Dec. 23, 2025

The Top 10 Crime and Justice Stories Of The Year - #1 - "THE FALL OF A MOGUL: DIDDY'S FREAK-OFFS, FEDERAL TRIAL & THE SHOCKING VERDICT"

The Top 10 Crime and Justice Stories Of The Year - #1 - "THE FALL OF A MOGUL: DIDDY'S FREAK-OFFS, FEDERAL TRIAL & THE SHOCKING VERDICT"
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Reid Carter concludes the Top 10 countdown with the crime story that dominated 2025: Sean "Diddy" Combs. From his November 2023 arrest catalyst when Cassie Ventura filed her bombshell lawsuit, through the March 2024 raids that seized 1,000 bottles of baby oil, to the September arrest at a Manhattan hotel. The eight-week trial featured Cassie's devastating four-day testimony about "freak-offs" - drug-fueled sex marathons with male escorts. July 2nd verdict: guilty on two prostitution counts, acquitted on sex trafficking and racketeering. October 3rd sentence: 50 months. The hip-hop mogul who built Bad Boy Records now sits in federal prison. Expected release: May 2028.

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WEBVTT

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Callarogashark Media, Good morning, I'm Reed Carter. Tuesday, December twenty third,

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twenty twenty five. We've reached the end of our countdown

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the number one crime and justice story of twenty twenty five.

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And if you've been paying any attention at all this year,

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you know exactly who this is about. Sean John Combs,

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Puff Daddy p Diddy Diddy, call him what you want.

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For thirty years, he was hip hop Royalty, the man

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who discovered and promoted Notorious Big, the founder of bad

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Boy Records, a three time Grammy winner, a fashion mogul,

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a media entrepreneur, worth an estimated billion dollars at his peak.

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Now he's Federal inmate number fifty five, one hundred and

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seventy dash zero five to four at FCI Fort Dix

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in New Jersey, working in the prison chapel and enrolled

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in drug treatment. Expected release date May eighth, twenty twenty eight.

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How did we get here? How did one of the

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most powerful men in the music industry end up convicted

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of federal prostitution charges, sentenced to over four years in prison.

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It started with one woman's courage. November sixteenth, twenty twenty three,

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Cassie Ventura, the R and B singer who dated Combs

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for over a decade, filed a federal lawsuit rape, physical abuse,

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sex trafficking, years of control and coercion. She described being

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forced into drug fueled sex performances with male escorts, performances

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Combs called freak offs. One day later, they settled for

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twenty million dollars. Combs thought he'd made it go away.

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He was wrong. That lawsuit opened the floodgates. More accusers

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came forward. Homeland Security started investigating. March twenty twenty four.

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They raided his mansions in Los Angeles and Miami, seized

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over a thousand bottles of baby oil and lubricant, seized firearms,

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seized evidence of what prosecutors would call a criminal enterprise.

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Then came the video May twenty twenty four, hotel surveillance

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footage from twenty sixteen Combs in a towel chasing Cassie

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down a hallway, grabbing her, throwing her to the ground,

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kicking her, dragging her by her sweatshirt, all on camera,

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all undeniable. September sixteenth, twenty twenty four, Combs was arrested

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in the lobby of the park Hyatt Hotel in Manhattan,

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Indicted on racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage

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in prostitution. Denied bail, held at MDC Brooklyn for what

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would become thirteen months of pre trial detention. The trial

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began in May twenty twenty five. Jury selection started May fifth.

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Opening statements began May twelfth, eight weeks of testimony thirty

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four prosecution witnesses, Cassie on the stand for four days,

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describing the horror of the freak offs, the violence, the drugs,

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the control. Another ex girlfriend testifying under the pseudonym Jane,

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with similar allegations. July second, twenty twenty five. The verdict

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guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution,

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not guilty on racketeering, not guilty on sex trafficking, a

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split decision that pleased No one completely. October three, twenty

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twenty five, sentencing fifty months in federal prison, a five

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hundred thousand dollars fine, five years of supervised release. The

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judge told Combs he abused power and control with women

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you professed to love. This is the story of the year.

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The rise and fall of a hip hop Titan the

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women who survived him, the system that finally held him accountable,

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at least partially, and the questions were still asking about wealth,

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power and justice in America. I'm reed, Carter, this is

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celebrity trials today, the fall of a mogul. Let's begin

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to understand the fall, you have to understand the rise.

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Because Sean Combs didn't just stumble into power. He built

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an empire through talent, ambition, and ruthless business instincts. Born

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November fourth, nineteen sixty nine, in Harlem, New York. His father,

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Melvin Combs, was shot and killed when Shawn was two

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years old, later revealed to be a drug dealer. His mother,

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Janis raised him in Mount Vernon, New York. Combs was

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driven from the start. Attended Howard University, though he dropped

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out after his sophomore year. Combs started working at Uptown

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Records as an intern. Within months, he was a talent director.

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By twenty three, he was running artist development. This is

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where he discovered Mary J. Blige and helped launch jodas In.

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This is where he learned the music business from the inside.

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Combs was fired from Uptown, so he started his own label,

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Bad Boy Records, signed a distribution deal with Arista and

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discovered a Brooklyn rapper named Christopher Wallace. You know him

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as the notorious Big Biggie Small's one of the greatest

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rappers to ever live. Bad Boy exploded. Biggie's debut album,

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Ready to Die, went quadruple platinum. Combs signed Faith Evans

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one twelve total Mayze the Locks. He wasn't just a

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label executive. He was producing tracks, appearing in videos, building

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a brand around his own persona Puff Daddy became as

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famous as his artists. Combs released his own debut album,

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No Way Out. It debuted at number one, sold over

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seven million copies, won the Grammy for Best Rap Album.

