On the final day of the Diddy trial before jury deliberations, the hip-hop star’s attorney Marc Agnifilo enlivened the courtroom with an impassioned closing argument via Variety. In the coming days, the jury will determine whether Combs is guilty of s*x trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. It is reported that a conviction could land him behind bars for life.
Agnifilo’s demeanor was animated and at times folksy, unlike the prosecution’s cold, formal tone during its closing argument on Thursday. He also paced around the courtroom, beginning his summations by extolling Combs’ character and business acumen, stating that he was a champion of diversity.
“Sean Combs has become something that is very, very hard to be,” Agnifilo said.
“He is a self-made, successful, Black entrepreneur.” He recounted some of the positive things Combs’ former employees said about him on the witness stand, adding, “Did they always like him? No way. Let’s not even go there. But they loved him. They didn’t want to leave him.”
The defense put a spotlight on the presence of Combs’ children and mother in the courtroom, saying, “The man takes care of people.”
Taking a swipe at one of Combs’ alleged victims, “Jane,” Agnifilo said, “I hope she’s having a nice day, but ya know where she’s doing it? In a house he’s paying for.”
Agnifilo went on to argue that Combs is on a “false trial,” that he is not guilty of s*x trafficking but is instead a member of the “swingers lifestyle” who participated in consensual “threesomes” with his ex-girlfriends and male entertainers.
“No one’s forcing her to do this,” Agnifilo said of Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, Combs’ ex who accused him of raping her and coercing her into hundreds of “freak-offs,” drug-fueled s*x parties that lasted days on end. At the center of the trial is a 2016 surveillance video that depicts Combs beating Ventura in a hotel hallway and allegedly attempting to drag her back into a “freak-off.”
“We own the domestic violence,” Agnifilo said. Throughout the trial, the defense has admitted that Combs was violent with Ventura, but that the violence was not connected to the “freak-offs.” Agnifilo painted Ventura as a strong, smart woman who enjoyed her s*x life with Combs.
“She’s a woman who actually likes s*x,” Agnifilo said. “Good for her! She’s beautiful, she should. She’s intense. She’s unafraid.”
