The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs commenced with a prosecutor portraying him as a violent offender who used threats and coercion to control women he abused over several years. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, including racketeering and leading a sex crime ring.
Prosecutor Emily Johnson described Combs as “unfaithful, jealous, and at times, angry” and alleged he:
- “Brutally” beat his former girlfriend, singer Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura
- Threatened to release videos of her participating in elaborate sexual “freak-offs” if she defied him
- Set a man’s car ablaze and dangled a woman from a balcony
- Made impossible demands of his lovers
“He was… a cultural icon, a businessman, larger than life — but there was another side to him, a side that ran a criminal enterprise,” Johnson said. “Let me be clear… this case is not about a celebrity’s private sexual preferences. It’s coercive and criminal.”
Combs’s defense lawyer, Teny Geragos, described the case as “about love, jealousy and infidelity and money.” She called Combs’s accusers “capable, strong, adult women” and his situation with Ventura a “toxic relationship between two people who loved each other.” “Being a willing participant in your own sex life is not sex trafficking,” she said, adding that the defense would admit there was domestic violence — but that Combs is not charged with domestic violence.
The trial is expected to last eight to ten weeks, with Ventura set to testify in the next day or two. A surveillance video from 2016 shows Combs physically assaulting Ventura at a hotel, which will be used as evidence. If convicted, Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison. The proceedings will determine the fate of the once-powerhouse music figure.