Diddy’s Lawyer Pushes Back in Explosive Closing Argument
Sean “Diddy” Combs’s legal team closed out the week in court with a pointed defense, aiming to tear apart the credibility of his accusers while insisting there’s no criminal empire behind the allegations.
Marc Agnifilo, Combs’s lead attorney, pushed back hard against the image painted by federal prosecutors—one of a powerful celebrity who used his influence to create a toxic, dangerous environment. He dismissed the prosecution’s narrative of “a ring of loyal foot soldiers” enabling the abuse, calling it a distorted story stitched together from assumptions and hearsay.
“Sean is a self-made Black businessman,” Agnifilo said. “His relationships weren’t perfect—but they were consensual, not criminal.”
Earlier in the week, federal prosecutor Christy Slavik had spent hours laying out the government’s case, walking jurors through a mountain of evidence—texts, videos, travel records, and emotional testimony from over 30 witnesses. At the heart of their argument was the claim that Combs controlled a group of employees who helped him carry out illegal acts.
But Agnifilo insisted that none of those people were called to testify, nor were they charged alongside Combs.
“If it feels too complicated, maybe that’s because there’s no crime at the center of it,” he told the jury.
He also questioned the motivations of the women involved in the case, specifically singer Casandra Ventura and another witness known only as Jane. Both women described shocking acts of abuse and coercion—but the defense suggested they were rewriting their own history for personal gain.
Agnifilo referenced Ventura’s $20 million civil settlement with Combs as a case in point. “If there’s a winner here, it’s Cassie,” he said.
Ventura had delivered emotional testimony over several days, recounting stories of fear, violence, and manipulation. She told the court she often stayed silent because she was terrified Combs would destroy her professionally and personally.
The defense acknowledged a disturbing hotel video of Combs assaulting Ventura, calling it “ugly” and “domestic violence,” but argued that it didn’t prove sex trafficking.
Prosecutors disagreed, pointing to numerous examples of what they say was abuse disguised as choice: women pushed into drug-fueled sex with escorts, threatened, and emotionally worn down.
Agnifilo pushed back: “This was a lifestyle—consensual, adult, complicated, yes—but not criminal.”
He also dismissed the drug-related claims, chalking them up to a party-heavy celebrity life rather than a trafficking operation.
Prosecutor Maurene Comey is expected to deliver the government’s final word in a rebuttal argument before the jury begins its deliberations. On Monday, Judge Arun Subramanian will guide jurors on how to interpret the evidence and apply the law.
If found guilty, Combs could face life behind bars.
