Sean Combs’ huge gamble: Hoping jurors get past his bad behavior and question criminal case

Published On: June 27, 2025

Federal prosecutors rested their case against Sean Diddy Combs last week following six weeks of gruesome and violent testimony from 34 witnesses.

Additionally, his defense team adopted a surprising strategy by choosing not to call any witnesses, including the hip-hop mogul himself.

Legal experts claimed that by doing this, they were taking a chance and conveying the message that, despite all the evidence, the federal government was unable to prove a number of felonies, such as sex trafficking and racketeering.

Despite all of the mogul’s shortcomings and dubious actions, Diddy’s legal team has maintained from the start that the accusations were excessive.

According to former sex crimes prosecutor Dmitry Gorin, it is not unusual for the defense to rest without calling a single witness in criminal proceedings because the prosecution bears the entire burden of proof. According to the defense side, the prosecution’s case raises a reasonable doubt. He predicted that the jury would support Combs’ not-guilty plea.

According to former federal prosecutor Jeff Chemerinsky, the Combs attorneys think the jury is hearing their side of the story. Despite not meeting the elements of the offenses accused, the defense’s case seems to be that Diddy did some truly terrible things. He said that because they had already established that point through the cross-examination of the government witnesses, they did not call their own witnesses.

The jury’s reaction to the prosecution’s evidence, which had startling testimony of violence, threats, payoffs, and other inappropriate actions by Combs and his inner circle, is unknown.

During final remarks on Thursday, prosecutors emphasized their case.

According to the Associated Press, Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik told jurors that Combs utilized a small army of employees to damage women and cover it up, and that he relied on shame and quiet to allow and extend his abuse.

“Combs doesn’t accept no,” she continued.

Three women, including Combs’ ex-lover Casandra Cassie Ventura, who the defense admitted was a crucial witness for prosecutors, are at the center of the case because they testified to violent sexual assaults.

Ventura’s 2023 lawsuit, which contained facts of sex, violence, and freak-offs, was the catalyst for Combs’ business to collapse. According to witnesses, Combs used GHB, ecstasy, and ketamine to keep the women submissive and cooperative throughout the performances.

His latest ex-girlfriend, who was simply called Jane in court, talked about how the forced sex and freak-offs persisted until his arrest last year, despite the lawsuit and a 2023 Homeland Security Investigations raid. Another former worker who testified under the alias Mia also claimed to have experienced sexual assault.

Two of the women were allegedly seduced by Combs and his friends under the guise of a romantic relationship, according to the federal indictment. Combs then allegedly coerced women into having sex with male prostitutes by using controlled narcotics, coercion, threats of coercion, and assault.

Neama Rahami, a former federal prosecutor and defense lawyer, stated that the defense must be satisfied with the case they developed during cross-examination if they are taking a break without calling any witnesses.

Rahami said the defense hopes jurors will ask why the people on the stand did not report the behavior to authorities at the time and in some cases continue to be in Combs’ orbit, despite the fact that the testimony against Combs was specific and vivid.

Prosecutors claimed that Combs’ criminal enterprise exploited members to engage in sex trafficking, forced labor, interstate transportation for prostitution, coercion and enticement to engage in prostitution, drug offenses, bribery, and obstruction of justice, in addition to threatening and abusing women.

In an effort to simplify the jury instructions, prosecutors on Wednesday dismissed the charges of attempted kidnapping, attempted arson, and aiding and abetting sex trafficking. Prosecutors can still claim that he planned the fire bombing of Kid Cudi’s sports car and abducted Ventura and Cassida Clark, a former aide, notwithstanding the actions.

Federal prosecutors must demonstrate a pattern including at least two overt acts as part of a criminal enterprise in order to prosecute a defendant for any of the 35 specific charges listed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO.

Usually, the mafia, street gangs, or drug cartels come to mind. However, Rahami stated that any casual relationship of two or more people, such as Combs’ entourage, is sufficient.

Additionally, over a ten-year period, prosecutors must demonstrate a pattern of racketeering or two or more RICO-predicate crimes.

According to legal experts, this is why the prosecution’s case depends on the evidence of alleged bribery, kidnapping, obstruction, witness tampering, and prostitution.

According to AP, Slavik told jurors in her closing argument that the racketeering law applies when a group of people commit crimes together. In the Combs case, she said, the defendant was a powerful man who became even more dangerous and powerful due to his inner circle and his business ventures.

Whether or not federal prosecutors have proven the RICO charge will be up to the jurors.

Early in the trial, R&B singer Ventura, who had a lengthy relationship with Combs, gave testimony.

Ventura told jurors that the relationship included 11 years of alleged beatings, sexual blackmail, and rape, and that she felt caught in a cycle of physical and sexual abuse.

She claimed that while Combs observed and planned the freak-offs, he threatened to release films of her having sex with multiple male sex workers while high on drugs and drenched in baby oil.

Ventura said that one of those freak-offs resulted in a notorious hotel beating. Combs is shown hitting and kicking Ventura on camera that night in March 2016 as she cowers and tries to defend herself in front of a bank of elevators at a hotel in Los Angeles. Then he pulls her toward their hotel room down the hallway while holding her hooded hoodie.

Combs is seen tossing a vase at her from a second camera point. Two days later, when she wore sunglasses and a lot of makeup on the red carpet for a movie premiere, prosecutors revealed that she still had noticeable bruises on her eye, lip, and other areas.

Prosecutors claim that a cover-up followed. According to Ventura, the cops came to her apartment. Despite answering some of their inquiries, she informed the jury that, at the moment, she still wished to keep Combs safe.

She informed the jurors, “I would not say who I was talking about.” I didn’t want to do him that kind of harm at the time. Too much was happening. There was a lot.

According to Eddie Garcia’s testimony, Combs handed him a brown paper bag filled with $100,000 in cash in exchange for the film at the InterContinental Hotel.

Garcia claimed that he met with Combs, Combs chief of staff Kristina Khorram, and a bodyguard after his boss consented to sell the video recording. He claimed that Combs called Ventura on FaceTime after Garcia expressed worries about the police, gave him the phone, and instructed Ventura to inform Garcia that she also wanted the video to disappear. Garcia then claimed to have taken the money and divided it among his colleagues.

Former Combs assistant Capricorn Clark recounted a violent altercation with Combs in 2011. In December 2011, Clark told jurors that Combs had compelled her to leave her apartment at gunpoint in order to accompany him to the residence of singer Kid Cudi. After arriving, Combs and Clark went inside the deserted house before Cudi—real name Scott Mescudi—arrived.

According to Clark’s testimony, Combs told her to phone Ventura, who was Combs’ ex-girlfriend at the time, in order to prevent the authorities from becoming involved. They also stated that they needed to persuade Cudi not to tell the police. Clark cited Combs as stating, “I’ll kill all you guys if you don’t convince him of that.”

According to Cudi’s testimony, a Molotov cocktail was used to firebomb his Porsche in his driveway.

Ventura’s friend Bryana Bongolan testified that in September 2016, Combs threw her onto balcony furniture after dangling her over a 17-story balcony. She said, “I will never forget him holding me on that balcony.”

However, Combs’ lawyers then presented proof that he was out of the country when the claimed event occurred.