assaulted her, but tried to drag her back to the hotel room while the escort was waiting to continue was proof she was being coerced into this activity.

"The defense has asked during this trial why if the violence was so bad, why if Cassie was unhappy, why she didn’t leave. But you know why," Slavik said, recalling the various times Ventura said Combs or someone from his "loyal lieutenants" inner circle would physically bring her back. Slavik said "the enterprise enabled and assisted the defendant’s abuse."

She then talked about the dinner where Combs allegedly raped Ventura after their breakup, as Ventura had testified, as just another example of control until the end.

"The defendant essentially admitted it in a text message," Slavik told the jury. "I know I look bad to you. I can tell I didn’t turn you on yesterday," she read. "That is his way of saying, ‘I know I raped you.' He’s downplaying it, but he knows that what he did was wrong."

And yet, even after this, Slavik argued that the "trauma bond" was so strong, that Ventura yet again went back to Combs.

Slavik also revisited the France flight, where Diddy allegedly watched "freak off" videos on the return trip after he'd kicked Ventura off of a yacht, accusing her of stealing his drugs. He threatened to release those videos and when they landed, Slavik said he demanded a "freak off."

"Cassie complied. She didn’t believe she had a choice," Slavik said. "He had just threatened her about blackmail tapes, some of the most humiliating moments of her life." This, she said, is another example of coercion, which can include reputational harm.

Slavik pushed back against the defense narrative that Ventura chose to stay for a decade as an adult decision. Instead, she said that Ventura didn't see "no" as an option through fear of violence and more.

In fact, Slavik argued that "no" wasn't even an option on her 29th birthday. "Despite saying ‘no,’ despite not wanting to do it, Cassie left her own birthday party with the defendant for a ‘Freak Off,'" Slavik said, referring to Ventura's testimony.

"The defendant created a climate of fear that can’t be isolated to one moment in time," Slavik argued. "It all comes down to this – what choice did Cassie have in the end? Viewed through the entire context of their relationship, Cassie did not have the freedom to make voluntary adult choices."

As Jane began to resist more, Slavik argued that Combs changed from the carrot to the stick in his approach to coercing her into "hotel nights." To this point, Jane had testified that Combs had never been violent with her, which was a stark contract to Ventura's testimony alleging near-constant violence -- as evidenced by the hotel video.

That changed, according to Jane, on June 8, 2024, when she said he physically assaulted her for the first time. Slavik points out that this is after federal agents had raided Combs's properties. He knew he was under investigation, she argued, but did not change his behavior, and in fact, allegedly escalated things with Jane to get his way.

According to Jane's testimony, Combs assaulted her and told her "you are not going to ruin my night." Slavik reminded the jury that after he purportedly told Jane that, he hired a sex worker to Jane's home where they had a "hotel night."

After a lunch break, Slavik began arguing to the jury how Combs allegedly used various types of coercions to control recent girlfriend "Jane" into participating -- despite her voiced reluctance -- in "freak offs"/"hotel nights."

Combs paying Jane's rent -- as he had previously paid Ventura's -- she cited as one example, while another was the drugs he provided Jane and urged her to take. Ventura, as well, spoke of drugs being a regular part of her "freak off" experiences.

Jane had testified that these drugs "made it easier for her to get through these hotel nights."

And then there is the more direct coercion, which came in the form of alleged threats, like when Jane said Combs threatened to release sex tapes of her with other men to her child's father. Again, Ventura shared similar alleged threats in her testimony.

These videos of Jane, Slavik said, focusing in on the most recent alleged victim, are "some of the most private, intimate, embarrassing moments of Jane's life. The defendant knows how powerful they are."

"Jane couldn’t say no to ‘hotel nights’ without risking the rent payments, without risking violent outbursts, without risking the release of her sex tapes," Slavik argued.

