The fees in Combs’ federal felony trial embody intercourse trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. He has pleaded not responsible. If convicted of all expenses, Combs might spend the remainder of his life in jail.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
In the present day, the jury within the federal felony trial of Sean Combs heard opening arguments and testimony from the primary of two authorities witnesses. The fees towards Combs, higher often called Diddy or Puff Daddy, embody intercourse trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Combs pleaded not responsible to all expenses. NPR’s Isabella Gomez Sarmiento was within the courtroom and joins us now. And a warning – this reporting will make point out of sexual violence. Hello, Isabella.
ISABELLA GOMEZ SARMIENTO, BYLINE: Hello, Ailsa.
CHANG: So based mostly on the opening argument, are you able to simply give us a way of the case that the prosecution will attempt to make towards Combs throughout this trial?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: The federal government is saying that for greater than 20 years, Combs used his companies in music, style and media as a felony enterprise that carried out all kinds of alleged crimes, together with kidnapping, bribery, arson and obstruction of justice, but additionally intercourse crimes going again to 2009. These embody intercourse trafficking and transporting business intercourse employees throughout state strains and overseas. So throughout opening arguments, prosecutor Emily Johnson alleged that Combs trafficked his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and one other girlfriend who will testify beneath a pseudonym. Johnson mentioned this isn’t a case a couple of celeb’s non-public sexual preferences, however reasonably about how he used his energy and affect, enabled by a loyal internal circle, to coerce and threaten girls to satisfy his sexual needs.
CHANG: And what concerning the protection? Like, what is going on to be their argument towards all of that?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: In its opening arguments, Combs’ protection mentioned it is a case about jealousy, cash and infidelity, and that these issues don’t have anything to do along with his companies. They admitted off the bat that Combs has a mood, that he could be violent, and he is a drug consumer. They are saying he led what could also be an unconventional intercourse life, however they argued that is not a federal crime. Protection legal professional Teny Geragos mentioned Combs is accountable for home violence however that each one of his sexual encounters had been consensual. She mentioned the federal government has no enterprise intervening in what occurs within the privateness of Combs’ bedrooms and that these girls had been in loving, but poisonous, relationships with him, and none of that quantities to intercourse trafficking or racketeering conspiracy.
CHANG: OK. Properly, the jury heard, I perceive, from the primary of two witnesses for the prosecution in the present day. Inform us what occurred.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Yeah, that is proper. So first, we heard from Israel Florez. He is presently a Los Angeles police officer, however he was working as a safety guard at an LA lodge in 2016. That is when he was referred to as to reply to an altercation between Combs and a girl he later discovered was Cassie Ventura. Prosecutors in the present day performed a number of variations of a lodge surveillance video that is been broadly considered since CNN obtained and launched a model of it final yr. It exhibits an incident from March 2016 during which Combs could be seen kicking, hitting and dragging Ventura down the corridor. Florez testified that when he arrived on the lodge hallway, Combs had, quote, “a devilish stare.” He mentioned Ventura was making an attempt to go away, and Combs initially wouldn’t let her. Florez mentioned that ultimately when Ventura made it out of the lodge and he was asking her if she wanted assist, she refused to name the police or reply any questions.
The opposite witness was a person named Daniel Phillip. He mentioned Ventura gave him massive sums of cash for having intercourse along with her whereas Combs watched on quite a few events. He was requested to explain these encounters, which he mentioned came about in New York Metropolis between round 2012 and 2014, and he offered very graphic particulars about what he mentioned came about. He additionally mentioned he witnessed Combs violently assault Ventura on multiple event, however he didn’t intervene as a result of he was scared for his personal life.
CHANG: Wow, OK. Properly, what else do you count on from this trial for the remainder of this primary week?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Cassie Ventura is predicted to take the stand tomorrow. She filed the primary distinguished civil lawsuit towards Combs within the fall of 2023. They settled that lawsuit out of court docket inside a day of its submitting. However Cassie’s allegations had been a centerpiece of the prosecution’s opening arguments, and we count on that a variety of the eye throughout this trial shall be on her.
CHANG: That’s NPR’s Isabella Gomez Sarmiento. Thanks, Isabella.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Thanks.
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