← Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Drop Dead Serious With Ashleigh Banfield
Diddy’s Day of Hell: Prosecutors Burn His Empire to the Ground | United States vs. Sean Combs Closing Arguments
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- [00:00]
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Ashley Banfield
Woo.
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Prosecutor
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Ashley Banfield
Hey, everyone. I'm Ashley Banfield and this is drop dead serious. Today was fun. Finally. The day. The day that the government finally stood up and said enough. The day prosecutors looked the jury dead in the eye and told them, quote, it is time to hold Sean Diddy Combs accountable. And the courtroom was packed. There were three overflow rooms that were shoulder to shoulder. And you could feel it in the air. The tension, the pressure, the weight of what was coming. Every row was full. Friends, lawyers, journalists. And for the first time in weeks, Diddy's entire family was there. All of his children and his mother and his cousins. All of them. There were whispers that the mothers of many of his children were seated nearby as well. And they all heard the same thing. The prosecution outlined step by step how. How the man sitting at defense table had for decades used money, power and fear to get what he wanted. And when he didn't, the prosecutor said, quote, he wouldn't take no for an answer. And that line, they said it 16 times. The judge was strict. No one was allowed to, to move in that courtroom. U.S. marshals warned, if you leave, you are not coming back in. No bathroom breaks, no cell phones, no second chances. Because this was closing arguments. This was the government's final summation. And yeah, I know they'll Get a rebuttal after the defense, because they have the burden of proof, but you know what I mean? Like, this is it. And when that now infamous hotel video played yet again in court, the one that shows Diddy beating the hell out of Cassie Ventura, the jury didn't flinch. And neither did Diddy's family. But one of Diddy's twin daughters looked pretty shocked when the prosecutor showed photos of the black Escalade, the one linked to the drive by at Kid Cudi's house. And according to reports inside the courtroom, when the arson photos came up, the charred Porsche, the slashed roof, she looked like she might cry. Kind of odd considering all of the other evidence in this case and so much of it summarized today in just under five hours. Today, the prosecution laid it all bare in a simple roadmap that is easier to follow than Waze. The drugs, the freak offs, the threats of violence. And the system. The system that the prosecutor said was just built to keep it all going, protected by staffers, covered up with cash and run. Yes, like a criminal enterprise. And I'm going to take you through all of it, so make sure you're comfy. All of it started with Assistant U.S. attorney Christy Slavic standing to address the jury. She told them that this was not just a case about bad behavior or even isolated criminal acts. She said this was about organized crime, racketeering. And she told the jury that she would walk them through all five counts against Sean Diddy Combs. And that she did. She started with count one, racketeering, conspiracy, the heart of the case, the very charge that would elevate Diddy from a celebrity with a bad boy reputation to. To a criminal kingpin. Behind her was a slideshow. It was beamed onto the courtroom screen, and it wasn't flashy. It was methodical, like a visual roadmap of what prosecutors say was Diddy's enterprise. The operation built around him, built for him, and weaponized by him. The prosecutor made it all sound so simple. An enterprise, she said, is just a group of people with the common purpose. Think about that. An enterprise is just a group of people with a common purpose. And in Diddy's case, she said, that purpose was crystal clear. She said it was to serve, to protect, and to promote Sean Combs. She called this enterprise a kingdom, a world where Diddy sat at the very top, surrounded by staffers and enablers and lieutenants who existed to maintain his image and to carry out his demands and to bury the damage. In Diddy's wake, the U.S. attorney said the enterprise Had a crystal clear goal. Protect his power, facilitate and cover up his crimes, and isolate his victims. Control them. Then came the visuals. The prosecutor pulled up a new slide. Not just a flowchart, but a web. A map of what she called the Combs enterprise. She made a point to tell the jury, this isn't bad Boy entertainment, y' all. This isn't Revolt tv. This is the criminal side of the operation that he hid in plain sight, she said. At the very top of that web, Sean Combs, the center of gravity just beneath him. Prosecutors showed Christina Coram, known as KK Chief of staff and alleged right hand man, in almost every major move. Then came Diddy's security team, Drock Fahim, Roger Bonds, Rubes, Uncle Paulie. All men who prosecutors say weren't just bodyguards. They were enforcers. And then the assistants on the chart. Eli Maroon, David James, George Kaplan, Brendan Paul, and a long list of others. She told the jury exactly what many of these insiders allegedly did. They facilitated sex and. And drug crimes. They shielded Diddy from the police. They helped Diddy control his victims through force, fraud, or coercion. And then the prosecutor hammered home the legal standard to convict on racketeering conspiracy. The jury doesn't have to believe every name on that screen committed a crime. They don't even have to believe that Diddy committed every alleged act. They just need to find two predicate acts, two crimes under the racketeering statute that were committed in furtherance of the enterprise. The enterprise being a group of people who come together for a common purpose. And that is it. Think about it. That is it. In seven weeks, I submit that they have put together a veritable smorgasbord of crimes to choose from. They only have to pick two. They only have to believe that two of