"This is not an attempt to criminalize dysfunctional relationships or unconventional sexual preferences," Slavik told the jury as she moved on to allegations of sex trafficking as it relates to former Combs girlfriends Ventura and "Jane."

She argued the two counts are because Combs allegedly used his "enterprise" to force these two women into these "freak offs"/"hotel nights" with male escorts through a combination of threats, drugs, manipulation, lies, and violence.

While both women testified that they agreed to these encounters in the beginning of their respective relationships, they also said that they became something they felt coerced or forced into, to the detriment of their lives outside of these activiites.

Slavik told they jury that they don't need to find the majority of "freak offs"/"hotel nights" were the product of force, fraud, or coercion, nor is it necessary for Ventura or Jane to have tried to run away or explicitly say no, per the law, for Combs to be considered guilty.

In relation to Jane, Slavik argued that what was happening as it went on was a "classic example of love bombing." She said that at the start of their relationship in January 2021, Combs "started grooming Jane, slowly introducing her to the different elements of Freak Offs."

She referred to Jane testifying that she'd agreed at first because she was high and wanted to please Combs, and then felt as if she had opened "Pandora's box." Slavik also noted text and voice testimony from Jane a few months in where she started to vocally resist "hotel nights."

Combs would then promise lavish trips and shopping with Jane that he never followed through on, per Slavik, to coerce Jane to continue participating in them.

"In April 2023, the defendant gave Jane another carrot that quickly turned into a stick – he started paying her rent," Slavik added, saying that he then quickly was able to threaten to stop when she would resist a "hotel night."

Another incident was recalled, a trip to New York in September 2023, where Combs promised there would be no "hotel night" after Jane told him, "I don’t want to play this role in your life anymore. It’s dark, sleazy, and makes me feel disgusted with myself. I feel it’s the only reason you have me around and why you pay for the house. I don’t want to feel obligated to perform these nights with you in fear of losing the roof over my head."

Combs promised her fun activities and quality time together, just the two of them, only to drop a "surprise" on her after she'd boarded the plan, which was that he'd gone ahead and booked a "hotel night," after all.

He "enticed and transported Jane to get on that plane by telling her a material lie," Slavik told the jury, adding that evidence showed that even as he was promising her there would be no "hotel night," he was already communicating with Cowboys 4 Angels to set it up; He just didn't tell her until it was too late for her to back out.

This was followed by the alleged "sobriety party," when Jane testified she wanted Combs to quit using drugs. This turned into his requested "sobriety party," which then turned into a "hotel night," after she had repeatedly told him she didn't want to do this anymore, writing, "I’m not a porn star. I’m not an animal. I need a break."

"The defendant knew that Jane didn’t want a ‘hotel night’ that night. She told him that repeatedly. Look at her text messages, look back at her testimony," Slavik said. "She did not want to have sex with strangers, but the defendant refused to take no for an answer."

Slavik then noted Jane's own realizations after Ventura's November 2023 lawsuit that bore a "harrowing resemblance" to her own experience. She said texts from Jane to Combs after this "spoke volumes," as she told him of the suit, "I feel like I’m reading my own sexual trauma."

She even flat-out accused him in one text Slavik read out, "This was sexual exploitation that you framed as love for your sick fetishes."

Slavik argued that sex trafficking is proven because Combs' "conduct had one purpose, to get Jane to agree to do 'hotel nights.' And because the defendant knew exactly what he was doing, this was sex trafficking." She also noted how Combs asked Jane to "charge" him so she could "get over this" because he didn't "want any loose ends," per cited text exchanges.

Tying it all, then, back to Combs "loyal lieutenants," Slavik noted how Jane reached out to former chief of staff Kristina Khorram in December 2023 after Combs had allegedly threatened to release her sex tapes after their breakup, Khorram purportedly did not appear surprised.

She responded to Jane's lengthy plea, "I always tell him all the time to just give these things space, otherwise we end up in a situation like we’re in now."

