A jury in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex-trafficking trial was selected on Monday, consisting of eight men and four women. Following the selection, Judge Arun Subramanian turned the proceedings over to the lawyers for opening statements.
Prosecutors alleged in their opening remarks that the Bad Boy founder used his fame and power to run a criminal enterprise that facilitated his “freak offs,” drug-fueled orgies involving paid sex workers and unwilling participants, according to NBC News. They also said he allegedly used violence and coercion to force the participation of victims in the freak offs, including ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
They also said jurors will hear from Mia, Combs’ personal assistant for years.
“She is just beginning to grapple with the times he forced himself on her sexually. She wanted to keep the secret to her grave,” Prosecutor Emily Johnson said.
In their opening statement, the defense admitted that Combs did occasionally get violent, but insisted all the alleged victims participated willingly in his out-of-the-box sex life. They also said that his occasional physical abuse and “love of baby oil” were not federal crimes.
NBC reports that attorney Teny Geragos ended the defense’s opening statements by insisting that the victims were all motivated to “lie” about their experiences with Combs because they were seeking a “money grab.” He also told jurors that his accusers were not forced into sex and could’ve parted with him at almost any time.
“They will tell you they were victimized. Ask yourself, what is their motive?” Geragos said. “The answer is simple: money.”
The defense also asserted that Cassie only ended her relationship with Combs because she realized she would “never” mean as much to him as his former girlfriend, Kim Porter. Combs’ attorney, Teny Geragos, alleged this in her opening statement.
When Porter died of pneumonia in 2018, Cassie went to the funeral to support Combs. After hearing how Combs talked about Porter at the funeral, Geragos claims Cassie left on her own terms when it was clear “she would never be that, never be his wife, never be his love of his life.”
The defense isn’t denying allegations that Combs has committed acts of domestic violence or used baby oil during sex, but they insist none of those actions amount to potential federal crimes.
“We will not shy away from the things he did, but we will not own the things he did not do,” Geragos told jurors. “He is physical, he is a drug user, you may know of his love of baby oil. Is that a federal crime? No!”
1st Witness Takes The Stand In Diddy’s Trial
LAPD officer Israel Florez, who once worked in hotel security, was the first witness to take the stand on Monday.
Florez testified that he was on shift the day at the Intercontinental hotel in March 2016, where surveillance video showed Combs dragging and kicking Cassie in the hallway.
After the incident, Florez was called to a woman in distress on the sixth floor of the hotel, testifying that he recognized Combs, but did not recognize Cassie at the time.
“She was scared,” the officer testified, according to NBC News. “She was in the corner, hood on, covered up. I couldn’t see her face, she was pretty much in the corner, on the floor was a destroyed flower vase.”
Florez noticed Cassie trying to walk away and get her phone, but Combs told her she wasn’t going to leave. The former hotel guard said he put his body in the doorway and stood for a few minutes until Cassie left the room.
“I started to leave and (Combs) called for me,” Florez said. “He had a sack of money and he threw it at me and said, ‘Don’t tell anyone.’”
He also testified that he took a video of the hotel assault on his phone to “show his wife.”
Combs is facing five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. He has denied all of the allegations against him.