these predicate acts, these crimes, happened in furtherance of this conspiracy. Just two. I'm going to list out a whole bunch of the different kinds of predicate acts that, you know, you can have for racketeering. That'll happen in a moment. But with the map of Diddy's alleged criminal conspiracy still glowing on that PowerPoint behind her, the prosecutor explained the government's view of what Diddy's enterprise actually did. And then she rattled off a list of crimes that sounded like they were ripped right out of a mob movie. She said the Combs enterprise conspired to commit. Here you go. Take a note. Drug distribution, kidnapping, arson, bribery, sex trafficking, interstate transportation for prostitution, forced labor, witness tampering. And remember yesterday when everybody was freaking out that the prosecutors must have dropped arson and kidnapping. And we were here to tell you. No, they did not. They just said drop the jury instruction for the attempted arson and the attempted kidnapping. Oh, but arson and kidnapping are in there. And they were front and center. In the prosecution's Closing today, the U.S. attorney started off with drug distribution. According to the prosecutor, drugs weren't just around, they were essential. The fuel for what insiders described as freak offs. The name used for Diddy's sex parties or hotel nights or king nights or wild king nights. They all were the same thing. The sex parties, the drugs mentioned again, get your list out. It's long cocaine, meth, ketamine, oxycodone, Xanax, mdma, Ecstasy, Molly, ghb, and something called Tusi, also known as pink cocaine. Prosecutor told the jury that these drugs didn't just appear out of thin air. People in Diddy's inner circle helped make it all happen. His chief of staff, KK bodyguards like Drock and Fahim. They weren't just protecting Diddy. The government said they helped get the drugs. Diddy also used outside dealers with nicknames like Baby Girl One Stop and Guido. The prosecutor told the jury it doesn't matter how much cocaine it was. You don't need to prove it was a mountain of drugs. Even one drug delivery, one transaction, one handoff. Prosecutor said that is enough to meet the legal standard for distribution. You get some drugs and you hand them out to your girlfriends and your staff and your friends. Distribution. Next up was kidnapping. The prosecutor told the jury they do not need to picture someone being snatched off the street for this charge of kidnapping to apply. What matters is whether a person was held or taken against their will, moved against their will. And she gave the jury three examples. First, Cassie Ventura. Prosecutors said Cassie was held at the London Hotel until her bruises healed and that she was not free to leave. If someone's kept somewhere they don't want to be, that meets the definition of kidnapping. Now, maybe tomorrow, maybe with the defense, and they're closing. You're going to hear now. She wanted to be at the London Hotel till her bruises healed. But other witnesses said she was not allowed to leave. Second, Capricorn Clark Diddy's assistant. The prosecutor reminded the jury that Capricorn testified she was taken against her will to a vacant building enforced by one of Diddy's assistants, named Uncle Paulie, to take a lie detector test for five days. She testified that Uncle Paulie told her if she failed the lie detector test, she would end up in the East River. And the third kidnapping incident that prosecutors outlined again involved Capricorn Clark, Diddy's assistant. She testified that Diddy showed up at her apartment with a gun, banged on the door aggressively and forced her to get in his car. Car. She said Diddy was on his way to confront a rapper named Kid Cudi, a man who had started seeing Cassie. Capricorn testified she didn't have a choice in this. And that later, in Kid Cudi's driveway, she called Cassie and told Cassie that Diddy wouldn't let her leave unless Cassie showed up at the house. And remember, Capricorn also told the jury that Diddy threatened both of them, Cassie and Capricorn, by saying, quote, you need to convince Kid Cudi to tell the police it wasn't me. If you don't, I'll kill all you motherfuckers. This was after Kid Cudi's home had been broken into, Right? Diddy standing in Kid Cudi's home, opening his Christmas presents, talking to him on the phone. I just want to talk to you. Prosecution explained to the jury that by law, those actions meet the definition of kidnapping. And next up on the list, arson. Remember I told you, a veritable smorgasbord of predicate acts of crimes that the jury can choose from. They only need two. So, ding, ding, ding. All right, so arson, another predicate act of racketeering. And the prosecution reminded the jury about the night that Kid Cudi's Porsche went up in flames. Kid Cudi was seeing Cassie by this time. And not long before the fire, the prosecutor said, did he threaten to blow up Kid Cudi's car? And then what do you know that actually happened? Kid Cudi's car was blown up, Porsche was firebombed, the roof was slashed, a Molotov cocktail was thrown inside, and the car was badly damaged. The prosecutor told this jury that this was not about property damage. This was about sending a message, using fear to control Cassie and the people around Cassie like Kid Cudi. And then the prosecution turned to bribery, yet another potential predicate act to choose from. And what the prosecutors say was a clear effort to cover up what happened at the Intercontinental Hotel that night, that Cassie was beaten so badly on camera. And we all saw it. Prosecutors reminded the jury about the surveillance video. Beating was just awful. It was all over the news, right? She said. Diddy's team scrambled to get their hands on that footage before anybody else could, even the police. According to the government, the first person Diddy's team approached was a man named Israel Flores, a hotel security guard who responded to the assault on the sixth floor. Within minutes, the U.S. attorney said the Combs tried to bribe Israel with thousands of dollars, but that Israel Flores turned the offer down.