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I'll Be Missing You, his tribute to Biggie, who was

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murdered that March, spent eleven weeks at number one. Combs

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was everywhere. Over the next decade, Combs built a business empire.

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Shawn John clothing line won the CFDA Menswear Designer of

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the Year Award in two thousand and four. Diagio partnership

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to promote Shirak Vodka turned it into a billion dollar brand.

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Revolt TV media company investments in everything from tech startups

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to charter schools. Forbes estimated his net worth at nearly

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a billion dollars. At his peak, he threw legendary parties,

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dated Jennifer Lopez, rubbed shoulders with politicians, celebrities, business titans,

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received a key to New York City in September twenty

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twenty three, an honorary doctorate from Howard University. He was untouchable,

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or so he thought. Behind the glamour, there were warning

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signs the nineteen ninety nine Club New York shooting. Combs

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was acquitted of weapons charges, but his then protege, Shine

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went to prison. Stories circulated for years about his temper,

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his need for control, his volatile relationships, but no one

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who mattered was talking until Cassie. Make it make sense.

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A man builds a thirty year empire, accumulates a billion dollars,

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wins Grammys, gets keys to cities, and the whole time,

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according to prosecutors, he's running a criminal enterprise to satisfy

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his sexual desires, using his power to abuse, coerce, and

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silence the women in his life. The monster was hiding

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in plain sight, and it took one woman willing to

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speak up to bring it all crashing down. November sixteenth,

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twenty twenty three, Cassie Ventura filed her lawsuit in federal

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court in Manhattan, thirty pages of allegations that would change everything.

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Cassie real name Cassandra Ventura, met Combs in two thousand

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and five. She was nineteen, he was thirty seven. He

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signed her to bad Boy Records. They began dating, and

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according to Cassie's lawsuit, that's when the control began. She

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alleged Combs dictated every aspect of her life, what she wore,

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who she spoke to, where she went. He paid for

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her apartment and expenses, which meant he controlled everything. She said,

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He had access to her medical records, had his staff

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monitor her movements. The physical abuse allegedly started early and

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continued throughout their decade long relationship, punching, kicking, dragging, stomping

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on her head when she was down. She claimed it

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happened too frequently and that his security staff witnessed it.

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But the lawsuit's most shocking allegations centered on what Combs

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called freak offs. According to Cassie, these were drug fueled,

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multi day sex performances. Combs would direct her to have

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sex with male escorts while he watched and masturbated, He

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filmed everything, used the recordings as blackmail to keep her

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under control. She alleged the freak offs happened in hotel

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taels across the country New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta,

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Las Vegas, even Abiza and Turks and Caicos. She was

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expected to find and hire the escorts, to arrange hotel

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rooms to procure the drugs. It became, in her words,

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a job. The lawsuit also alleged a twenty eighteen rape,

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and it described a March twenty sixteen incident at the

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Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles where Combs allegedly threw her

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to the ground and beat her in a hallway. That

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incident would later become the most damning piece of evidence

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against him. One day after the lawsuit was filed, Combs

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and Cassie settled twenty million dollars no admission of wrongdoing.

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Comb's attorney called the settlement in no way an admission

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of wrongdoing, but the damage was done. The floodgates were

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open within weeks. More lawsuits followed. Joy Dickerson Neil alleged

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Combs drugged and assaulted her in nineteen ninety one, and

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filmed it. Liza Gardner alleged Combs and singer Aaron Hall

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sexually assaulted her in nineteen ninety when she was sixteen.

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An anonymous Jane Doe alleged Combs and two associates gang

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raped her when she was seventeen. By early twenty twenty four,

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the lawsuits kept coming. Producer Rodney Lil Rod Jones alleged

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Combs sexually harassed, drugged, and threatened him. Dawn Richard, a

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member of Danity Kin, a group Combs formed on his

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MTV show Making the band, alleged years of physical abuse

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and witnessed him beating Cassie. Combs denied everything posted on

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Instagram in December twenty twenty three, enough is enough. Sickening

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allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for

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a quick payday. Let me be absolutely clear. I did

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not do any of the awful things being alleged. But

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federal investigators were already watching. Homeland Security investigations had opened

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a probe, and on March twenty fifth, twenty twenty four,

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they made their move. Heavily on. Armed federal agents descended

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on Combs's mansion in Los Angeles. Simultaneously another team hit

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his waterfront property in Miami. Combs wasn't home. He was

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in Miami at the time, but his sons, Justin and

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Christian were at the LA property. Body camera footage showed

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agents handcuffing them, pushing them against walls. What investigators found

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inside those mansions would become evidence in the federal case.

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Firearms including three AR fifteen rifles with defaced serial numbers, ammunition, drugs,

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and over one thousand bottles of baby oil and lubricant

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one thousand bottles the freak off supplies, as prosecutors would

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later call them. The same day, Combe's alleged drug mule,

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Brendan Paul, was arrested at the Miami Airport with cocaine

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and marijuana edibles. Comb's lawyers called the raids a gross

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overuse of military level force and a witch hunt, but

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the investigation was just getting started then. On May seventeenth,

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twenty twenty four, CNN released the video hotel surveillance footage

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from the Intercontinental in Los Angeles March fifth, twenty sixteen,

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the incident Cassie had described in her lawsuit. The footage

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shows Cassie exiting a hotel room heading toward the elevators.

