SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Yesterday, in a Manhattan federal courtroom, the defense gave its closing argument in the criminal trial against Sean Combs. The hip-hop mogul, known through the years as Diddy or Puff Daddy, is facing federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. NPR culture correspondent Anastasia Tsioulcas was at court yesterday and joins us for an update. And just to note, this conversation will include descriptions of physical and sexual violence. Anastasia, hey.
ANASTASIA TSIOULCAS, BYLINE: Hi there.
DETROW: The trial began in early May. It has been, to put it mildly, a lot to follow. Can you give us a brief overview of what the charges are, what the scope of this has been?
TSIOULCAS: Sure thing, Scott. Well, federal prosecutors have charged Sean Combs, who has been a major force in hip-hop since the 1990s, of forcing two ex-girlfriends into sex and drug marathons that involved encounters with male sex workers at locations across the country. And they're also accusing him of using his legitimate business empire, which spans fashion and music and liquor and television, to hide those alleged criminal activities over some 20 years. And Combs has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
DETROW: How exactly did the prosecution lay out their case?
TSIOULCAS: They presented witnesses and evidence for six weeks, Scott, which included having more than 30 people testifying. And those folks included the two girlfriends, the singer and model Casandra "Cassie" Ventura and another more recent girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym Jane. And the jury also heard from dozens of corroborating witnesses. They saw video clips of those alleged marathon sessions, which Combs referred to as freak-offs, hotel nights or wild king nights. And they've also seen video of Combs beating Ventura as she tried to escape one of those sessions. They've also seen literal receipts of the travel and hotel expenses for the male escorts that Combs' company paid for.
DETROW: These are a lot of allegations. How did Combs' defense try to counter them?
TSIOULCAS: They've said from the beginning, Scott, that all of those sexual encounters were consensual. And for most of the trial, they said they would have witnesses on the stand themselves for at least a couple of days. But instead, they called no witnesses at all, and they presented their defense case in just half an hour.
DETROW: Just a half hour - I mean, compared to six weeks, that is remarkably short.
TSIOULCAS: It really is. So their main tactic during both cross-examinations and then again in closing arguments yesterday was mostly to undermine the witnesses' credibility as best they could. Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo sought to reframe the prosecution's narratives that they'd built over those six weeks. He said, quote, "Cassie is nobody's fool. She's sitting somewhere in the world today with $30 million. He's in jail. It's like a slaughter." Agnifilo here was referring to civil settlements Ventura received from Combs and also from the owner of the hotel where Combs was taped physically beating her in 2016. And Agnifilo also said, yes, the relationship was full of domestic violence, but he also called it, quote, "a great modern love story."
DETROW: So this goes to the jury now?
TSIOULCAS: Yes. Jury deliberations are set to begin on Monday. And if Combs is found guilty of all the charges, which are sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering, he could face up to the rest of his life in prison.
DETROW: That is NPR's Anastasia Tsioulcas. Thank you so much.
TSIOULCAS: Thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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