- [15:51]
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- [16:00]
Ashley Banfield
Woo.
- [16:00]
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New McValue at McDonald's. Prices of participation may vary. McDouble meal, $6 in some markets for limited time only.
- [16:06]
Ashley Banfield
The prosecutor then explained to the jury that no wasn't going to work for Diddy. And thus KK Diddy's chief of staff, reached out to another hotel security officer, this one named Eddie Garcia. And when Eddie also told her no, prosecutors said KK later showed up at the hotel in person. And even though Eddie Garcia warned KK off the record that, quote, it's really bad, meaning the video was really bad, he still refused to give up the tape. But prosecutors told the jury that didn't stop the pressure and that both KK and Diddy personally called Eddie Garcia's private phone, saying Diddy promise to, quote, take care of Garcia if Eddie Garcia would only cough up that surveillance video. And eventually, Eddie Garcia went to his boss, and the boss agreed to hand over the security video in return for 100 grand. Finally, the call logs and the text messages showing the back and forth between Diddy's employees and the hotel security lining up the payment and the pickup of the surveillance footage of Cassie's beating, the video prosecutors say Diddy wanted buried. He didn't want his reputation to be tarnished, and he sure as hell did not want the police to have that. That's what the prosecutor's arguing here. Next, the U.S. attorney drilled down on just how much money Diddy's closest assistants were being paid and what they were allegedly doing in return. KK Christina Corum, Diddy's chief of staff Man Friday, she was paid $600,000 a year. Brendan Paul, one of the assistants who admitted to ferrying drugs for Diddy. The kid who was like a Syracuse basketball star fresh out of college, gets the job with Diddy and ends up in court testifying that kid made $100,000 a year. The prosecutor said employees of Diddy's Bad boy Entertainment handled travel bookings, hotel setups, not just for business trips, but for transporting escorts and women across state lines to. To participate in illegal sex acts, paid sex acts. They also helped buy the drugs. Those assistants, the prosecutors said, Drugs that were distributed among lovers and escorts and friends and employees all over the country, and sometimes overseas, too. Jurors were reminded of the evidence that Diddy's assistants and his bodyguards participated in coercive behavior, that they helped isolate victims, sticking them in hotel rooms, and that they helped cover up alleged crimes, all while staying on Diddy's lucrative payroll. To back that up, the prosecutor showed a series of images and documents. There was a full hierarchy chart of the enterprise showing who reported to whom. Photos of Sean Combs, kk, The security team, Drock Fahim, Uncle Paulie, and assistants like Eli Maroon, George Kaplan, David James, and Brendan Paul. The prosecutor's message was simple. This was not a sloppy group of people. This was a machine. And every part of it, she argued, was designed to serve one man. And that was Sean P. Diddy, Puff Daddy Combs. Next, the prosecutor walked the jury through one of the most serious charges of all, sex trafficking. And she focused on two patterns, what witnesses called the freak offs involving Cassie and the Hotel Knights or the King Knights or the Wild King Knights involving Jane. The prosecutor said this qualifies as a racketeering act because members of Diddy's inner circle helped make those sex parties happen. So what is sex trafficking under the law? Prosecutor made it real, real simple for these jurors. She said it means recruiting, enticing, transporting, or housing someone knowing or choosing to ignore that force, fraud, or coercion will be used to make that person engage in a commercial sex act. Let me read that for you again because it's really important. The prosecutor made this very simple. Sex trafficking is recruiting, enticing, transporting, or housing someone knowing or choosing to ignore that force, fraud, or coercion will be used to make that person engage in a commercial sex act. Think that through all those employees, all the things they did, does it match? And I dare say there's a lot of evidence saying, oh, hell yeah. And coercion doesn't just mean violence. It can be a threat. It can be psychological pressure. It can even be a manipulative scheme. Anything that makes the victim believe something bad will happen if they say no. This is the law, folks. This isn't just me. This isn't just an attitude. This isn't just, gosh, I hope it happens. It's not. I hate that this stuff happens, but the law is really clear. And this U.S. attorney was a bit boring, but damn, she was good, right? She was really, really good. Good. Super thorough. And maybe while she didn't have, you know, the charisma of Johnny Cochran or some of the really highly paid attorneys on Diddy's team. She did the job. She. She. She laid it out. And people were silent in court. Yeah, they were really kind of, like, vibed by what was going on. On my show on News Nation called Banfield, I talked to a tiktoker named Emily Hagen, who is also a journalist who's been watching this trial from the beginning, and she was in the courtroom, and she had so many observations. Name. Right. Emily Haggard.