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Combs emerges moments later, wearing only a towel. He runs

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down the hall, grabs her by the back of the neck,

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throws her to the floor, kicks her while she's down,

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kicks her again, drags her by her sweatshirt, throws objects.

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All captured from multiple camera angles. There was no denying it,

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no explaining it away, No settlement could make this disappear.

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Two days later, Combs posted an apology video on Instagram.

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My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full

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responsibility for my actions in that video. I was disgusted

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then when I did it. I'm disgusted now. Cassie's attorney responded,

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Combe's most recent statement is more about himself than the

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many people he has hurt. The La County District attorney

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said the assault was beyond the statute of limitations for

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criminal charges, but federal prosecutors had other plans. We'll be

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right back with the arrest, the indictment, and the trial

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that captivated America. Eight weeks of testimony, Cassie on the

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stand for four days, and a verdict that satisfied no One.

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September sixteenth, twenty twenty four, Monday, evening the lobby of

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the Park Hyatt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan. Sean Combs had

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relocated to New York knowing federal charges were imminent. His

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attorneys had been negotiating with prosecutors, hoping for a voluntary surrender. Instead,

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federal agents moved early, arrested him in the hotel lobby

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took him into custody. The next morning, September seventeenth, the

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indictment was unsealed fourteen pages that painted a devastating picture

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three counts racketeering, conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion,

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transportation to engage in prostitution. The indictment alleged Combs had

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been running a criminal enterprise since at least two thousand

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and eight, using his businesses Bad Boy Records. Comb's enterprises

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his various companies not just for legitimate purposes, but to

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fulfill his personal desires, particularly those relating to sexual gratification,

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including through the exploitation of women. The freak Offs were

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at the center of it all. Prosecutors described them as

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elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during,

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and often electronically record The victims were allegedly drugged with ketamine, ecstasy, GHB,

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and other substances, forced to participate for hours or even days,

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left so exhausted they required IV fluids to recover. Prosecutors

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alleged Combs used violence, threats, blackmail, and financial control to

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keep victims compliant, that he brandished firearms to intimidate, that

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his staff, security guards, personal assistants, household employees helped facilitate

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the abuse. US attorney Damian Williams held a press conference

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Shawn Combs led and participated in a racketeering conspiracy that

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used the business empire he controlled to carry out criminal activity,

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including sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction

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of justice. Combs appeared in federal court that afternoon pleaded

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not guilty. His attorney, Marc Agnifilo, argued for bail, proposed

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of fifty million dollar bond secured by Comb's Miami mansion,

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electronic monitoring, travel restrictions, surrender of passports. Prosecutors opposed called

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Comb's a serial abuser and a serial obstructor, said he

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posed a danger to witnesses and victims, said he had

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already attempted to contact potential witnesses. Judge Robin Tarnofsky denied bail.

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Combs was remanded to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

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He would remain there for the next thirteen months through

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multiple bail appeals, all denied through pre trial motions, through

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the trial itself. MDC Brooklyn is not a pleasant place.

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The federal facility has been criticized for violence, unsanitary conditions,

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lack of heat and electricity. Comb's lawyers repeatedly complained about

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his conditions, said he couldn't adequately prepare for trial, said

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he was teaching business classes to other inmates to pass

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the time, but the process the acution was building its case.

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A superseding indictment in December twenty twenty four added more details.

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Prosecutors gathered over forty potential witnesses, compiled evidence from the raids,

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subpoenaed records, prepared to put Sean Combs on trial for

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his life. The charges carried potential life sentences. Racketeering alone

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could mean twenty years to life. Sex trafficking carried a

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fifteen year mandatory minimum. Combs, at fifty five years old,

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faced the real possibility of dying in prison. His defense team,

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a roster of high powered attorneys, including Mark Agnifilo and

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00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:36.480
Brian Steele, who had just won Young Thug's release from

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a Georgia racketeering case, prepared their strategy. They wouldn't deny

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the freak offs happened. They would argue they were consensual,

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that Cassie and the other women participated willingly, that this

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was a lifestyle shared by adults, not a criminal enterprise.

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It was a high stakes gamble. And on May fifth,

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twenty twenty five, the trial began. May fifth, twenty twenty five,

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Manhattan Federal Court Judge Iran Subramanian presiding jury selection began

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for the trial of United States versus Sean Combs. After

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a week of questioning prospective jurors, many of whom had

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seen the twenty sixteen hotel video, a panel of twelve

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jurors and six alternates was seated. Opening statements began May twelfth.