Slavik pivoted to allegations of bribery against Combs, beginning with the InterContinental Hotel security guard who claimed the mogul had tried to bribe him with a stack of cash after the 2016 Ventura hallway assault that was captured on video, and ultimately released to the press.

"He didn’t know the defendant had just beaten Cassie in a public area of the hotel," Slavik said of the guard, who said he declined the money, "but the defendant knew what he did."

She noted Combs' allegedly lying to Ventura in subsequent calls saying that the police were there and he was going to be arrested -- the police were never contacted -- as evidence that Combs "knew what he had done and knew the potential consequence."

From there, Savik said Combs' "loyal lieutenants" Kristina Khorram, former chief of staff, and Damion "D-Roc" Butler, head security guard, began damage control to clean it up, tracking down surveillance footage and monitoring Ventura.

This led to InterContinental security guard Eddy Garcia allegedly being offered $50,000 for the video -- Garcia testified he was ultimately given $100,000 in cash and forced to sign an NDA in a private off-site meeting with Combs, Khorram, and a security guard present.

"This sent a clear message to Eddy that he was not to speak about this incident to anyone," Slavik said of the NDA, and with the alleged transfer of cash, "the bribe is now complete."

She then noted Combs telling Garcia not to make any big purchases, per Garcia's testimony, saying, "That moment tells you everything you need to know about the defendant’s purpose in paying this bribe. Think about why the defendant said that."

As evidence of another alleged criminal act, Slavik recalled the testimony of Capricorn Clark, who claimed that she was locked in a room and forced to take lie detector tests for five days under duress.

"The man administering the tests told her that if she failed ‘they’re going to throw you in the East River,'" Slavik said. "You know that she didn’t consent to this. She didn’t want to be in that building taking the tests – but what choice did she have?"

In another instance, Slavik said that Ventura had testified she was forced to stay in a hotel for a week while her injuries healed after an alleged 2009 violent interaction with the rapper. Ventura testified that after she'd tried to run away, one of Combs' security guards brought her back and then security made sure she didn't leave the hotel, providing her with the basic necessities.

"It’s clear that Cassie did not consent to staying at the London Hotel, but she had no choice. The defendant told her she couldn’t leave," Slavik noted. "He had his security team telling her she couldn’t leave. And Cassie knew what happened when people said no to the defendant."

She then characterized Clark's testimony about the incident at Mescudi's house by alleging that Clark was kidnapped into joining Combs on that trip with a security guard, as Combs arrived to her house with a gun.

"Get dressed, we’re going to kill Cudi," Slavik recalled Clark testifying Combs told her. "I don’t give a f--k what you wanna do, go get dressed." She then asserted that Combs wouldn't let Clark leave his supervision until he agreed to bring Ventura to him -- and when she did, she was allegedly then forced stood by as he beat Ventura.

"The enterprise’s purpose was to protect its leader," Slavik told the jury, "not to protect Cassie, not to protect Capricorn."

Using Powerpoint to break down how the prosecution laid out its case, Slavik broke down the elements they had to prove in order to elicit a conviction on the count of racketeering conspiracy. Those are as follows, per CNN:

• There was a conspiracy to participate in the Combs enterprise
• The Combs enterprise affected interstate or foreign commerce
• The defendant knowingly and willfully became a member of the conspiracy
• The defendant knowingly and willfully agreed that he or another member of the conspiracy will commit two racketeering crimes.

To the first point, she said "enterprise" does not refer to the official Combs Enterprises corporation, but rather his inner circle that "existed to serve his needs and what he said went."

This included former chief of staff Kristina Khorram, who Slavik called a loyal lieutenant who knew "what he was doing at all times," making his life her life. Other loyal lieutenants, per Slavik, included his security team, who were "armed and ready" and by his side for "some of the most violent and threatening acts."

She called his assistants "foot soldiers," who blindly obeyed orders, even if it meant facilitating a crime. All of these individuals were employed and paid for by Combs' companies, she also emphasized.

