NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Sean 鈥淒iddy鈥 Combs thought his 鈥渇ame, wealth and power鈥 put him above the law as he led a criminal enterprise for two decades, using 鈥減ower, violence and fear鈥 to carry out brutal crimes, a prosecutor told a jury at the music mogul's sex trafficking trial during closing arguments Thursday.
鈥淥ver the last several weeks, you鈥檝e learned a lot about Sean Combs,鈥 Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik began. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the leader of a criminal enterprise. He doesn鈥檛 take no for an answer. And now you know about many crimes he committed with members of his enterprise.鈥
She said sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges were supported by proof that over two decades, Combs kidnapped one of his employees, committed arson by trying to blow up a car, engaged in forced labor, bribed a hotel security worker and carried out the 鈥渂rutal crimes at the heart of this case.鈥
Combs 鈥渁gain and again forced, threatened and manipulated鈥 former girlfriend Casandra 鈥淐assie鈥 Ventura and an ex-girlfriend who testified under the pseudonym 鈥淛ane鈥 into 鈥渉aving sex with escorts for his own entertainment,鈥 Slavik said, speaking from a lectern in front of jurors.
The prosecutor said Combs forced or coerced Cassie and Jane to engage in the dayslong sexual performances known as 鈥渇reak-offs鈥 or 鈥渉otel nights鈥 with drugs, violence, or by threatening financial harm or to release video recordings he'd made of some of the hundreds of encounters.
鈥淭he defendant used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted,鈥 she said. 鈥淗e thought that , wealth and power put him above the law.鈥
Slavik said Combs 鈥渃ounted on silence and shame鈥 to enable and prolong his abuse. He used a 鈥渟mall army鈥 of employees, including personal assistants and bodyguards, to harm women and cover it up, she said.
The theory of racketeering law is that 鈥渨hen someone commits crime as part of a group, they鈥檙e more powerful and dangerous,鈥 Slavik said. 鈥淭he defendant was a powerful man, but he became more powerful and dangerous because of his inner circle, his businesses 鈥 the enterprise.鈥
Combs and his inner circle 鈥渃ommitted hundreds of racketeering acts,鈥 she said.
As Slavik spoke, Combs sat with his head down, his chair pushed back a few feet from the defense table. Wearing a light-colored sweater over a white button-down shirt and khakis, he sometimes scribbled notes to his lawyers.
Members of Combs鈥 family, including several of his children, were packed into the courtroom gallery behind him.
Since his arrest at a Manhattan hotel last September, Combs and his lawyers have insisted he is innocent, though they conceded at trial that domestic violence occurred.
Combs 鈥渨as abusive: physical, emotional, psychological, sexual abuse,鈥 Slavik said. 鈥淭he defendant doesn鈥檛 deny the abuse. They just want to call it 鈥榙omestic violence鈥 and claim it doesn鈥檛 have anything to do with the crimes charged.鈥
The defense, which will present its closing arguments Friday, built its case for acquittal through lengthy cross-examinations of most of the government's 34 witnesses. Some testified only in response to subpoenas and insisted they didn't want to be there.
Combs鈥 lawyers contend there was no racketeering conspiracy because no employees agreed to join any conspiracy.
In her closing, Slavik said employees repeatedly agreed to commit crimes for Combs, including delivering him drugs; accompanying him to kidnap his personal assistant, Capricorn Clark; and locking his girlfriend in a hotel room after he stomped on her face.
Repeatedly, the prosecutor returned to the freak-offs, reminding jurors of text messages and testimony that showed that the women didn't want to participate, including one in which Jane told Combs that she felt he gave her no choice but to participate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 dark, sleazy and makes me feel disgusted with myself. I feel it鈥檚 the only reason you have me around and why you pay for the house,鈥 Jane wrote. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to feel obligated to perform these nights with you in fear of losing the roof over my head.鈥
On Friday, jurors again viewed now-infamous security footage of Combs hitting, kicking and dragging Cassie at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles in 2016 after she tried to leave a freak-off with a male sex worker.
鈥淗e knew exactly what he was doing. That is sex trafficking,鈥 Slavik told the jury, adding that Combs was 鈥渒nowingly using force and coercion to get Cassie back to that room where the escort was waiting.鈥
Judge Arun Subramanian told jurors that after a defense closing Friday and a rebuttal by a prosecutor, he would read instructions on the law before they could begin deliberations.