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The all female prosecution team was led by Emily Johnson

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00:18:28.920 --> 00:18:32.640
and Christy Slavic. They promised juror's evidence of a decade

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spanning criminal enterprise. Said Combs used his status and power

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to violently force women into sex acts, called him the

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00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:45.920
king who tolerated no defiance. The defense, led by marc Agnifilo,

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conceited Combs has a temper and can be physical, but

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they argued the relationships were consensual, if toxic, that the

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freak Offs were a lifestyle, not trafficking, that this was

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the government policing the bedroom. The trial would last eight weeks,

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00:19:02.920 --> 00:19:09.440
thirty four prosecution witnesses, graphic evidence, emotional testimony, and at

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the center of it all Cassie. She took the stand

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00:19:13.920 --> 00:19:18.440
on May thirteenth, visibly pregnant with her third child, her husband,

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00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:23.480
personal trainer Alex Fine, watching from the gallery. Combs's family,

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00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:27.519
his mother, Janis, his seven children, sitting behind the defense

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table for four days. Cassie testified described meeting Combs when

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she was nineteen, how the relationship quickly became controlling, how

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00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:39.920
the abuse started and escalated. She described the freak Offs

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00:19:39.960 --> 00:19:43.000
in devastating detail. How Combs would direct her to find

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00:19:43.039 --> 00:19:48.000
male escorts online, How she'd arrange hotel rooms, always under aliases,

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always in hotels that wouldn't ask questions. How Combs would

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provide drugs ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine to lower her resistance. The

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00:19:56.880 --> 00:20:00.720
freak Offs became a job. She testified where there wasn't

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any space to do anything else but to recover and

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00:20:03.680 --> 00:20:07.519
just try to feel normal again. She described being filmed

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00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:11.839
during the encounters, how Combs used those recordings as blackmail,

280
00:20:12.319 --> 00:20:15.200
threatened to release them if she ever left him, threatened

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00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:19.160
to destroy her career. He told me about videos that

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he had that he was going to release. She testified

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00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:25.039
that he was going to hurt me. She described the

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physical abuse, being punched, kicked, dragged, having her head stomped

285
00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:33.599
when she was on the ground, the injuries, the black eyes,

286
00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:38.640
the fear. How frequently was Shawn physical with you during

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00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:44.319
your relationship? Prosecutor Emily Johnson asked, too frequently, Cassie replied.

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Jurors were shown photographs from the Freak Offs, images on

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Cassie's devices sealed from public view. They saw the full

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00:20:53.119 --> 00:20:57.960
twenty sixteen hotel video, fifteen minutes of footage from multiple

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00:20:58.000 --> 00:21:01.599
angles saw Combs beating the woman he claimed to love.

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00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:06.839
On cross examination, defense attorney Anna Estevou tried to paint

293
00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:10.599
Cassie as a willing participant. Showed text messages where she

294
00:21:10.680 --> 00:21:14.920
expressed affection for Combs, messages where she appeared to initiate

295
00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:18.359
freak Offs pointed out that she dated actor Michael B.

296
00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:22.039
Jordan when she wasn't with Combs. Evidence they suggested that

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00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:26.240
she wasn't trapped, but Cassie held firm. Explained that she'd

298
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learned to placate Combs, that expressing desire for freak Offs

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was damage control, a way to avoid triggering his violence,

300
00:21:34.480 --> 00:21:37.079
that the cycle of abuse kept her trapped even when

301
00:21:37.079 --> 00:21:41.319
she wanted to leave. He was a scary person. She testified,

302
00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:46.960
he would be violent after Cassie came. Jane, another ex

303
00:21:47.000 --> 00:21:51.519
girlfriend who testified under a pseudonym, similar allegations freak Offs

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00:21:51.799 --> 00:21:56.359
violence control a twenty twenty four incident where Combs allegedly

305
00:21:56.400 --> 00:21:59.400
assaulted her at her own home while under criminal investigation.

306
00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:03.839
Male escorts testified about being paid to participate in the

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00:22:03.839 --> 00:22:08.559
sex performances. One described witnessing Combs throw a bottle at

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00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:12.759
Cassie and drag her by her hair. Former employees testified

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00:22:12.759 --> 00:22:17.079
about the operation, the hotel bookings, the drug procurement, the

310
00:22:17.160 --> 00:22:22.160
clean up after freak Offs. Israel Flores, an LAPD officer

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00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:26.799
who worked hotel security in twenty sixteen, testified that Combs

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00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:30.279
offered him a bag of cash one hundred thousand dollars

313
00:22:30.759 --> 00:22:34.799
to stay quiet about the hallway assault. Flores said he refused.

314
00:22:35.240 --> 00:22:40.599
Prosecutors played audio recordings Combs calling victims from jail, allegedly

315
00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:44.519
trying to influence their testimony, Texts between Combs and his

316
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staff discussing drugs, escorts, hotel arrangements. After six weeks, on

317
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June twenty fourth, the prosecution rested thirty four witnesses, hundreds

318
00:22:55.519 --> 00:23:00.799
of exhibits, a mountain of evidence. Then something remarkedable happened.

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00:23:01.240 --> 00:23:05.319
The defense rested too, without calling a single witness, without

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00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:09.359
putting Combs on the stand, without presenting any live testimony.

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00:23:09.799 --> 00:23:14.440
It was a calculated gamble. Agnifilo later explained calling witnesses

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00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:18.119
would open new avenues for prosecution cross examination. Better to

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00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:21.279
rest on reasonable doubt, better to argue in closing that

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00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:25.319
the government hadn't proven its case. Closing arguments began June

325
00:23:25.319 --> 00:23:30.319
twenty sixth. Prosecutor Christy Slavic spent nearly five hours walking

326
00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:34.200
jurors through the evidence. Called Combs a man who did

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00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:38.359
horrible things to real people to satisfy his own sexual gratification.

