Defense enters closing arguments phase

Agnifilo disputed Cassie Ventura’s declare that she was raped by Combs in September 2018 after they broke up. The lawyer argued: “I counsel to you perhaps it didn’t occur.”

Agnifilo cited a Sept. 27 textual content the place Cassie mentioned, “I had a whole lot of enjoyable with you thanks,” and, “I informed myself I didn’t need something to occur.”

Whereas they had been collectively, she obtained a FaceTime name from her present husband. The protection proposed that she lied to her present husband as a result of she was caught ignoring his name and mentioned she was raped by Combs. 

The protection tried to reduce the infamous 2016 Los Angeles hotel beating of Ventura, implying it was an argument over Combs’ cellphone.

Agnifilo confirmed how at one level of footage, Ventura was carrying two baggage in her left hand and “one thing in her proper hand” whereas Combs was pursuing empty-handed.

Moments later in footage, Combs has a cellphone in his proper hand. Agnifilo’s implication was that Combs had confronted Ventura to get his cellphone again from her.

Within the protection’s ongoing effort to color Ventura as a troublesome lady who could not have been a sufferer of Combs, Agnifilo mentioned she had all the arrogance thus far the “good-looking” Michael B. Jordan.

“When she wasn’t with Sean Combs, she was with Michael B. Jordan, essentially the most good-looking man on the planet. She was not going to decelerate,” Agnifilo mentioned.

“She is at a excessive degree; she has sexual confidence. Good for her. She isn’t clutching her pearls. This was her life-style.”

The protection argued the claims made by the prosecution don’t represent intercourse trafficking, reasonably this was Combs and Cassie Ventura’s private intercourse life.

Agnifilo referred to as the cost “the bottom hanging fruit.”

“That is his girlfriend … there isn’t any suggestion that he’s being profitable from this, that is their private life, they’re swingers, that is their life-style,” he mentioned. 

He mentioned proof exhibits Ventura wished to take part as a result of “that is how they’re shut … your likes and their likes turn into one and that’s what love is and that’s what was occurring with Cassie.”

Combs possessed medication however just for private use and never for distribution in any prison enterprise, his protection mentioned.

Ventura thought-about Combs a “drug addict” with a choice for painkillers, ecstasy and Xanax, Agnifilo mentioned.

“Distribution as a part of a racketeering conspiracy and there’s no proof of that,” Agnifilo mentioned.

Protection lawyer Marc Agnifilo attacked the testimony of “Mia,” a former assistant who labored for Combs and mentioned he sexually assaulted her.

“That is the place love and cash come collectively. Mia liked working with Sean Combs, she liked the work she did, compelled labor is if you need to be out of there as quickly as potential,” he mentioned. 

Agnifilo went again to a web based submit Mia made wishing Combs a contented forty fifth birthday and sharing admiring phrases.

“There was not any undesirable sexual contact between Sean Combs and Mia. It was platonic love and admiration … Instagram postings, great footage and slogans, and prosecutors mentioned that was a part of her job, that’s how she actually felt,” he mentioned.

Earlier than jurors re-entered the courtroom, Choose Subramanian informed Agnifilo to not overtly speculate about why the federal government selected to pursue the costs it did towards Combs.

“Mr. Agnifilo, for you, please do not do this once more,” Subramanian mentioned. “It is grossly improper.”

Lead prosecutor Maurene Comey complained to Subramanian about, from the federal government’s viewpoint, improper arguments made by the protection.

The protection, at factors, made sarcastic feedback in regards to the costs towards Combs.

“Respectfully,” Agnifilo mentioned, “I feel I’m allowed to be sarcastic.”

Agnifilo’s summation had gone for 94 minutes when Subramanian referred to as for a 15-minute break.

The protection had earlier mentioned its closing argument ought to final about three hours.

The protection mentioned that claims that Cassie Ventura was kidnapped and held within the London Lodge in Los Angeles are false. 

On Might 14, Ventura had testified about an incident in January 2009 when Combs beat her after an occasion in Los Angeles in an SUV and stomped on her face.

After they obtained again to Combs’ residence and he noticed her face was bleeding and swollen, he had his safety take her to the London Lodge in Los Angeles. She testified that she wished to remain at Combs’ residence to get well however wasn’t allowed to and was taken to the resort, the place she stayed for a couple of week.

Combs’ attorneys argued she went to the resort “for her personal good” as they didn’t need something within the press. The protection argued that it’s not a kidnapping “if you need to go to the home of the man you’re charging with kidnapping.”

Combs denies he tossed a Molotov cocktail into Child Cudi’s Porsche, destroying it in 2012.

Agnifilo insisted that if his shopper had a beef with the rapper, Scott Mescudi, it might have led to a one-on-one brawl.