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Emily Hagan
Thanks, Ashley.
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Ashley Banfield
Okay, good, good, good. All right, so I saw your TikTok today, and you talked about a vibe shift. Tell me about that.
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Emily Hagan
100%. I've been covering this since jury selection, and up until today, I feel like the content creators and I. It's kind of felt like a circus out there. I'm gonna be honest. It's like everyone's out there live streaming. They're making their TikToks. People are fighting on the streets. But today, it was as eerie as how the weather was in New York. It was cloudy. People came into the courtroom, and it was like they sucked all the energy out of you, like a vacuum. And even Diddy himself's body. Langu mirrored all of the reporters in the crowd and the hundreds of law students that traveled across the country today to come and fill up three overflow rooms, which we haven't seen yet. Usually when I get to court, they say, go up to room 24B. That's the overflow room. If you can't make it into the main courtroom today, they were like, head up to 15A. They had opened up two extra overflow rooms because that is how much attention this case drew on the closing day. So it was a really crazy vibe shift. Ashley.
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Ashley Banfield
Well, that. So the vibe shift, like, people screaming outside, people angry about getting, you know, a place. Like, it was aggressive. Always that.
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Emily Hagan
So if. I don't know if you've been seeing all the tiktoks, but people are screaming every day just to secure a spot in the courtroom. People are spending hundreds of dollars on line sitters just to sit in a courtroom. So people were aggressively pushing themselves to the front of the line today, like, unlike anything I've ever seen before. But usually in the overflow room, when we're hearing witnesses on the stand, there's, like, jokes being made by the judge. And today there was just none of that. It was. The prosecutors brought such a strong case, and they were so serious that nobody was moving. Everybody was completely still, including Diddy, who he's normally, like, passing notes, making jokes To Tenny Garagos. And today he was sitting back in his chair completely still, almost like a statue. I feel like it is the final act and it is finally hitting him that this is not a Wild King night. This is not a show anymore. Like, this is reality sinking in for him and for everybody at the case.
- [24:59]
Ashley Banfield
Yeah, like, everything just got real. Listen, when I saw sort of like soup to nuts, how the prosecutors summed this all up for the jury, all I could say was like, damn, is that easy to see? You know, it just made it so. So crystal clear and easy. And, you know, for everybody out there who's just been dabbling or watching a headline here and there or some social media on it, a lot of people thought, nah, no way. This isn't sex trafficking. This isn't racketeering. Did it feel a little different now?
- [25:28]
Emily Hagan
Yeah. I mean, today I felt like before today, everyone was like, diddy's going free. Like, he's gonna have a freak off next week. People literally thought, diddy's going free. And then today, everyone was kind of looking around once they had that PowerPoint up on the screen. I feel like it really made it easy for people to finally put the pieces together and understand. It's almost like the prosecutors realized how confusing this RICO was for the general public, and they dumbed it down as much as they could for the jury, as if they were giving, like, a college presentation. And I feel like up until today, people didn't realize how simple it was to prove a rico. And now everyone's like, wait, is he going to jail for life now? Maybe not. I think they're gonna have a hard time proving the criminal enterprise, but all of the predicate acts, they almost seem like they could hit everyone today. I don't know if that's what you felt.
- [26:22]
Ashley Banfield
I did, but I have felt that way since the beginning. Like, literally, I've been watching and ticking boxes every single day saying, oh, they got that one. Oh, they got that one too. Damn, they got that one. So I've been, like, keeping a scorecard for seven weeks, and I've just sort of been plummet by all these people out there saying, this isn't trafficking and this isn't racketeering. I've seen the Southern district of New York do a sex trafficking and RICO charge with someone I know. So I really feel like they nailed this one. And I feel like you said they nailed it on each and every one.
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Emily Hagan
I did. I think the reason that the public has been kind of saying that is.
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Ashley Banfield
It Diddy Yeah, that was my son. He does this all the time. Emily. That is my son, and he's almost 20, and he still doesn't know when I'm live on TV.
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Emily Hagan
Gotta put it on vibrate, Ashley.
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Ashley Banfield
So, yeah, that's a dumb move. Dumb. Dumb.