Slavik urged the jury to unanimously find Combs guilty of knowingly and willfully agreeing that he or another member of this enterprise would commit racketeering acts. She then listed the categories of crimes Combs and the enterprise allegedly agreed to commit: distributing drugs, kidnapping, arson, bribing witnesses, facilitating sex trafficking of Ventura and Jane, facilitating travel for them and male escorts for commercial sex, forced labor, and covering up Combs' crimes.

She cited drug distribution, which has come up throughout the trial as a regular facet of "freak-offs"/"hotel nights," saying Combs allegedlly used his enterprise to acquire them. She reminded the jury that the 2024 searches of his homes found cocaine, methamphetamine, ketamine, and ecstasy.

But it's not about the drugs themselves, per se, explained Slavik, but what must be proven is that he used co-conspirators in his enterprise to knowingly distribute drugs, which is an illegal act. Once received, Slavik claimed Combs gave the drugs to Ventura and Jane, which she said "is drug distribution, plain and simple."

With the schedule laid out for the rest of the week, Thursday was dedicated to the prosecution's closing arguments. The defense would then present theirs on Friday, with the prosecution rebuttal following. Then, the jury will be given direction by the judge and this portion of the trial will be at a close, pending a verdict.

Slavik kicked off the government's closing arguments by describing Combs as "the leader of a criminal enterprise." She added that "he doesn’t take no for an answer and now you know about many crimes the defendant committed with members of his enterprise."

The crimes the prosecution is alleging Combs has committed, as Slavik detailed, include kidnapping, arson, forced labor, bribery, and sex trafficking. She argued that he "forced, threatened, and manipulated" both Ventura and "Jane" into having sex with male escorts.

She pulled on the fact that the stories of Ventura and Jane are so "shockingly similar," arguing that these are not "separate stories, they're chapters in the same book: the story of Sean Combs and the criminal enterprise he led, made up of his inner circle."

That enterprise, she argued, bent to Combs' desires "through a methodical pattern of violence, coercion and manipulation," with Combs allegedly counting on "silence and shame to keep his crimes hidden." Further, she claimed, he believed he was above the law due to his fame, wealth, and power.

"The defendant was at the top of this enterprise. Remember, it’s his kingdom. Everyone was there to serve him," Slavik said in her report, with that support coming in a myriad of ways, including protecting his public image, fulfilling his personal/sexual desires, enabling criminal activity, and protecting them from law enforcement detection.

Diddy briefly spoke in court on Wednesday, as he was asked how he was feeling by the judge. "I'm doing great, your honor, I've been wanting to tell you thank you, you’re doing an excellent job," he said, getting a laugh out of the judge. Combs then confirmed he would not be taking the stand in his defense.

As the defense took over, they introduced some text exhibits to the court, including one from Ventura from December 2012, in which she said she loved him and was down for another "party" with him. In another, from April 2017, she said she was going to be Combs' "little freak."

They also called attention to the fact that some witnesses -- including Dawn Richard, Mia and Bryana Bongolan -- didn't initially report threats or alleged abuse when they first spoke with authorities.

The defense then rested its case. The jury is off Wednesday, before both sides will present closing arguments on Thursday.

Combs' defense came out strong after the prosecution rested its case before a lunch break, with attorney Alexandra Shapiro immediately making a motion for an acquittal on all five counts. As noted by CNN, though, this is a routine Rule 29 motion made by defenses in criminal trials, and it is almost always denied.

Nevertheless, regarding the conspiracy count, Shapiro argued that the prosecution failed to provide strong evidence that there was any conspiracy surrounding his sexual activities, or any crimes -- save one.

"There’s, at best, thin proof that any of the other employees willingly participated in crimes with and for Mr. Combs," Shapiro said, though she did concede there appears to be evidence they may have been involved in procuring some drugs for Combs' personal use.