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00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:42.559
Said the freak Offs weren't a lifestyle, they were trafficking

329
00:23:43.720 --> 00:23:46.400
they were not paid for their time. Slavic said of

330
00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:50.720
the male escorts, they were paid for sex. Defense attorney

331
00:23:50.759 --> 00:23:54.480
Marc Agnifilo gave a theatrical four hour closing, called the

332
00:23:54.519 --> 00:23:59.519
case badly, badly exaggerated, described Cassi and Combs as a

333
00:23:59.559 --> 00:24:03.599
great modern love story gone wrong. Warned jurors they could

334
00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:08.440
be next if the government could police bedrooms. Prosecutor Maureen

335
00:24:08.559 --> 00:24:12.640
Comy delivered the rebuttal for twenty years, the defendant got

336
00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:18.039
away with his crimes that ends in this courtroom on

337
00:24:18.160 --> 00:24:22.440
June thirtieth. The jury began deliberating. Three days later, on

338
00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:40.559
July second, twenty twenty five. They had a verdict. July second,

339
00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:44.720
twenty twenty five. The courtroom was packed. Comb's family filled

340
00:24:44.720 --> 00:24:47.880
the gallery, his mother Janis, all seven of his children,

341
00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:52.079
his friends and supporters, Victims attorneys were present, media from

342
00:24:52.119 --> 00:24:55.240
around the world. Combs sat at the defense table in

343
00:24:55.279 --> 00:24:58.519
a dark suit. He'd lost weight during his thirteen months

344
00:24:58.519 --> 00:25:02.119
at MDC Brooklyn looked older than his fifty five years.

345
00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:06.640
The jury, four persons stood. Judge Subramanian read the counts.

346
00:25:07.119 --> 00:25:13.119
Count one racketeering, conspiracy not guilty, Count two sex trafficking

347
00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:18.000
by force, fraud, or coercion. Cassie Ventura not guilty. Count three,

348
00:25:18.279 --> 00:25:23.240
Sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion Jane not guilty.

349
00:25:23.799 --> 00:25:29.400
Count four, Transportation to engage in prostitution. Cassie Ventura guilty.

350
00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:35.519
Count five Transportation to engage in prostitution Jane guilty. A

351
00:25:35.559 --> 00:25:40.240
split verdict. Combs had beaten the most serious charges, the

352
00:25:40.359 --> 00:25:43.720
racketeering that could have meant life, the sex trafficking with

353
00:25:43.799 --> 00:25:47.880
its fifteen year mandatory minimum, but he was convicted on

354
00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:51.079
two counts of violating the Man Act, the nineteen ten

355
00:25:51.200 --> 00:25:55.880
federal law prohibiting transportation of people across state lines for prostitution.

356
00:25:56.480 --> 00:26:00.359
Each count carried up to ten years maximum put tiotential

357
00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:04.640
sentence twenty years. When the verdicts were read, Combs dropped

358
00:26:04.680 --> 00:26:06.920
to his knees, put his head on a chair in

359
00:26:06.960 --> 00:26:10.799
a prayer like position. His family stood, clapping and cheering.

360
00:26:11.079 --> 00:26:15.279
Defense attorneys hugged. It felt, in that moment like a victory,

361
00:26:15.839 --> 00:26:20.200
but it wasn't over. Judge Subramanian denied bail pending sentencing.

362
00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:24.839
Combs went back to MDC Brooklyn. His attorneys filed motions

363
00:26:24.839 --> 00:26:28.279
to dismiss the convictions, arguing the Man Act shouldn't apply.

364
00:26:28.960 --> 00:26:33.799
The judge denied them. October third, twenty twenty five, sentencing day.

365
00:26:34.359 --> 00:26:37.599
The courtroom was even more crowded than verdict day. Line

366
00:26:37.599 --> 00:26:40.000
sitters had camped over night to secure seats for those

367
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:43.480
who wanted to witness history. Prosecutors asked for eleven years

368
00:26:43.480 --> 00:26:47.160
and three months, called Comb's unrepentant, said he posed a

369
00:26:47.160 --> 00:26:51.240
continuing danger, said his pattern of violence demanded a severe sentence.

370
00:26:51.680 --> 00:26:57.119
Defense attorneys asked for fourteen months, essentially time served. Played

371
00:26:57.160 --> 00:27:00.319
an eleven minute video showing Combs with his children, his

372
00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:04.920
charity work, his business achievements. Six of his seven children

373
00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:08.920
addressed the court, pleading for mercy. Cassie didn't attend, but

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00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:12.720
her victim impact statement was submitted. I know that who

375
00:27:12.759 --> 00:27:16.799
he was to me, the manipulator, the aggressor, the abuser,

376
00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:20.559
the trafficker is who he is as a human. He

377
00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:23.640
has no interest in changing or becoming better. He will

378
00:27:23.680 --> 00:27:28.119
always be the same cruel, power hungry, manipulative man. Then

379
00:27:28.200 --> 00:27:31.359
Combe spoke for the first time in the case. He

380
00:27:31.400 --> 00:27:35.720
addressed the court directly. He apologized to Cassie. I want

381
00:27:35.720 --> 00:27:38.920
to personally apologize to Cassie Ventura for any harm that

382
00:27:38.960 --> 00:27:42.680
I've caused her emotionally or physically. I don't take that lightly.

383
00:27:43.400 --> 00:27:46.720
He apologized to Jane. I didn't mean to hurt you.