“Now let’s speak about this nonsense with the Porsche,” Agnifilo mentioned. “There isn’t any proof that he had something to do with the Porsche, nothing.”

Agnifilo has been talking for a bit greater than an hour now and Combs seems to be totally engaged.

The defendant was sitting up near the protection desk, subsequent to attorneys Brian Metal and Alexander Shapiro.

His vitality and a focus look to be a lot greater than throughout yesterday’s 5 hours of prosecution closing arguments.

Moments after conceding his shopper savagely beat Ventura, Agnifilo referred to as her “a gangster.”

Regardless of all that Ventura suffered, Agnifilo mentioned she wasn’t defenseless.

“I’m not going to be judgy (however) she performed him good and that’s not one thing anybody can do,” Agnifilo mentioned.

Ventura had a relationship with Child Cudi and used a “burner cellphone” throughout her time with Combs, all exhibiting that “Cassie is sort of a gangster,” in keeping with Agnifilo.

Combs and Ventura had been a “nice fashionable love story,” Agnifilo mentioned, regardless of the stomach-turning violence that marked a lot of it.

“It’s difficult however they’re really in love with one another and that’s what defines their relationship,” the lawyer mentioned. “It’s based mostly on love.”

Ventura ultimately left the connection as a result of she all the time had the liberty to take action, in keeping with Combs’ protection.

“If racketeering conspiracy had an reverse it might be their relationship,” Agnifilo mentioned.

Agnifilo mentioned his facet of the desk did not struggle allegations that Combs battered then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.

“We personal the home violence — I hope you guys know that,” the lawyer mentioned.

However Agnifilo urged jurors to recollect the costs dealing with Combs.

“He didn’t do the issues he’s charged with, racketeering or intercourse trafficking,” the lawyer mentioned. “He did not kidnap anybody or impede justice. He’s going to struggle to the dying to defend himself towards what he did not do.”  

Agnifilo mocked regulation enforcement for his or her raids on Combs’ houses and making America “protected from Astroglide.”

Combs’ bed room proclivities had been on show all trial, however Agnifilo mentioned the federal government did not make its case to indicate his shopper to be a prison kingpin.

“Strategy to go fellas, you guys simply do you,” Agnifilo mentioned. “They took Astroglide and child oil and that’s the proof on this case. There’s nothing in regards to the companies to make it a prison case.”

Agnifilo leaned closely on the devotion of Combs staff who, even after testifying to violent or irrational habits by their boss, mentioned they had been nonetheless grateful to work for him.

The lawyer conceded that working for Combs was “like consuming from a fireplace hose,” however mentioned that staff nonetheless appreciated the expertise.

“Did they all the time like him? No means,” Agnifilo mentioned. “However they liked him, even those who’re suing him.”

Agnifilo accused prosecutors of placing his shopper on trial for his “life-style” and never an actual crime.

“It’s a trial of a way of life, if you wish to name it swingers, that is what it’s, that’s what the proof exhibits,” he informed jurors. “The prosecutors have charged some of the severe difficult and complete statutes on the books.”

The protection lawyer referred to as his shopper a extremely profitable businessman.

“Sean Combs has turn into one thing that may be very, very arduous to be,” Agnifilo continued. “He’s a self-made profitable Black entrepreneur.”

Agnifilo started to deal with jurors in a ultimate push to persuade them that Combs isn’t responsible of working a prison enterprise aimed toward satisfying his sexual needs.

Agnifilo paced across the lectern and examined his microphone to see how far he might stroll from it and nonetheless be heard by the courtroom reporter.

U.S. District Court docket Choose Arun Subramanian gaveled courtroom into session immediately in what figures to be the ultimate pre-deliberation morning of this trial.

Combs entered the courtroom, gave his household a wave, a coronary heart sign after which a thumbs-up.

Marc Agnifilo will ship closing arguments for the protection from 9 a.m. and it ought to final three hours. That can be adopted by the federal government’s rebuttal given by Maurene Comey, which ought to final an hour. Lastly, Choose Arun Subramanian will ship the jury cost.

As soon as the protection is thru, U.S. District Court docket Choose Arun Subramanian might have as much as two hours of directions for jurors earlier than they’ll begin discussing proof.

That ought to arrange the panel to start its deliberations late this afternoon or recent Monday morning.

Subsequent week is a brief one, with the courtroom not in session on July Fourth.

Protection lawyer Marc Agnifilo has mentioned he hopes full his closing arguments in about three hours.

As a comparability, the federal government had anticipated to wrap up its summation in 4 hours earlier than Assistant U.S. Lawyer Christy Slavik ultimately took 4 hours and 49 minutes.