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Emily Hagan
That was louder than the courtroom today. Like, I'm telling you, it was so quiet, usually. So it's usually very bizarre. And I feel like people today, people were like, wait, we're actually at a court trial. I feel like up until today, people thought this was just like one big happy hour. Like, the creators are picking their favorite football team, making bets. And today we're like, wait, this is actually a real trial for Diddy? And it just got a little bit. I don't know, it's a little too real. And then we saw the daughters today for the first time. The twins came. We haven't seen them since week one. They were there the first week supporting their father. And then today they walked in and matching white pinstripe suits, holding their sister Chance's hand. And it just felt really emotional for everybody. And I feel like people at the case are getting really connected to it. But to your point as to why people, maybe you thought the RICO was a rico, but everyone else thought it was a frico. And I think it's because of how charismatic the defense team is today. When the prosecutor got up on the stand, someone was like, how do you feel like she did? And I was like, I'm going to be honest with you, I couldn't even tell you her name. All the prosecutors this whole trial feel like they're just substitute teachers. But when the defense gets up there, it's like we're watching the Shawshank Redemption. They are putting on a show.
- [28:34]
Ashley Banfield
And.
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Emily Hagan
And not only that, they are schmoozing with all of the content creators in the courtroom. Brian Steele's coming up to me going like this. Javier Donaldson's performing so much where the judge has to say, can you come back to the microphone? Like, we can't hear you. And they're schmoozing with us. So they're kind of gaining the trust of the content creators. So then we're going home. We're publishing this to our audience, and the public is like, diddy's getting off. But then when the prosecutors are in the room, they don't even look our way. They mean business.
- [29:05]
Ashley Banfield
You know what? I saw that with the jazz hands of Johnnie Cochran. So now I can't be snowed at all. Hey, Emily, thank you so much for this really great eye in the courtroom. And I want to have you back. Will you come back?
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Emily Hagan
Definitely. Hopefully we'll have a verdict soon because I can't be living here talking about baby whale forever.
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Ashley Banfield
Right. And it's summer. I know. Thank you so much for this. I'll be talking to you again soon. Emily Huggin joining us. And by the way, the law also says that sex trafficking has to affect either interstate or foreign commerce. And the prosecutor made that real simple, too, explaining that even something little like a. A hotel room being booked with a corporate card that qualifies for interstate or foreign commerce if you booked it or over the interstate lines. Over the lines. Over the. Over the commerce lines. Right. You know, like banking or if you booked something overseas, it's interstate or foreign. And the person being charged doesn't even have to know all the details if they set the wheels in motion and if it affects commerce. Prosecutors told the jury that is all they need in order to convict. And by the way, they have a lot of receipts to drive the point home. The prosecutor showed the jury photos of 27 different escorts. 27 pictures. Yeah, that. That was like a feel in the courtroom that came across heavy. Fifteen of those escorts were linked to Cassie's free coughs. Six of those escorts were linked to Jane's hotel nights or king nights or wild king nights. And six of the escorts overlapped both Cassie and Jane, meaning they were involved in both of the sex deals. Prosecutor then addressed something head on consent. She told the jury this, quote, we're not asking you to find that every free cough or hotel night was sex trafficking. She acknowledged that both Jane and Cassie were at times willing to try these things and that they both agreed to the freak offs, even enjoyed the freak offs, at least in the beginning. But the prosecutor said if there was even one episode, one time, just one freak off, or one hotel night when the defendant knew these women did not want to participate and pushed it anyway, she said, that is enough. That is sex trafficking. Prosecution reminded the jury that Jane described these hotel nights in detail and that they all followed the same pattern, saying it was always happening the way Diddy wanted it to happen. And Jane said she never felt like she really had a choice. The prosecutor laid out what she called the four phases of Diddy and Jane's relationship. The love bombing where he swept her off her feet, the introduction of hotel nights, the use of money and rent as leverage, and the aftermath of Cassie's lawsuit when things got worse. She told the jury that the early part of Diddy and Jane's relationship fit the exact pattern that forensic psychologist Dr. Don Hughes described on the stand. Classic love bombing. She said that Jane was being groomed, primed, the prosecutor said, and spent the rest of that relationship trying to get back to that early part, get the early attention back. Once Jane was comfortable with the drugs, with the baby oil, with the overall vibe, prosecutors said Diddy took things to the next level. He introduced the free coughs, the hotel nights, and yes, Jane agreed to do them. But what Jane didn't understand, the prosecution argued, was just how fast Diddy could make it all happen. He had the staff, the rooms, the baby oil, the lube, the escorts, the money, everything lined up before she even knew what was coming. Jane testified that the first night was exciting. It felt taboo and risky, even a little fun. But she didn't realize what she'd just agreed to. As the prosecution put it. She didn't know what she had just opened as she described to Diddy herself was a Pandora's box. The prosecution reminded the jury that Jane had made her feelings clear over and over again. They were shown multiple texts where Jane said she didn't want to do hotel nights and that she was uncomfortable and that she wanted to stop. And while there were moments where Jane seemed to have a say, even picking the escort herself, the prosecutor said it did not mean that she was in control. Diddy still ran the show. They said he supervised and he even made her screen mirror her phone while she sexted with the escorts so that he could watch in real time. And then came the so called love contract, the rent agreement, which on paper looked great, like Diddy was looking after Jane. Jane thought that it would give her stability. A 10,000amonth apartment rental that was paid for by Diddy. But the prosecutor told the jury that wasn't supported. That was leverage. Diddy would say things like, quote, look at the roof over your head. And behind that comment was a message. The prosecutor said that message was, you owe me. You don't get to say no. Prosecutor said, quote, he knew Jane was dependent. He knew how to turn a no into a yes. That is coercion. And it worked, end quote. When Cassie's lawsuit became public, Jane said it felt like she was reading her own story. But the prosecutor made one thing very clear. Jane didn't suddenly speak up because of Cassie. Jane had already been saying no for months, quote, she wasn't copying Cassie, end quote. The prosecutor said she was finally being believed, end quote.