384
00:27:47.519 --> 00:27:50.839
I'm sorry I brought you into my mess. He called

385
00:27:50.880 --> 00:27:55.599
his actions disgusting, shameful, and sick. Said he was sick

386
00:27:55.640 --> 00:27:59.240
from the drugs and out of control. Turned to his

387
00:27:59.279 --> 00:28:03.160
family in the gapery crying, told his mother, you taught

388
00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:07.119
me better, you raised me better. I have been humbled

389
00:28:07.160 --> 00:28:10.319
and broken to my core. Combs said, I hate myself

390
00:28:10.400 --> 00:28:13.559
right now. I've been stripped down to nothing. I really

391
00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:16.640
am truly sorry for all of it. He begged for mercy,

392
00:28:17.119 --> 00:28:19.559
asked the judge to make an example of what a

393
00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:23.880
person can do if they get another chance. Judge Subramanian

394
00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:28.359
was unmoved. You abuse the power and control with women

395
00:28:28.440 --> 00:28:33.839
you profess to love, the judge said, you abuse them physically, emotionally,

396
00:28:34.200 --> 00:28:39.640
and psychologically. He acknowledged Combs's success, his devotion to family,

397
00:28:39.759 --> 00:28:44.000
his charitable work, but said that didn't excuse decades of abuse.

398
00:28:44.680 --> 00:28:48.119
Said a substantial sentence was necessary to send a message

399
00:28:48.160 --> 00:28:51.880
that abuse of women is met with accountability. The sentence

400
00:28:52.160 --> 00:28:55.680
fifty months in federal prison, four years and two months

401
00:28:56.160 --> 00:28:59.920
A five hundred thousand dollars fine, five years of supervise

402
00:29:00.200 --> 00:29:05.000
release after prison, including domestic violence treatment and mental health programs,

403
00:29:05.720 --> 00:29:09.400
with credit for the thirteen months already served. Combs's expected

404
00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:13.119
release date is May eighth, twenty twenty eight. He'll be

405
00:29:13.160 --> 00:29:17.359
fifty eight years old. Defense attorney Brian Steele called the

406
00:29:17.400 --> 00:29:22.359
sentence Unamerican, said Combs was sentenced for conduct the jury

407
00:29:22.400 --> 00:29:25.920
did not find him guilty of. They announced plans to appeal.

408
00:29:26.400 --> 00:29:30.880
Cassie's attorney issued a statement, the sentence imposed today recognizes

409
00:29:30.920 --> 00:29:35.559
the impact of the serious offenses he committed outside the courthouse.

410
00:29:35.880 --> 00:29:40.319
Supporters chanted free puff. Critics said he got off too easy.

411
00:29:40.799 --> 00:29:44.720
The debate continues. Make it make sense. A man builds

412
00:29:44.759 --> 00:29:48.880
a billion dollar empire, abuses women for decades, gets caught

413
00:29:48.920 --> 00:29:53.119
on video beating his girlfriend, faces trial with overwhelming evidence,

414
00:29:53.559 --> 00:29:56.039
and walks away with a four year sentence because the

415
00:29:56.119 --> 00:29:59.960
jury couldn't agree on the most serious charges. Is that justice?

416
00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:02.839
Or is that wealth and power buying the best legal

417
00:30:02.839 --> 00:30:10.480
defense money can afford your tax dollars at work, Sean

418
00:30:10.599 --> 00:30:14.920
Combs is no longer at MDC Brooklyn. On October thirtieth,

419
00:30:15.160 --> 00:30:19.599
twenty twenty five, he was transferred to FCI Fort Dix

420
00:30:19.720 --> 00:30:23.599
in New Jersey, a low security federal prison about eighty

421
00:30:23.640 --> 00:30:27.119
miles south of Manhattan. His lawyers requested it for the

422
00:30:27.200 --> 00:30:30.759
drug treatment program and to be closer to family. Fort

423
00:30:30.799 --> 00:30:34.440
Dix is a far cry from MDC Brooklyn, over four

424
00:30:34.519 --> 00:30:39.160
thousand inmates low security. He's enrolled in the residential drug

425
00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:42.640
abuse program. Completing it could knock time off his sentence.

426
00:30:43.279 --> 00:30:47.000
He's working in the prison chapel, making friends with other inmates,

427
00:30:47.079 --> 00:30:51.319
including former NBA player Sebastian Telfair, who's serving time for

428
00:30:51.359 --> 00:30:55.279
defrauding the league's health plan. Within days of arriving, Combs

429
00:30:55.319 --> 00:30:59.160
was already in trouble. Made an unauthorized three person phone

430
00:30:59.160 --> 00:31:03.119
call on November third, a violation of prison rules. Said

431
00:31:03.119 --> 00:31:05.640
he was coordinating a statement to The New York Times

432
00:31:05.640 --> 00:31:09.319
with his legal team. Multi person calls are banned because

433
00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:13.079
inmates could use them to coordinate criminal activity. He faces

434
00:31:13.119 --> 00:31:17.160
possible loss of phone and commissary privileges. His attorneys have

435
00:31:17.240 --> 00:31:21.640
filed notice of appeal. They want an expedited schedule, arguing

436
00:31:21.720 --> 00:31:24.440
Combs could finish his sentence before the appeal is even

437
00:31:24.519 --> 00:31:27.880
heard if they wait. They're challenging the use of the

438
00:31:27.920 --> 00:31:31.640
Man Act, calling it infamous with a sordid history to

439
00:31:31.759 --> 00:31:36.880
prosecute sex between consenting adults. The civil lawsuits continue. Over

440
00:31:36.920 --> 00:31:40.000
one hundred accusers have come forward since Cassie filed her

441
00:31:40.079 --> 00:31:45.079
lawsuit in November twenty twenty three, allegations spanning decades, alleged

442
00:31:45.160 --> 00:31:47.200
victims as young as ten years old at the time

443
00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:51.279
of their alleged assaults. Some lawsuits have been withdrawn, others

444
00:31:51.319 --> 00:31:54.680
are preceding. The criminal case may be over, but Comb's

445
00:31:54.759 --> 00:31:58.559
legal battles are just beginning. His business empire has crumbled.

