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Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing a "fake trial" successful which his antithetic intersexual preferences person been unfairly criminalised and his "private enactment life" turned into a "crime scene", his defence squad has argued successful the last time of closing arguments.
At the extremity of week 7 successful the sex-trafficking trial, Combs's pb counsel, Marc Agnifilo, told the tribunal Combs was the unfortunate of an overzealous prosecution, who had portrayed his "swinger" manner arsenic a racketeering conspiracy.
Combs is charged with 1 number of racketeering conspiracy, 2 charges of enactment trafficking, and 2 charges of proscription to prosecute successful prostitution.
He has pleaded not blameworthy to each charges and has strenuously denied each allegations of intersexual abuse. If recovered guilty, helium could look being enactment down bars for life.
Frequently adopting a sarcastic tone, Agnifilo mocked the government's lawsuit against Combs, belittling the agents who seized hundreds of bottles of Astroglide lubricant and babe lipid astatine his properties past year.
Commenting that America's streets were present "safe from Astroglide", helium went on, "Way to go, fellas", earlier adding, "you bash you".
He said prosecutors had "badly exaggerated" the grounds against Combs, presenting "threesomes arsenic racketeering", arguing that helium is not blameworthy of racketeering conspiracy and enactment trafficking.
The defence besides highlighted the prosecution's determination to indict Combs connected a racketeering conspiracy complaint alone, flagging that nary alleged co-conspirators person been indicted alongside him.
The defence's closing arguments lasted for conscionable implicit 4 hours, with members of Combs's family, including six of his children and his mother, watching connected successful the nationalist gallery.
Agnifilo said Combs has "taken attraction of people", including Jane, a erstwhile woman who testified nether a pseudonym, paying for her rent and for her ineligible representation.
The defence lawyer said: "I don't cognize what Jane is doing today, but she's doing it successful a location he's paying for."
He went on: "This isn't astir crime. It's astir money. This is astir money."
Presenting the proceedings arsenic a zero-sum game, helium described his erstwhile woman of astir 11 years Cassie Ventura arsenic the "winner successful this full thing", noting that she settled her civilian lawsuit with Combs for $20m (£14m) successful November 2023, arsenic good arsenic a $10m (£7.3m) from the InterContinental Hotel.
Cassie and Jane some gave grounds during the proceedings that they were coerced repeatedly by Combs to execute successful drug-fuelled, days-long enactment marathons with antheral enactment workers, portion Combs watched, directed, masturbated and sometimes filmed the encounters.
But the defence accused prosecutors of having invaded Combs's chamber and his astir intimate idiosyncratic affairs.
Agnifilo asked: "Where's the transgression scene? It's [Combs's] enactment life."
Continuing his enactment of sarcastic quips, helium joked, "We request a bigger rotation of transgression country tape", referencing a enactment from the classical movie Jaws.
Agnifilio's sarcasm irked the prosecution, who aboriginal complained to the justice that helium was utilizing "improper arguments".
Read more:
Everything you request to cognize astir the trial
The emergence and autumn of Sean 'Diddy' Combs
What we learned from Cassie's testimony
The defence characterised Combs's narration with Cassie arsenic "a large modern emotion story", going connected to picture her arsenic a "gangster" for cheating connected him with rapper Kid Cudi.
They besides characterised the "freak offs" arsenic "beautiful", saying the videos showed "everyone smiling", eating and listening to music, and commenting that Combs was "not the lone antheral successful America making homemade porn".
The defence admitted Combs was a home abuser, but said specified behaviour did not warrant the sedate charges helium faces.
Agnifilo advised the assemblage to "Call this arsenic you spot it," asking them to "acquit Sean Combs of each the counts" and "return him to his family", who helium said has been waiting for him.
Combs, who has been successful a New York jailhouse since his apprehension successful September past year, did not springiness grounds during the trial.
Following the defence's closing argument, adjunct US lawyer Maurene Comey delivered a rebuttal summation successful which she said the defence's statement that Cassie, Jane and Mia, a erstwhile worker who besides testified nether a pseudonym, each "wanted sex" was a lie, telling the tribunal nary of the women had crushed to talk thing different than the truth.
She besides said the "freak off" videos archer lone "part of the story".
Comey said Combs had spent the past 20 years believing himself to beryllium "above the law", seeing himself arsenic "untouchable" and "a deity among men".
She said his impunity would extremity present successful this courtroom, earlier urging the assemblage to "find him guilty" and "hold him accountable".
On Monday, the justice volition work the instrumentality to the jury, aft which deliberations volition begin.
To convict Combs, the 12 jurors indispensable ballot unanimously.
English (US) ·