- [35:37]
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- [35:46]
Ashley Banfield
Woo.
- [35:47]
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- [35:53]
Ashley Banfield
Then she brought it all home by saying, quote, he is pressuring her into hotel nights. He's using carrots and sticks. He. He is coercing her. The defendant's conduct had one purpose. To get Jane to agree to do hotel nights. This is sex trafficking, end quote. Then the prosecutor brought it back to the legal elements, the building blocks of the sex trafficking charge. First, she said Diddy clearly recruited and enticed Jane. He flew her in for the hotel nights and that's all it takes to meet the interstate commerce requirement. Even the baby oil and the astroglide, the things that were used during the, the freaky nights, right? They were made out of state in New Jersey and New York. The prosecutor said, and that counts too, which I thought was crazy, but okay. And then she moved to the second element, Force, fraud and coercion. She said the law does not require all three, just one. Just one of the force, fraud and coercion. And as the prosecutor put it, quote, consent once is not consent forever. That is huge. Consent once is not consent forever. So, yeah, you could read a whole bunch of messages saying, I love our freak offs, right? And then you can read another message when it says, our lover, I love our free coughs when we both want it. Those were Cassie's texts. So, yeah, some of the free coughs, maybe they really loved them. And some of the free cops, maybe they really, really didn't want them. And this prosecutor is telling this jury, that's all. That's all that matters. You only have to see one free cough that they don't want to do that they are forced to or fraudulently pushed or coerced into doing. And there you have it. You can say guilty, that's powerful, right? And then she gave specific examples of force, fraud and coercion. Like the New York trip in September of 2023. Prosecutors said that was fraud. Jane thought they were going to have a, quote, proper New York weekend together. But little did Jane know that Diddy was already texting escorts and the owner of a company called Cowboys for Angels. Jane said she didn't even find out about that till she was already on board the plane and in the air. Next was the sobriety party. Prosecutor said that Jane had thrown up, that she was clearly sick, she was clearly not okay, right in the middle of this. This big hotel night, freak off. But that Diddy still pressured her to finish strong, have sex with the third escort of the night. Prosecution called that a false promise and another clear act of coercion. And finally, a night in June of 2024 when a violent fight broke out between Diddy and Jane, followed by, yup, a freak off, a hotel night, a wild king night. Prosecutors said that Diddy looked right at Jane and said the words, quote, is this coercion? End quote. Prosecutor didn't hesitate. She told the jury, yes, it was, and he knew it, end quote. By that point, Diddy was already under investigation. The prosecutor said he knew what the stakes were, and still he said that phrase out loud. Is this coercion? Prosecutor said, quote, the answer couldn't be clearer. There is no credible argument that the defendant can make. He used the word. And then the prosecutor added this. It doesn't matter what Jane said or did first. It doesn't matter if she hit him. It doesn't matter if she called him names. That is not what this is about. What matters, she said, is that he crossed the line, and he did it knowingly. And then the prosecutor turned back to Cassie Ventura and told the jury that for Sean Diddy Combs, it was never just about power. It was about control. She said Diddy wanted something very specific from Cassie. Total compliance. That's a, quote. Total compliance. And to get that, the prosecutor told the jurors he used violence regularly until, in her words, quote, violence became Cassie's normal. Cassie, she reminded the jury, wasn't just a girlfriend. She was a young R B artist who was signed to Diddy's label. Someone who looked up to Diddy, Someone who was, in Diddy's words, quote, young and moldable. Quote, he groomed her. End quote. The prosecutor said he wanted someone who would bend to his every whim, end quote. Some days, Diddy was charming. Other days, explosive and violent. And that unpredictability, the prosecutor said, was the point. Quote, this kept Cassie on uncertain footing. That's what the defendant wanted. It gave him control. This prosecutor told the jury. And then the prosecutor did not let the jury forget what Cassie endured. She walked them back through every violent attack that Diddy allegedly carried out against her, including the one that the jury saw with their own eyes. The hotel hallway beating caught on surveillance video. She told the jury, quote, any one of these attacks would have been terrifying, but for Cassie, she said, it became normal, end quote. And then she reminded the jury of Cassie's own Words on the witness stand, the moment that still echoes, quote, make the wrong face. Next thing I know, I'm getting hit in the face, end quote. The jury was then reminded of the patterns, how Cassie was transported across state lines for free coughs taken to different hotels, even different countries. The prosecutor referenced one of the first stories the jury heard in this trial where Cassie was allegedly beaten while a paid escort was there, an escort named Daniel Phillip. Philip later testified that he could not even perform sexually after witnessing that violence. Not then, at that moment, and not actually for a long time afterwards. He