446
00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:03.559
Bad Boy Records is effectively defunct. Revolt TV cut ties,

447
00:32:04.319 --> 00:32:08.000
his clothing lines are worthless. Forbes removed him from its

448
00:32:08.039 --> 00:32:13.000
billionaire list. Howard University revoked his honorary doctorate and returned

449
00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:16.640
his million dollar donation. New York City took back his key,

450
00:32:17.119 --> 00:32:21.720
Miami Beach revoked Diddy Day. Radio stations have pulled his music.

451
00:32:22.200 --> 00:32:26.279
Artists have distanced themselves. The man who once seemed untouchable

452
00:32:26.519 --> 00:32:29.759
is now a pariah. And then there's the Trump factor.

453
00:32:30.279 --> 00:32:34.640
In August twenty twenty five, said Combs was essentially sort

454
00:32:34.640 --> 00:32:37.880
of half innocent because he was acquitted on the most

455
00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:42.799
serious charges, said he'd consider a pardon or commutation, said

456
00:32:42.839 --> 00:32:46.319
Combs used to really like me a lot. After the sentencing,

457
00:32:46.599 --> 00:32:52.400
TMZ reported Trump was considering commuting Comb's sentence. The White

458
00:32:52.440 --> 00:32:57.640
House denied it, calling the report completely fraudulent and fake news.

459
00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:02.160
But the question lingers, will Sean Combs serve his full

460
00:33:02.200 --> 00:33:06.720
sentence or will political connections by him early freedom? The

461
00:33:06.839 --> 00:33:10.319
unanswered questions pile up. Why did the jury acquit on

462
00:33:10.440 --> 00:33:14.079
racketeering and sex trafficking but convict on the Man Act charges?

463
00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:19.640
The legal distinction is subtle. Sex trafficking requires proof of force, fraud,

464
00:33:19.799 --> 00:33:24.240
or coercion, while the Man Act only requires transportation for prostitution.

465
00:33:24.839 --> 00:33:27.640
Did jurors believe the freak offs happened but weren't sure

466
00:33:27.640 --> 00:33:31.240
the women were truly coerced? How many other victims are

467
00:33:31.240 --> 00:33:35.240
out there? Over a hundred accusers have filed civil suits?

468
00:33:36.079 --> 00:33:40.240
How many more never came forward? Who else knew? Combs's

469
00:33:40.279 --> 00:33:43.839
staff allegedly helped facilitate the freak offs for years? His

470
00:33:43.960 --> 00:33:47.559
chief of staff, his security guards, his assistants. Will any

471
00:33:47.599 --> 00:33:50.920
of them face charges? And the question nobody can answer,

472
00:33:51.720 --> 00:33:55.720
how did this go on for so long? Cassie testified

473
00:33:55.759 --> 00:33:58.920
that she was controlled for over a decade. Other victims

474
00:33:58.960 --> 00:34:02.319
allege abuse going back to the early nineteen nineties, three

475
00:34:02.400 --> 00:34:06.559
decades of alleged predation, and nobody stopped him until Cassie

476
00:34:06.559 --> 00:34:09.920
found the courage to file that lawsuit in November twenty

477
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:13.440
twenty three. That's the real story of twenty twenty five,

478
00:34:13.960 --> 00:34:16.760
not just the fall of Ditty, but the system that

479
00:34:16.920 --> 00:34:20.239
enabled him for thirty years, the industry that looked the

480
00:34:20.280 --> 00:34:23.960
other way, the victims who were silenced, the power that

481
00:34:24.039 --> 00:34:28.400
protected a predator. Cassie Ventura should be applauded for her courage.

482
00:34:28.800 --> 00:34:32.119
She blew the whistle, knowing the cost, knowing the settlement

483
00:34:32.199 --> 00:34:36.400
she'd signed, knowing the video that existed, knowing what would

484
00:34:36.440 --> 00:34:40.519
happen when she spoke. In her statement after testifying, read

485
00:34:40.559 --> 00:34:43.800
by her attorney, she said, I hope that my testimony

486
00:34:43.840 --> 00:34:46.880
has given strength and a voice to other survivors and

487
00:34:46.920 --> 00:34:49.679
can help others who have suffered to speak up and

488
00:34:49.760 --> 00:34:54.280
also heal from abuse and fear. Her husband, Alex Fine, added,

489
00:34:54.960 --> 00:34:59.639
Cassie saved Cassie. She alone broke free from abuse, coercion,

490
00:35:00.079 --> 00:35:04.239
violence and threats. Someone had to say something, someone had

491
00:35:04.239 --> 00:35:07.400
to break the silence. It cost Cassie years of trauma

492
00:35:07.440 --> 00:35:10.360
to do it, but she did it, and because of her,

493
00:35:10.880 --> 00:35:18.360
Sean Combs is in prison today. That's our top ten

494
00:35:18.440 --> 00:35:22.280
crime and justice stories of twenty twenty five. Countdown complete.

