Diddy Trial’s Most Disturbing Claims: A Day-by-Day Breakdown

If convicted on all charges, which also include arson and bribery, Combs could face a mandatory 15 year prison sentence, with the possibility of life behind bars.

As the prosecution argues coercion, the defense is countering with consent. But both sides agreed that in order to get to the bottom of the case, there would be a lot of witnesses and a lot of shocking details about Combs’ sexual proclivities.

Combs’ defense team acknowledged that he may have certain unorthodox sexual interests, calling him “complicated.” They argue that he may be violent and have a temper — especially when drinking or doing drugs — or even come across as a “mean” person, but he is not on trial for these things.

In the opening statements, defense attorney Teny Geragos said the government has no business scrutinizing Combs’ bedroom habits, according to TMZ’s ongoing coverage. She said this case is about “love, jealousy and adult choices.”

He is “not charged with being mean, he’s not charged with being a jerk,” she insisted.

At the same time, the defense acknowledged that Combs is “very flawed” and that there was domestic violence in the case of Cassie Ventura, and that he will take accountability for some of his actions, as warranted, throughout the trial.

Geragos said in court, per ABC7, “What he understood was that [Ventura] was a willing participant in their sex life.” She claims that Ventura is motivated by money in bringing this case forward.

“Domestic violence is not sex trafficking,” she argued, while also calling the viral video from 2016 of Combs assault Ventura “indefensible.”

Geragos went on to describe the relationship between Combs and “Jane” as “toxic” and “dysfunctional,” but asserted that she, too, was a consensual participant in all sexual activity: “Being a willing participant in your own sex life is not sex trafficking.”

“You are not here to judge him for his sexual preferences,” Geragos told the jury of 12, describing Combs as living a “swingers’ lifestyle.” She argues the women were all involved with Diddy consensually as adults, and were getting a lot of benefits through those relationships.

Meanwhile, the prosecution laid out a story of “freak offs” that involved forced sex with male escorts, with Diddy watching, and other behaviors. They threw out terms like kidnapping, arson, drug distribution, sex crimes, bribery, and obstruction.

They argued that Combs was aided and abetted by an inner circle that helped him perpetuate “crime after crime” over a span of years, with Combs at the center. He “called himself the king and expected to be treated like one,” said prosecutor Emily Johnson.

Prosecutors said that their case will primarily focus on two women, the aforementioned Cassie Ventura and another woman who has chosen to remain anonymous — she will be referred to as Jane throughout the trial.

During his two-year relationship with Ventura, Johnson alleged that Combs forced Ventura to have sex with male escorts, recorded it, and then used the recordings as blackmail against her. She claimed that in one incident, Combs had a sex worker urinate in Ventura’s mouth.

In an incident separate from the violent viral hallway beating seen on video, the prosecution detailed another alleged encounter, claiming that Combs went “on the hunt” after he learned Ventura was seeing another woman. He allegedly took a gun, found her, and beat her severely, according to Johnson in court.

As for the “freak offs,” the prosecution argued that Combs would drug women, including Ventura, and force them into unwanted sex acts. The prosecution is alleging that Combs often assaulted Ventura beforehand to “show who was in charge.”

There will be many pieces of material evidence presented in relation to these “freak offs,” including actual video and related text messages, bill, and reported damage to hotel rooms.

The prosecution argued that the racketeering conspiracy charge comes from Combs working with his high-level employees and bodyguards to “commit different crimes, kidnapping, arson, distributing drugs to other people, exploiting employees for labor.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.