testified that he heard Diddy scream at Cassie, quote, when I tell you to come here, come here. End quote. And when Cassie didn't act the way Diddy wanted at that moment, the prosecutor said Diddy demanded she sleep with Daniel instead. The man who was paid to be there. That, the prosecutor told the jury, is sex trafficking. She also walked them through psychological control. Capricorn Clark, Diddy's former assistant, recalled one moment with chilling detail when Diddy told Cassie, quote, sit down, stand up, turn around, turn back around, end quote. Capricorn Clark testified that Cassie obeyed every command without hesitation. Quote, she was trained, the prosecutor said that's coercion. She also reminded the jury that Cassie was frequently given drugs. Drugs Cassie said helped numb the pain of it all. They were told that Cassie's phone, her laptop and her car keys were routinely taken away again and again, quote, that's coercion. Prosecutors said there were so many physical assaults, the prosecutor said, they couldn't even name them all. The Intercontinental Hotel beating, the night at Prince's house, at his party. The aftermath of a violent beating where Cassie's forehead was split open on the sharpest point of a bed frame, witnessed by both Deontay Nash and Mia, the assistant. And then the rape that Cassie testified happened on her living room floor after she and Diddy had split up and when she'd started dating her current husband, Alex. Fine. And what did Diddy text Cassie the next day after this alleged rape? Quote, I know I look bad to you. I could tell I didn't turn you on yesterday. I fell off, end quote. The prosecutor said that message wasn't just an apology. It was an admission. As those words were spoken, Diddy sat at the defense table, head bowed, staring down at his hands. The prosecutor told the jury that Diddy knew what he had done. And as for Cassie, why she ever had sex with Diddy again after that night, the prosecutor explained it with the words of the expert witness who testified earlier in the trial, she Said Cassie was trauma bonded, emotionally tied to her abuser in a way that is hard to break. The prosecutor then turned to all the free cough videos and warned the jurors not to be fooled by what they saw. Yes, Cassie appeared to take part in the so called freak offs. Yes, she looked like she was participating willingly, but the prosecutor told the jury, she's performing, quote, just like Jane, quote, don't be fooled into thinking it's anything more than that. It's a performance, end quote. Quote. And then the prosecutor explained why, quote, there were many free coughs that Cassie participated in because of the defendant's force, threats of force, or coercion. Prosecutor continued, quote, that conduct is illegal. That conduct is sex trafficking, end quote. She told the jurors that it wasn't just the acts themselves. It was the fact that Diddy recorded them and then used those tapes as leverage, held them over her head, used them as a form of control. She reminded the jurors that Diddy threatened to release the sex tapes to Cassie's parents and then suddenly demanded those parents send him $20,000, which was wired with the help of Diddy's staff, as we heard in testimony. And the prosecutor said something that hit hard, quote, the freak offs themselves became a way to coerce her into doing more freak offs, end quote. And then one more time, the jury was shown the hotel hallway beating video. The prosecutor pointed to the footage and told the jury exactly what she thought it meant, Quote, this is what happened when Cassie said, said no, she was kicked in the face, thrown down, end quote. The prosecutor said that after that beating, back in the hotel room, a male escort was waiting, waiting for Cassie, not because Cassie wanted it, but because Diddy wanted it. Diddy arranged it for his own gratification. The prosecutor told the jury, quote, he was knowingly using force and coercion to get Cassie back into that hotel room where the escort was waiting. That is trafficking, end quote. The prosecutor brought up what the government believes. The defense will argue that the escorts were only, quote, paid for their time, not for their sex. Prosecution dismissed that outright, saying, quote, you know why Daniel was there? She told the jury it was for sex. And by the way, I'm just gonna lay it out there, folks. There's this little word that pops up in, you know, American jurisprudence all the time, and it's called reasonable. What's reasonable to you? What's reasonable doubt and reasonable people? I don't know. I think it's going to be hard to convince reasonable people that sex workers, paid escorts will get on a plane and perform in hours and hours, if not days and days of grueling sexual activity with basically strangers for no money. But then, oh, no, no, you pay me thousands for my time. Is that reasonable? Think of it. Think about it. Are these jurors going to be convinced it's reasonable? I don't even think the prosecution had to really pound that one home. Reasonable. Prosecutor reminded the jurors of more times that Cassie was beaten in Cannes, France. Diddy's assistant, Mia, testified she heard heard an assault over the phone during a trip where Cassie was kicked off the yacht. According to the prosecutor, that wasn't kink. That wasn't lifestyle. It was control. It was coercion. Prosecutor then turned her focus to KK Christina Corum did his longtime chief of staff and someone she described as his most trusted lieutenant. She told the jury that KK didn't just work for Sean Combs, she enabled him. Quote, she aided him as he used women for his sexual pleasure, end quote. This