495
00:35:22.360 --> 00:35:26.960
Number ten Karen Reid acquitted of murder. The jury believed

496
00:35:26.960 --> 00:35:30.760
the frame up theory. Convicted only of drunk driving one

497
00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:34.159
year probation. Now she's suing everyone who tried to put

498
00:35:34.159 --> 00:35:39.639
her away. Number nine Donald Trump. Two assassination attempts, survived,

499
00:35:39.920 --> 00:35:44.480
pardons for allies, commutation rumors for Diddy denied. The President

500
00:35:44.480 --> 00:35:48.159
who dodged bullets now decides who escapes justice. Number eight

501
00:35:48.440 --> 00:35:52.639
the Epstein files. Trump signed the release bill, Bondi opened

502
00:35:52.679 --> 00:35:56.679
a new investigation. The client list doesn't exist, they say.

503
00:35:56.840 --> 00:36:02.199
The powerful remain protected. Number seven Luigi Mangone. He shot

504
00:36:02.239 --> 00:36:06.199
the healthcare CEO and became a folk hero. Terrorism charges dropped,

505
00:36:06.599 --> 00:36:10.840
federal death penalty still looms, pre trial hearings under way.

506
00:36:11.360 --> 00:36:16.599
Number six Charlie Kirk, America's youngest Conservative kingmaker, assassinated at

507
00:36:16.639 --> 00:36:20.639
thirty one. The shooter confessed to his roommate. Death penalty

508
00:36:20.719 --> 00:36:25.840
sought trial pending political violence claims. Another victim. Number five

509
00:36:26.360 --> 00:36:30.719
Mark Sanchez, NFL legend stabbed five times over a parking space.

510
00:36:31.039 --> 00:36:35.159
Fox fired him. Trial delayed to March twenty twenty six.

511
00:36:35.639 --> 00:36:39.719
The truck driver claimed self defense. Number four Cardi b

512
00:36:40.760 --> 00:36:43.719
the rapper beat the case. Jury took less than an

513
00:36:43.760 --> 00:36:46.960
hour to clear her of assault. I did not touch

514
00:36:47.039 --> 00:36:53.360
that woman. Victory Number three Justin Baldoni versus Blake Lively,

515
00:36:53.760 --> 00:36:58.320
his four hundred million dollar countersuit dismissed her one hundred

516
00:36:58.400 --> 00:37:02.400
sixty one million dollar lawsuit heading to trial March twenty

517
00:37:02.480 --> 00:37:07.599
twenty six. Hollywood's ugliest feud isn't over yet. Number two

518
00:37:08.039 --> 00:37:11.760
Brian Coberger nine hundred and sixty two days of I'm innocent,

519
00:37:12.159 --> 00:37:17.320
then he confessed. The Idaho murders finally solved, but Kaylee, Maddie, Zana,

520
00:37:17.320 --> 00:37:20.679
and Ethan are still dead and their families are still grieving.

521
00:37:21.000 --> 00:37:24.960
And Number one Sean Diddy combs from freak offs to

522
00:37:25.039 --> 00:37:30.920
federal prison, acquitted on trafficking, convicted on prostitution charges. Fifty

523
00:37:30.960 --> 00:37:34.639
months now at Cushy Fort. Dick's fighting for early release.

524
00:37:35.079 --> 00:37:37.599
The hip hop mogul who built bad Boy Records, brought

525
00:37:37.639 --> 00:37:40.239
down by the women who survived him. These are the

526
00:37:40.280 --> 00:37:45.119
stories that defined twenty twenty five. Violence and justice, power

527
00:37:45.159 --> 00:37:49.199
and accountability, victims finding their voices, and systems that both

528
00:37:49.239 --> 00:37:53.719
failed and finally worked. Tomorrow we returned to regular programming,

529
00:37:53.960 --> 00:37:57.400
back to the daily grind of celebrity trials and courthouse drama.

530
00:37:57.760 --> 00:38:01.239
Whatever breaks, we'll cover it. But today I want to

531
00:38:01.320 --> 00:38:04.079
leave you with this thought. Every one of these stories

532
00:38:04.239 --> 00:38:08.400
started with someone deciding to speak up. Cassie Ventura filing

533
00:38:08.440 --> 00:38:13.320
her lawsuit, the families demanding answers, victims overcoming fear to

534
00:38:13.360 --> 00:38:17.760
tell their truth. Justice doesn't happen automatically. It happens because

535
00:38:17.800 --> 00:38:21.159
people make it happen, because they refuse to stay silent,

536
00:38:21.800 --> 00:38:24.760
because they demand accountability even when the powerful tell them

537
00:38:24.800 --> 00:38:28.239
to shut up. That's what Celebrity Trials is about. Not

538
00:38:28.360 --> 00:38:33.159
glorifying criminals, not sensationalizing tragedy, but telling the stories of

539
00:38:33.199 --> 00:38:38.480
people who fought for justice and sometimes one. I'm read Carter,

540
00:38:39.239 --> 00:38:42.840
thank you for spending twenty twenty five with us, Thank

541
00:38:42.880 --> 00:38:46.239
you for listening, Thank you for caring about these cases

542
00:38:46.320 --> 00:38:49.960
and these victims. See you tomorrow. This is Celebrity Trials.