Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ legal team provides a glimpse into his defense.
As the rap mogul’s lawyers mount a new effort to free him from jail ahead of his trial — on charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution — his attorney Marc Agnifilo appeared on his behalf in TMZ’s documentary Diddy’s Downfall: The Indictment.
In the document, now available on Tubi, Agnifilo was questioned about the case, including Combs’ plans to testify, the hip-hop star’s relationship with Cassie Ventura, the so-called “freak offs” and the more than a thousand bottles of baby oil and lubricant that were found. during the federal raids on his homes in LA and Miami.
Combs, who was arrested on September 16, is accused of threatening and coercing women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires over a period of more than 16 years. This allegedly included forcing victims to perform sex acts, lasting several days and fueled by drugs (ketamine, ecstasy and GHB), with male commercial sex workers whom he registered as collateral. Prosecutors accuse Combs of running a “criminal enterprise” — through his various companies — in which employees engaged in crimes such as “sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery and obstruction of justice,” according to the indictment.
Combs maintains his innocence and has pleaded not guilty.
What does Combs’ attorney say in the document?
Agnifilo attempted to portray Combs as the victim of overzealous federal prosecutors and Cassie – whose accusations against Combs are at the heart of the case – as a willing participant in the “freak-offs.”
He claimed that federal prosecutors are filing charges against Combs for “bringing down a successful black man.” He said Combs “turned some of the most important businesses into black man hands” and “we reduced him to a monster.”
He believes Combs is being vilified because the government “[doesn’t] like the way he has sex.
Agnifilo said that in his day, “freak-offs” were “called threesomes.” In this case, he insisted there was an agreement between “his then-wife,” referring to Ventura, who sued Combs in 2023 for alleged rape, abuse and sex trafficking, and third parties. “I’ve spoken to about half a dozen of these different men involved,” the lawyer said, and they told him there was no evidence to suggest there was no consensual sex. He also claimed that they told him that “no one was too high, no one was too drunk.”
As for the thousand bottles of lube, he responded that Combs “has a big house. He buys in bulk. I think they have Costcos wherever he has a house. I mean, have you sat in a Costco parking lot and seen what people walk away with?
Agnifilo said Combs will absolutely testify at trial, adding, “I don’t know if I could keep him off the witness stand.” He called him a “fighter” who is out to get an innocent verdict. “His state of mind is actually remarkably positive,” he said, noting, “I spend several hours with him every day.”
As for a possible plea deal with prosecutors, Agnifilo said, “I don’t see it happening” because “he believes he is innocent. And furthermore, he believes he must stand up, not just for himself, for his family and for anyone targeted by the federal government.”
The attorney spoke about the surveillance tape that showed Combs physically assaulting Ventura at an LA hotel in 2016. He said Combs publicly apologized when the video surfaced in May. “It was difficult to take care of him,” the lawyer claimed. “It was difficult for me to watch. It’s not hard for anyone to watch. That said, it is not evidence of sex trafficking.”
He claimed that Combs and Ventura’s decade-long relationship was a “story of love,” of “pain” and “heartbreak.” Alleging problems on both sides, he said: “There was a certain level of toxicity and drug use.” He said that “their difficulties did not stem from their intimate time together. Their difficulties stemmed from the fact that she cheated on him and he cheated on her.”
When asked if Combs regrets not settling his case with Ventura — before she filed and made the case public, leading to the federal investigation — Agnifilo responded, “You know, he’s so focused on righting this mistake that he actually gets a form for it. of strength and a kind of confidence that I think will help him through this difficult period.”
What’s the latest on Combs’ case?
Combs’ legal team is making a third attempt to free him from the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn before his trial.
An appeal was filed Monday by new legal team members Anthony Ricco and Alexandra Shapiro requesting that the previous decision to deny Combs bail be reversed.
Combs’ attorneys had previously put together a $50 million bail package with his Miami home and his mother’s home as collateral. In it, the artist offered to be supervised 24 hours a day, have his travel restrictions restricted and surrender his passport. He also agreed to ban women (not including his mother and the mothers of his children) from visiting his home, not to see or speak to anyone who could be considered a witness or co-conspirator, and to undergo weekly drug tests if his release on bail was granted. . The offer was rejected.
Before this latest appeal, Combs was denied bail twice. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky was the first to make the decision, backing prosecutors’ argument on September 17 that the wealthy hip-hop mogul could pose a flight risk or tamper with witnesses. On September 18, U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. Combs’ release request, which was conditional on the $50 million bail package.
Combs has expanded its legal team. Agnifilo accompanied Combs to court and appeared in this documentary. Teny Geragos, the daughter of famed criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos (who previously represented Combs), also represented him in court and defended him both on TV and on TikTok.
Ricco and Shapiro are the newest additions. According to Business Insider, the latter also represents Sam Bankman-Fried, the crypto CEO who was sentenced to 25 years behind bars for fraud. Combs and Bankman-Fried are reportedly located in the same area of MDC.
