If found guilty on all counts, which also include arson and bribery, Combs could be sentenced to a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison, with the possibility of facing a life sentence. This stark reality looms large as the trial progresses, drawing significant media attention and public scrutiny.

The prosecution has called a diverse array of witnesses to the stand, which includes former partners, employees, hotel staff, and law enforcement officials who have been involved in the various legal issues surrounding the hip-hop mogul over the years. This extensive testimony aims to paint a comprehensive picture of Combs’ alleged activities.

The jury has been presented with an overwhelming number of text messages, phone calls, voicemails, and even video footage of sexual encounters, which have been referred to as “freak-offs,” “king nights,” and “hotel nights.” While the prosecution argues that coercion was involved, the defense counters this by asserting that all actions were consensual, creating a contentious debate over the nature of consent.

In the sixth week of testimony, the jury met Brandan Paul, a former assistant of Diddy’s who acknowledged arranging hotel rooms, procuring drugs, and cleaning up afterward. He claimed that he believed these nights were consensual and primarily involved him being aware of the activities with his then-girlfriend “Jane” (a pseudonym used for anonymity).

Along with “Jane” expressing feelings of being coerced into “hotel nights” with Diddy, she was notably surprised when the lawsuit filed by former girlfriend Cassie Ventura closely mirrored her own experiences and sentiments. The jury heard from Ventura, several male escorts involved, as well as Ventura’s mother and ex-boyfriend Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, deepening the narrative of alleged exploitation.

A key element of the prosecution’s case has been the viral video depicting Ventura’s physical assault in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in 2016. Jurors were taken through this traumatic event by various witnesses, including a security guard who claimed he was paid $100,000 by Combs to ensure he had exclusive access to the only copies of that altercation.

To explore the entirety of the prosecution’s case as presented over the past six weeks, be sure to check out the links below.

The defense team for Combs launched a vigorous challenge immediately after the prosecution concluded its case during the lunch break. Attorney Alexandra Shapiro swiftly motioned for an acquittal on all five counts. As reported by CNN, this is a typical Rule 29 motion that defense attorneys often make in criminal trials, though such motions are almost always denied.

However, regarding the conspiracy charge, Shapiro argued that the prosecution did not provide compelling evidence to substantiate that any conspiracy existed surrounding Combs’ sexual activities or any alleged crimes, with the exception of one isolated incident.

“At best, there is scant evidence that any of the other staff willingly participated in criminal activities with Mr. Combs,” Shapiro stated, while acknowledging there seems to be some evidence that they might have been involved in procuring drugs for Combs’ personal use.

She emphasized that it was repeatedly demonstrated that Combs’ assistants and employees had limited knowledge, if any, about the activities occurring during the so-called “freak-offs” or “hotel nights.” In fact, she mentioned that he “actively took measures to conceal the nature of the sexual activities he was engaging in from his staff.”

Referring back to numerous text exchanges presented throughout the trial, Shapiro argued that it is evident that Combs, Ventura, and later “Jane” were the ones who booked the “entertainers,” keeping this aspect of their nights out of the employees’ purview.

As for his staff, Shapiro remarked, “They handled errands and made travel arrangements, but had no involvement in what transpired between Combs and his girlfriends in the hotel room, aside from perhaps using baby oil, Astroglide, drinking alcohol, and possibly using drugs.”

Combs and his partners even went as far as coordinating efforts to keep staffers unaware of “entertainer” arrivals and departures from hotels, as evidenced by previous text exchanges shared with the jury, Shapiro argued.

In relation to Combs’ former chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, who was frequently mentioned during the trial and seemed to have some knowledge of the “hotel nights,” Shapiro commented that there was no evidence presented that she knew or believed any of Combs’ girlfriends were coerced into participating.

Despite Khorram being characterized as a conspirator in Combs’ alleged illegal activities, Shapiro pointed out that Combs would sometimes mislead her, stating, “That’s not how co-conspirators act with one another.”

After more than six weeks of intense proceedings, 34 witnesses, and a plethora of written and visual evidence presented to the jury, the prosecution officially rested its case at 1:30 p.m., marking a pivotal moment in this high-profile trial.

The cross-examination of Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Joseph Cerciello resumed on Tuesday morning. He was anticipated to be the final witness for the prosecution, completing their direct examination on Monday.

Cerciello’s role for the defense was to provide a clearer picture of text messages, videos, voicemails, and phone calls involving Combs, “Jane,” various employees of the rap mogul, male escorts, and others, as they related to organizing and orchestrating “hotel nights.”

The defense attorney, Teny Geragos, produced text messages from December 2021 in which Jane expressed interest in one of their recent “hotel nights” and asked an “entertainer” named Sly to “send me something.”

She then inquired whether he could fly to meet her that evening or the following day, and when Sly mentioned he was busy with family obligations, she asked if it could be a day trip instead.

Geragos highlighted this exchange to counter Jane’s previous testimony that she only initiated explicit communications with Sly when she was with Combs and under his direction. This was part of their effort to portray these encounters as fully consensual for Jane, Ventura, and anyone else involved.

Additionally, the defense continued to counter the notion that the women were coerced into participating, with Geragos highlighting an exchange from April 2022 concerning a different “entertainer.”

In this exchange, when Jane expressed that she “selfishly” wanted him to herself, stating, “I’m fine with the other stuff but I really just need you right now,” Combs replied, “OK whatever you want.”

