Prosecutors closed the presentation of more than six weeks of evidence against Hip-hop Maven, who faced off against Sean “Diddy” Combs' sex trafficking trial on Tuesday, closing out a presentation of more than six weeks of evidence against Hip-hop Maven, who faced off against a former employee and two ex-girlfriends who expressed regret over his treatment over the past 20 years.
After the prosecutors rested, Combs' attorney asked District Judge Arun Subramania to stop the trial immediately and abandon the charges, claiming that the charges were not proven.
The government took a break after defense attorney Tenny Jelagos finished questioning Homeland Security Investigation Agent Joseph Celcielo, the final witness to the prosecutor.
Prosecutors cited “Freakuff” as evidence of conspiracy charges for sex trafficking and assault that led to the arrest of combs last September.
But the defense attorney says they are consensual sexual encounters that match the Swingers lifestyle.
Combs, 55, pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bail in Brooklyn's federal lockup after multiple judges concluded he was dangerous to the community last fall.
The government lawsuit consisted of 34 witnesses, including a former employee of Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment Companies, but the majority of the evidence comes from the testimony of Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and two ex-girlfriends from the model and internet personality known to the ju judges.
Ventura, 38, testified for four days in the first week of the trial, saying that the encounter felt pressured to engage in hundreds of “freak-offs” to allow her to become intimate with Combs after performing sexually with a male sex worker, then smack each other with baby oil and sometimes filming the encounters after she sexually played with a male sex worker.
Jane testified for six days about her sexual performances that she labelled “Hotel Night” and said she had put them in sight after starting treatment three months ago. She said she felt she was being forced to be involved with them recently as she did last August, but that she did because she loved the comb and still loves it.
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Ventura was associated with Combs from 2007 to 2018, but Jane was with him frequently from 2021 until her arrest.
The Associated Press generally does not identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse unless they move forward publicly, as Ventura did.
Entertainment details more videos
After the prosecutors rested on Tuesday, the ju judges were sent to lunch. When they returned, the defence presentation was expected to be completed by the end of the day without witnesses.
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Through trial, the defense attorney pleaded exoneration through questioning of witnesses. These include those who testified reluctantly or only after being exempt from crimes they may have committed.
Combs is active in his defense, writing notes to his lawyers, and sometimes helping him decide when to stop asking witnesses questions.
He was once warned by the judge to nod eagerly to the ju apprentice upon successful cross-examination by one of his lawyers. The prosecutor complained that his gesture was a form of testimony without being subject to cross-examination. The judge warned that if it happened again, he could be excluded from his trial.
Last week, prosecutors and defense attorneys showed the ju apprentices who exceeded a 40-minute recording comb made on “freak-off” or “hotel night.”
Some ju umpires sometimes seemed creak when they watched and listened to the audio of the encounter, but most seemed unresponsive.
In her opening statement, Geragos called the video “strong evidence that sexual conduct in this case is consensual and not coercive.”
Discussions for the closing session were scheduled tentatively on Thursday.
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