Prosecution Paints Diddy as Mastermind of Criminal Enterprise in Closing Argument

It took the prosecution 28 days, 34 witnesses, and more than 1,000 pieces of evidence to present its case at the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial. 

On Thursday, the jurors began hearing closing arguments, with prosecutor Christy Slavik using a PowerPoint presentation in her effort to nab a conviction. 

Combs has been on trial since May, denying all charges against him, entering a not guilty plea on five counts, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

The prosecution insisted Diddy committed racketeering crimes with his enterprise, which she defined as Combs and his inner circle. She emphasized, “It existed to serve his needs, and what he said went.”

Calling his inner circle loyal “lieutenants,” Slavik added, “The defendant used the money and the gravitas from his businesses to facilitate the crimes that he and his inner circle committed.”

“He was the boss of every member of his inner circle, and he was in charge,” she argued. “He was the throughline and the other members worked with each other and with him throughout the entire conspiracy.”

According to Slavik, the juror must find Diddy guilty of racketeering conspiracy, claiming that he committed distribution of drugs, kidnapping, arson, forced labor, bribery of a security officer, and the brutal crime of sex trafficking.

Slavik told the jurors that the drugs were “an essential ingredient of every freak off, the way the defendant kept Cassie (Ventura) and ‘Jane’ awake and compliant in rooms for days.”

Slavik pointed out that Diddy got the drugs from his assistant and “gave them to Cassie and Jane.” She emphasized, “This is drug distribution, plain and simple.”

As for kidnapping, Slavik brought up when Ventura was brought to the London Hotel to stay for a few days after an alleged beatdown. 

Slavik insisted, “This is kidnapping. 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. He had his security team telling her she couldn’t leave. And Cassie knew what happened when people said no to the defendant.”

Slavik also mentioned Diddy’s assistant Capricorn Clark, who testified that she was forced to go with Diddy to Kid Cudi’s house after the rap mogul found out that Cudi was dating Ventura.

Cudi also took the stand during the trial, recalling the time when his Porsche was set on fire by a Molotov cocktail.

Referencing Cudi’s testimony about the arson, Slavik told the court, “Of course, the defendant was behind this. Now it shouldn’t come as a surprise to you that we’re not suggesting the defendant personally cut the hole in Kid Cudi’s Porsche. You heard the audio notes. The defendant didn’t even buy his own soup.”

Though the defense has argued that Diddy had nothing to do with Cudi’s torched car, Slavik brought up Cassie’s testimony that Diddy threatened to blow up his car when he was out of the country. 

She asked, “What are the odds that the car the defendant just said he was going to blow up, got blown up?”

As for bribery, Slavik referenced that 2016 surveillance video of Diddy in a towel violently attacking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles.

Weeks ago, Israel Florez, a security guard, testified that Combs attempted to bribe him after he arrived at the scene and escorted Ventura out of the hotel following the physical altercation.

Slavik pointed out, “He didn’t know the defendant had just beaten Cassie in a public area of the hotel, but the defendant knew what he did.”

Slavik mentioned hotel security guard Eddy Garcia’s testimony about the money he received from Diddy after giving the surveillance footage to the rapper. She said, “Only 48 hours after the defendant assaulted Cassie at the InterContinental hotel, Eddy Garcia went to the defendants’ office to deliver his end of the bargain. This was a crucial moment for the defendant — he needed that video file.”

According to Slavik, Diddy was able to secure the tape with the help of his inner circle, who was able to track down Garcia. 

Slavik claimed that Diddy committed bribery, saying, “The defendant’s assault of Cassie during a freak off and members of the Combs’ enterprise not stopping at anything to make sure the video wouldn’t fall into the hands of law enforcement.”

Slavik pointed the finger at Combs’ enterprise for helping him commit sex trafficking of Ventura and Jane.

Recalling Daniel Phillip’s testimony about his sexual encounter with Cassie that shortened by Diddy, Slavik told the court, “It doesn’t matter that the ‘freak off’ was cut short — the defendant knew what he was doing when he told Cassie and Daniel to continue. He was demanding that Cassie have sex with a paid escort. That’s sex trafficking.”

While she acknowledged that Cassie and Jane did agree to some freak offs, many of them were a result of force, fraud or coercion.

Slavik argued, “[Jane] started to feel obligated to do ‘hotel nights’ because the defendant was paying her rent and threatening to stop.”

As for Cassie, Slavik argued that the singer agreed to freak offs, due to blackmail.

Recalling a flight that Diddy and Ventura took together, she said, “He spent the entire flight holding Cassie captive and making her watch videos that he had recorded of ‘freak offs’ and threatening to release them.”

Once the flight landed, Slavik noted that “Cassie complied.” She argued, “She didn’t believe she had a choice. He had just threatened her about blackmail tapes, some of the most humiliating moments of her life.”

According to Slavik, it was an example of coercion.