Attorney explains latest on Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial

NEW YORK – Jury deliberations got underway connected Monday successful Sean “Diddy” Combs’ national enactment trafficking proceedings and deed a snag astir arsenic soon arsenic they started. But, by the extremity of the day, jurors indicated they were making advancement weighing analyzable charges that could enactment the hip-hop mogul successful situation for life.

The archetypal time of deliberations saw a flurry of notes from the assemblage and Combs and his supporters bowing their heads successful supplication successful the courtroom — but nary verdict.

The jury of 8 men and 4 women are sifting done 7 weeks of sometimes graphic and affectional grounds astir the rap, manner and world TV impresario ’s propensity for unit and his intersexual predilections, including drug-fueled enactment marathons dubbed “ freak-offs ” oregon “hotel nights.”

About an hr in, the foreperson reported that a juror mightiness beryllium having occupation pursuing the 61 pages worthy of instructions the justice had conscionable work to them.

“We are acrophobic (the juror) cannot travel your honor’s instructions,” the foreperson said successful a enactment to Judge Arun Subramanian conscionable aft 12:30 p.m.

After the justice primitively projected asking the assemblage foreperson the quality of concerns astir the chap juror, defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo suggested caution and that it was amended to accidental little than more.

“We tin ever ratchet it up. We can’t ratchet it down,” Agnifilo said.

Subramanian sent his effect to the assemblage astir 2 p.m., reminding the sheet to deliberate and to travel his instructions connected the law.

The assemblage sent different enactment astir 3 hours aboriginal asking for clarification connected the portion of the instructions addressing cause organisation — an allegation included successful Combs’ racketeering conspiracy charge.

As deliberations were happening, Combs prayed with his household and friends successful the courtroom. Wearing his customary sweater and khakis, helium stood facing his contingent successful the assemblage and bowed his caput with them. As they finished, they applauded, on with Combs.

Combs besides showed disconnected 2 books he’s reading: “The Power of Positive Thinking,” by Norman Vincent Peale and “The Happiness Advantage,” by Shawn Achor.

As helium sent the assemblage to deliberate, Subramanian told the 5 alternate jurors to stay connected standby astatine location successful lawsuit they’re needed astatine a aboriginal point.

Jurors were provided with a laptop loaded with each of the exhibits shown successful court, including substance messages, photographs and videos of the intersexual encounters astatine the bosom of the case.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to national charges of racketeering conspiracy, 2 counts of enactment trafficking — relating to 2 of his ex-girlfriends — and 2 counts of proscription to prosecute successful prostitution for allegedly arranging to alert his girlfriends and enactment workers crossed authorities lines.

In closing arguments past week, national prosecutors and Combs’ defence squad took their past shots astatine convincing jurors to convict oregon acquit the Grammy Award-winning laminitis of Bad Boy Records.

“The suspect utilized power, unit and fearfulness to get what helium wanted,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said. “He thought that his fame, wealthiness and powerfulness enactment him supra the law.”

She said that helium utilized his “close interior ellipse and a tiny service of idiosyncratic staff, who made it their ngo to conscionable the defendant’s each desire, beforehand his powerfulness and support his estimation astatine each costs.”

Defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo countered, “This isn’t astir crime. It’s astir money.” He noted that 1 of Combs’ accusers successful the transgression lawsuit besides sued him successful civilian court.

“He is not a racketeer. He is not a conspirator to perpetrate racketeering. He is nary of these things. He is innocent. He sits determination innocent. Return him to his family, who person been waiting for him,” the lawyer told jurors.

In all, 34 witnesses testified, headlined by Combs’ erstwhile girlfriends Cassie — the R&B vocalist calved Casandra Ventura — and “ Jane,” who testified nether a pseudonym. Both women said helium often was convulsive toward them. Cassie said helium forced her into hundreds of intersexual encounters with paid antheral enactment workers portion Jane recounted galore “hotel nights.”

Jurors besides saw now-infamous security camera video of Combs beating, kicking and dragging Cassie astatine a Los Angeles edifice successful 2016 and clips from videos of intersexual encounters.

Combs chose not to testify, and his lawyers didn’t telephone immoderate witnesses successful their defence case. His attorneys elected alternatively to situation the accusers’ credibility during lengthy cross-examination questioning.

The defence has acknowledged that Combs veered into violence, but his lawyers maintain that the enactment acts were consensual. They contend that prosecutors are intruding successful Combs’ idiosyncratic beingness and that he’s done thing to warrant the charges against him.

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