Sean Combs trial updates | Defense closes; deliberations set for Monday

In a closing argument that lasted just over four hours, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo asked jurors to acquit Sean Combs.

"He is not a racketeer; he is not a conspirator to commit racketeering. He sits there innocent," Agnifilo said. "Return him to his family."

Agnifilo asked jurors to consider whether they should trust the government's case against their client.

"I think that the evidence shows, and you can conclude, that the government targeted Sean Combs," Agnifilo said. "The Cassie lawsuit comes out and these guys wanted to make a case."

In a continued effort to discredit the witness who went by the pseudonym, "Jane" may have instigated a physical fight with Sean Combs in June 2024 to use it against him later.

"She knows there's an investigation into Sean Combs. Did she prompt this? Did she want this to happen?" defense attorney Marc Agnifilo told the jury. "Her story truly makes no sense. The whole night makes no sense."

"Jane" testified she started the incident by pushing Combs into a kitchen counter. She told the jury she ran into a bedroom and Combs kicked down the door. Outside, she testified Combs dragged her, punched her and then slapped her later in the shower.

"I think she prompted it," Agnifilo said. "That's the only way the unprovoked extreme violence makes sense."

The defense said Combs could not have knowingly committed transportation for the purposes of prostitution because he used an escort service, Cowboys 4 Angels, that is an "ongoing, successful, thriving business."

There was no witness that introduced himself saying, "Hi, I'm a male prostitute," Agnifilo said. "There's no actual evidence of prostitution."

He said customers of Cowboys 4 Angels pay for an escort's time.

"If you're paying for time and two adults meet, and you're paying for time, and they decide to have sex it's not illegal," Agnifilo said. "In his mind, this is ok."

Agnifilo also suggested Combs could not be guilty of racketeering conspiracy because "there was a gaping lack of evidence" from any witness testifying that Combs ran a criminal enterprise.

"This is his personal life," Agnfilio said. "It's not about an enterprise. There's no witness to say that there is. It's not about racketeering activity."

Sean Combs may have threatened to release sex tapes of Cassie Ventura or Jane but there was a "zero, zero, zero" percent chance he actually would have done it, his attorney asserted in the defense closing statement.

"He might have said that from time to time," the attorney, Marc Agnifilo said. "There's no way he's releasing any of these videos."

Agnifilo described what's depicted on the videos as an "escape," not evidence of criminal activity. "The hotel rooms are beautiful. The music is nice," Agnifilo said. "Cassie is eating watermelon."

He told the jury the videos were not as unusual or depraved as the government is suggesting.

"He's not the only man in America making homemade porn. It's a pretty popular thing nowadays," Agnifilo said.

The defense also tried to convince the jury "Jane" was no trafficking victim, asserting "she's agreeing" to the kind of sexual activity with male escorts that Combs desired.

"She regrets it. She resents him for it. That came later," Agnifilo said. "She agreed to it. That's all you need to know, and we can be done with it."

He disagreed with federal prosecutors that Combs used paying her $10,000 monthly rent as leverage to coerce her to participate.

"The house is a gesture of kindness, of decency, of niceness," Agnifilo said.

In their closing arguments on Thursday, prosecutors argued that Combs used methods of coercion, including physical violence and threats on "Jane" and Ventura in order to force them into unwanted sexual activity with male escorts.

Once the defense's closing arguments conclude, prosecutor Maurene Comey will deliver the government's rebuttal and then the jury will break for the weekend.

The judge decided to charge the jury first thing Monday followed by deliberations.