She noted that it was shown repeatedly that assistants and staffers of Combs didn't know much, "if anything," about what was happening during "freak-offs" or "hotel nights." In fact, she noted, he "actually took steps to conceal the nature of the sexual activity he was engaging in from his employees."

Calling back to many text exchanges shared throughout the case, Shapiro argued that it is clear that Combs, Ventura, and later "Jane" were the ones who booked "entertainers," rather than Combs' employees, keeping at least this aspect of those nights out of employee hands.

Of his staff, Shapiro said, "They did errands and made travel arrangements, but they did not have anything to do with what went on with Combs and his girlfriends in the hotel room other than they used baby oil, Astroglide and drank alcohol and maybe did drugs."

Combs and his girlfriends even went so far as to coordinate efforts to keep staffers in the dark about "entertainer" arrivals and departures from hotels, as evidenced by text exchanges shared previously with the jury, Shapiro argued.

As for Combs' former chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, who was heavily mentioned throughout the trial and did appear to have at least some working knowledge of "hotel nights," Shapiro said there was no evidence presented that she knew or believed any of Combs' girlfriends were coerced into participating.

Even though Khorram was characterized as a conspirator with Combs in his alleged criminal activities, Shapiro noted how Combs would sometimes lie to her, adding, "That’s not the way co-conspirators act with each other."

After just over six weeks, 34 witnesses, and a slew of written and visual evidence presented to the jury, the prosecution rested its case at 1:30 p.m.

The cross-examination of Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Joseph Cerciello continued on Tuesday morning. He was expected to be the last witness for the prosecution, who finished their direct on Monday.

Cerciello's role for the defense was to paint a more clear picture of text messages, videos, voicemails, and phone calls involving Combs, "Jane," various employees of the rap mogul, male escorts, etc. as it related to setting up and orchestrating "hotel nights."

Defense attorney Teny Geragos pulled out text messages from December 2021 where Jane had written to an "entertainer" named Sly that she was thinking about one of their recent "hotel nights" and asked him to "send me something."

She then asked if he could fly to meet her that night or the following day, and when Sly said he was busy with family preparations for the holidays, she asked if he could make it a day trip.

Geragos brings this up to push back against Jane's previous testimony that she only ever initiated explicit communications with Sly when with Combs and under his direction. It's part of their attempt to paint these encounters as fully consensual on the part of Jane, Ventura, and anyone else involved.

They also continued their pushback against the idea that the women were coerced into participating, with Geragos spotlighting an exchange from April 2022 about a different "entertainer."

In this one, when Jane pushed back, saying she "selfishly" wanted him to herself, adding, "I'm fine with the other stuff but I really just need you right now," Combs replied, "OK whatever you want."

He followed that up by asking if the "entertainer" named Leo would be free "after we spend some one on one time." After the "hotel night," Jane texted Combs that she was "still thinking about you loving all over me."

Geragos then shifted to communications around a "hotel night" with Paul to show how Jane and Combs coordinated to keep Combs' staff from seeing the "entertainer" -- many staff members testified they were unaware that anyone but Combs and his girlfriend were in the hotel rooms during these "king nights."

Another exchange from August 2023 saw Combs discussing having an "entertainer" sign an NDA with Jane, who said she would make sure he did, noting, "He seems cool babe, hopefully he doesn’t know anybody we know lol."

Geragos also noted a message from the following month where Jane wrote to Combs, "I love being kinky for you, I love driving you wild," saying that she would have to get outfits from the "freak store" for that night. The following day, she messaged "entertainer" Sly, "Tonight was amazing as per usual."

Moving on to shortly before Combs' May 2024 apology video (following the public release of the Ventura assault video), Geragos showed evidence of Jane flying from Los Angeles to Miami, and that there was no evidence of a third party being involved. Jane had previously testified that she saw an early draft of that video, but that the final result was somewhat different.