He then followed up by asking whether the “entertainer” named Leo would be available “after we spend some one-on-one time.” Following the “hotel night,” Jane texted Combs that she was “still thinking about you loving all over me.”

Geragos then shifted focus to communications regarding a “hotel night” with Paul, illustrating how Jane and Combs coordinated to prevent Combs’ employees from seeing the “entertainer.” Many staff members testified they were unaware that anyone other than Combs and his girlfriend were present in the hotel rooms during these “king nights.”

Another exchange from August 2023 revealed Combs discussing having an “entertainer” sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Jane, who assured him she would ensure he did, noting, “He seems cool babe, hopefully he doesn’t know anyone we know lol.”

Geragos also pointed out a message from the next month where Jane told Combs, “I love being kinky for you, I love driving you wild,” mentioning that she needed to get outfits from the “freak store” for that night. The following day, she messaged “entertainer” Sly, “Tonight was amazing as per usual.”

Moving on to just before Combs’ apology video in May 2024 (following the public release of the Ventura assault video), Geragos presented evidence of Jane flying from Los Angeles to Miami, with no indication of any third party being involved. Jane had previously testified that she saw an early draft of that video, but the final product was significantly different.

The defense further challenged the prosecution’s charts from September 2023 to November 2023, which suggested Combs’ travel manager may have covered certain expenses. Geragos demonstrated to the jury that Combs had personally paid for those expenses from his own account.

“You didn’t indicate that Mr. Combs personally paid for these,” Geragos stated to Cerciello, who had earlier claimed to assist in preparing the charts for the prosecution. After a brief redirect, the prosecution officially rested its case.

Joseph Cerciello, a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations, took the stand as the last witness for the prosecution. He returned to the courtroom on Monday morning to continue discussing evidence charts as the prosecution sought to weave five weeks of testimony into a coherent narrative for the jury.

In one of the charts detailing sexually explicit videos, Cerciello revealed that Combs appears in several of them, which collectively run for several hours. While the jury was not required to—and likely would not—watch all this footage, Cerciello provided a sense of the volume by noting that there were 50 explicit videos recorded just between December 17 and 21, 2021.

The jury did view more than a dozen clips from these videos spanning from November 2021 to October 2022, which were recorded while Combs was involved with “Jane.” These videos contained explicit content and were sealed, thus excluding the audience and media from viewing.

Another chart depicted flight and hotel records for both Jane and an “entertainer” named Sly, with the prosecution highlighting that a credit card paid for by “Bad Boy Entertainment” covered Jane’s travel expenses. Jane initially paid for Sly’s expenses and was reimbursed by Combs’ account manager, while his travel manager made the arrangements.

It is crucial for the prosecution to link these sexual exploits to Combs’ businesses if they are to be regarded as more than merely an unconventional sexual interest. This connection is pivotal for establishing the legitimacy of the allegations against him.

Cerciello also guided the jury through previously examined text exchanges involving Jane, Combs, and his staff regarding arrangements for these “hotel nights,” including Jane’s initial hesitation to participate in one in New York, which she later agreed to and planned the trip.

One exchange between Combs and the Cowboys for Angels escort service during that September 2023 trip showed the rapper responding to a request for $600. “Lol he couldn’t even perform,” Combs wrote, to which the company employee informed him he was paying for the escort’s time. Combs retorted that she should treat him well, as he was “a longtime customer.”

Former chief of staff Kristina Khorram was again mentioned, as she played a significant role in aiding with various arrangements for “hotel nights,” including hotel bookings, room setups, monitoring escorts, cash requests, and even deliveries of baby oil. One of the more sensational details of the trial—and the raid on Combs’ Miami home—is the substantial amount of baby oil involved in his sexual activities.

Jane’s texts to Combs, where she expressed feeling “violated and manipulated” regarding how his “sobriety party” transitioned into a “hotel night,” were also revisited with Cerciello on the stand. He testified that this was the last entry on the prosecution’s chart to occur before Ventura’s explosive lawsuit.

The jury viewed texts from Jane where she told Combs, “I don’t feel like engaging in loveless, cold sex,” followed by Combs arranging hotel reservations and booking an “entertainer.” Days later, Jane requested if he could deposit some money into her account, as she felt “violated and manipulated.”

During cross-examination, defense attorney Teny Geragos highlighted a September 2023 invoice related to travel for Jane and “entertainer” Sly for a trip to New York, pointing out that the invoice stated “various expenses for Sean Combs,” not any of his business entities.

She also emphasized the timeline of these “hotel nights,” noting that many occurred before Combs began covering Jane’s rent in April 2023.

Jane had previously testified that she felt coerced to perform under the threat of losing her home if she did not participate in “hotel nights.” The defense is attempting to argue that her involvement was consensual and not the result of any financial pressure or intimidation.

Geragos also presented additional texts that the prosecution did not reference in her attempt to illustrate Jane’s alleged mindset about “hotel nights,” including one from November 2021 where she told Combs she felt “sexy” after he asked if she wanted to see him and an “entertainer.”

When Combs responded that he wanted her to “be explicit” and tell him what she wanted to do that night, she did just that. She also sent explicit messages to the “entertainer” Sly, expressing her desire to see him, as Geragos pointed out to the jury.

After one encounter, Jane texted Sly expressing her appreciation, saying, “I’m so happy you are such a sweetheart,” and “thanks for making me feel beautiful,” followed by another message reminiscing about the experience with a drooling emoji.