Sean Combs' defense team rested its case in under 30 minutes today (June 24). Combs — who has been reprimanded by Judge Arun Subramanian for nodding at jurors while his defense attorneys cross-examine government witnesses — did not take the stand.
The 55-year-old hip-hop mogul has remained mostly silent over the nearly seven weeks of trial proceedings. On Tuesday afternoon, he stood to answer several questions from Judge Subramanian regarding his right to testify in his own trial. "I'm doing great, your honor," Combs told the judge. "I've been wanting to tell you thank you, you're doing an excellent job."
Subramanian asked Combs whether he had discussed taking the witness stand with his lawyers and whether he had come to a decision on his own. Combs confirmed he opted not to testify. "That is my decision, your honor," he stuttered. "That is solely my decision. I mean, it's my decision with my lawyers."
The discussion came after Combs' defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro moved for acquittal on all five charges Combs faces: two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation for prostitution and one count of racketeering conspiracy. Shapiro argued that the government, which rested its case against Combs earlier in the afternoon, failed to meet the burden of proof. Prosecutors have accused Combs of running a criminal enterprise that facilitated and concealed abuse for decades. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
For a month and a half, Combs sat amongst his nine attorneys in a lower Manhattan federal courtroom as more than two dozen witnesses who include ex-girlfriends, former employees and law enforcement agents testified against him. His defense attorneys, on the other hand, took about 25 minutes to present their case.
"Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case," defense attorney Teny Geragos said during opening arguments of the trial.
The brief defense of the Combs team largely underscored a recurring theme that began with opening statements and continued throughout its cross-examinations during the government's case: "unconventional" yet consensual relationships between empowered adults that were marked by jealousy, not coercion.
While many of key events in the prosecution's case are not disputed — including an attack on then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 caught on video and other such instances of violence — Combs' team has painted a different picture of their meaning. Defense attorneys have admitted that Combs might be guilty of domestic violence and physical assault, but say he did not sexually coerce or traffic anyone.
Without calling any witnesses, the defense opted to admit evidence in order to make their case. They read several text messages of Ventura telling Combs she loved and appreciated him, including one message from 2017 in which she said she was happy to see how much their relationship had grown over time. Defense attorneys then presented a document pointing out minor inconsistencies in the testimony of several government witnesses, including Capricorn Clark, a former employee of Combs who testified under the pseudonym "Mia" and Bryana Bongolan — all three women were close to Cassie Ventura during her relationship with Combs and corroborated her claims of violence and control. With that, the defense rested its case.
Throughout cross-examination, the defense showed and asked Ventura about countless text messages in which she appears to be helping plan and coordinate the so-called "freak-offs." Ventura responded that Combs expected her to set up and participate in these encounters, and she feared for her safety if she didn't comply with his demands. The 2016 hotel security video, she said, was taken while she was trying to flee a sexual performance that had turned violent. Combs can be seen in the video coming up behind her as she approaches an elevator lobby, hitting and kicking her and attempting to drag her back in the direction of their hotel room.
During opening arguments, Combs' defense attorneys said the mogul was often involved in multiple romantic relationships at once, which stoked intense jealousy and competition between his girlfriends. The defense has argued this in the case of both of Combs' former partners who have accused him of sex trafficking: Cassie Ventura, who dated the mogul until 2018, and "Jane," a woman who was involved with Combs until his arrest and indictment in September of 2024. (She testified using a pseudonym to protect her identity.) Jane, who told the court that Combs introduced "hotel nights" early into their relationship, said Combs pressured her to participate in these nights even after she told him she did not want to have sex with other men.
According to Combs' defense, both Ventura and Jane agreed to Combs' "unconventional" sexual fantasies because they wanted to grow closer to him and deepen their respective relationships. During cross-examination of witnesses, they have asserted that the inclusion of other men in these activities was part of a "swingers' lifestyle" that unfurled in the privacy of Combs' bedroom. While prosecutors have gone through great lengths to describe the details of what Combs requested on these nights — numerous bottles of baby oil, candles, red lighting and specific kinds of lingerie outfits for his girlfriends — Combs' defense attorneys emphasize that none of these things amount to illegal activities.
"You are not here to judge him for his sexual preferences," Geragos told the jury at the start of the trial.
Toward the end of the government's case, prosecutors showed videos that seemed to be of Combs and Ventura on these nights. They also showed explicit videos of Jane. Jurors were instructed to wear headphones, and privacy guards were implemented on their computer screens. The press and public were not allowed to observe the exhibits, which were admitted as sealed evidence.
While prosecutors showed short clips lasting between 30 and 60 seconds, defense attorney Teny Geragos requested to play longer selections of the videos, some of which lasted up to five minutes. The defense has argued that the videos are solid proof of willing sexual activities between consenting adults, and that these were loving yet toxic relationships that do not add up to the charges Combs faces.
Closing arguments are expected to begin on Thursday.
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