The defense then pushed against the government's charts from September 2023 to November 2023 which suggested Combs' travel manager may have paid for expenses, with Geragos showing the jury records that Combs had paid these expenses from his personal account.

"You didn’t write that Mr. Combs personally paid for these," Geragos said to Cerciello, who had previously stated he helped prepare the charts for the prosecution. After a brief redirect, the prosecution rested its case.

Joseph Cerciello, a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations, is the final witness for the prosecution. He returned to the stand Monday morning to continue talking about evidence charts as the prosecution attempts to pull together five weeks of testimony into a cohesive story for the jury.

In one chart of sexually explicit videos, Cerciello confirmed that Combs is visible in several of them, which collectively run several hours. While the jury could not possibly -- nor would they need to -- watch all of this footage, Cerciello gave a sense of how much there was by noting there were 50 explicit videos recorded just between the dates of December 17 and 21, 2021.

The jury did watch more than a dozen clips from these videos dating from November 2021 to October 2022, which would be while Combs' was involved with "Jane." These videos, along with most explicit content, sealed, so the audience and media were excluded.

Another chart detailed flight and hotel records for both Jane and an "entertainer" named Sly, with the prosecution noting that a credit card paid for by "Bad Boy Ent" paid Jane's travel expenses. Jane covered Sly's expenses and was reimbursed by Combs' account manager, while his travel manager booked the arrangements.

It is key for the prosecution to tie these sexual exploits to Combs' businesses if they are to be seen as more than just an unorthodox sexual interest.

Cerciello also walked the jury through previously-read text exchanges involving Jane, Combs and his staff about these "hotel nights" arrangements, including Jane's initial resistance to participating in one in New York, only to later acquiesce and plan the trip.

One exchange between Combs and the Cowboys for Angels escort service during that September 2023 trip saw the rapper clap back when told he needed to pay $600. "Lol he couldn't even perform," Combs wrote, to which the company employee told him he was paying for the escort's time. Combs retorted she should be nice to him as he was "a longtime customer."

Former chief of staff Kristina Khorram again came up, as she was notably involved in helping with various arrangements for "hotel nights," including hotel bookings, room setup, tracking escorts, money requests, and baby oil deliveries. One of the more sensational details of the trial -- and the raid on Combs' miami home -- is how much baby oil was involved in his sexual activities.

Jane texting Combs that she felt "violated and manipulated" about how his "sobriety party" turned into a "hotel night" was also revisited with Cerciello on the stand. He testified that this was the last entry on the prosecution's chart to happen before Ventura's bombshell lawsuit.

The jury saw texts from Jane where she told Combs, "I don’t feel like performing loveless, cold sex," followed by Combs setting up hotel reservations and booking an "entertainer." A few days later, Jane asked if he could put some money into her account as she felt "violated and manipulated."

In cross-examination, defense attorney Teny Geragos points out a September 2023 invoice related to travel for Jane and "entertainer" Sly for a New York trip, noting that the invoice says "various expenses for Sean Combs," not any of his business entities.

She also emphasized the timeline of these "hotel nights," highlighting that many of them occurred before Combs started paying Jane's rent in April 2023.

Jane had previously testified that she felt coerced to perform under threat of losing her home if she did not perform in "hotel nights." The defense is trying to argue that her involvement was consensual and not pressured under any financial duress or concern.

Geragos also pulled out additional texts that the prosecution did not cite in her attempt to show Jane's purported state of mind about "hotel nights," including one around the November 2021 where she told him she was "horny" after Combs asked if she wanted to see him and an "entertainer."

When Combs replied that he wanted her to "be explicit" and tell him what she wanted to do that night, she did so. She also sent explicit texts to the "entertainer" Sly, saying she wanted to see him, as Geragos pointed out to the jury.

After one encounter, Jane texted Sly she was "so happy you are such a sweetheart," "thank you for making me feel beautiful," and later, "getting flashbacks" with a drooling emoji.