came as the prosecutor walked jurors through another charge on the table. Here it comes. Forced labor. She said Diddy didn't just demand loyalty, he demanded compliance. She reminded the jury about Mia, the employee who says Diddy sexually abused her and then kept her trapped in a cycle of grueling, punishing work, afraid to speak out. And standing beside him through all of this, prosecutors said, was KK that woman Friday. According to the government, KK didn't stop any of the illegal acts. She didn't protect any of the women. And as the prosecutor reached the end of her closing argument, she stood in front of the jury and made her final plea. She told them that for years, Sean Diddy Combs got away with it. Quote, up until today, she said, the defendant was able to get away with his crimes because of his money, his power, his influence, end quote. And then she looked them straight in the eye and said, quote, that stops now. It's time to hold him accountable. It's time for justice. It's time to find the defendant guilty, end quote. And court will pick right back up at 9am Friday morning when Diddy's defense team gets its turn to undo all that damage. Almost five hours of damage, and there's no other way that I could describe the job that's ahead for Diddy's expensive legal team. And that is uphill battle. Like Everest level uphill battle. These prosecutors just laid out the simplest roadmap, right? And they did it while volleying these preemptive strikes to weaken what the defense is about to Say, oh, you know, the defense is going to tell you these women were always willing. You know, what were they, though? Because the prosecution lined up a whole bunch of instances where, yes, they were willing, and here, no, they weren't. Here, they really weren't. And by the way, reminder, jury, you only have to be unwilling once in order for a conviction. And there's plenty of evidence from testimony and text messages and videos, etcetera, that show that, yeah, Jane and Cassie didn't look like they were willing. Said as much. I don't want to do it. Right. And how about the argument that the defense has to mount tomorrow? How to get past, like, transportation across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. Damn, the evidence is like a mountain. The receipts are there. Hey, here's the text message. Can you make it here on Friday? And hey, here's your hotel reservation. And, hey, here's your ticket. And how about, hey, you're on the stand saying that you were there for sex, right? Well, Diddy's lawyers are going to say they weren't paid for their sex. They weren't paid for the sexy stuff. They were just paid by the hour. They were just paid for their time. Yes, there is one piece of evidence there isn't. An agent who was on the phone with Cowboys for Angels or Cowboys and Angels or whatever you call it, saying, yeah, I don't care what you're doing. You can play soccer or do whatever. You got to pay for their time. Because he was haggling about the cost. But there were plenty of escorts who said they were there for the sex. They were paid for the sex, and the money was left down at the hotel lobby at the front desk for them. So then you got to think about what's reasonable. What's reasonable to you is an escort who performs days and days of sex being paid for their time. Have you ever heard of an escort being paid for their time and not for the sex? Like, I even heard the term around the world. Like, there's. There's a. There's a price list for all the things you can get from a sex worker. It's not time. It's the act. It's the various different kinds of acts. It's lots and lots and lots and lots of acts that are worth thousands and thousands of dollars. Again, what's reasonable? What is a jury going to find reasonable? This is a really tough road to hoe for Diddy's expensive lawyers, right? The government showed photos. They played the videos. They walked the jury through every threat, every act of coercion Every moment, they saw Sean Diddy Combs cross the line and just keep going. They showed the receipts and the text messages. They reminded about the testimony from all sorts of people, not just the two women, right? And the jury was locked in mostly. One older man was nodding along as the texts were read aloud. Messages from Diddy's chief of staff directing Jane to carry drugs across state lines. Another juror, a woman, sat stone faced. She was very still, right? With her eyes closed, not asleep, just like long, blinking, thoughtful blinking. So what will the defense do? What will the defense say? Tomorrow they get the mic and they get one last shot to convince this jury that this wasn't trafficking, this wasn't forced labor, this wasn't racketeering. This was just fame and excess and consensual polyamorous relationships, misunderstandings, money grabs and lots and lots and lots of kinky sex. They only get one shot. When that defense team wraps up tomorrow, prosecutors get the last bite at the apple. They get the rebuttal closing. They get the last word because they've got the burden of proof. So it's only fair. And then this jury's going to have to decide whether the man who for decades could not be touched might finally about to be held accountable. Or whether that massive megastar, that Triple A Lister, might just walk out of pre trial lockup for the first time in almost a year. I'll be back tomorrow with a full recap of everything that happens. Make sure you're subscribed because this trial is far from over and we're going to be here, here for every moment of it. I'm Ashley Banfield. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, the truth isn't just serious, it's drop dead serious.