Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of rape or sexual assault that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can find help and discreet resources on the National Sexual Assault Hotline website or by calling 1-800-656-4673.
(NewsNation) — Both prosecutors and defense attorneys rested their case in the six-week criminal trial against Sean “Diddy” Combs on Tuesday.
Combs’ defense team only introduced exhibits into evidence as their presentation, calling no witnesses to the stand. Prosecutors finished questioning their last witness, Joseph Cerciello, a special agent for Homeland Security Investigations, marking the end of their nearly 30-day case.
Closing arguments will begin Thursday, and the two sides will launch their last bid to sway a 12-member jury.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Diddy tells judge he’s doing an ‘excellent job’
Combs told Judge Arun Subramanian that he’s doing an “excellent job” as he confirmed he is waiving his right to testify.
In a criminal trial, a defendant has the right to testify in their own defense, but they also have the right to remain silent, which is protected by the Fifth Amendment.
When it came time for Subramanian to question Combs about testifying after prosecutors rested, the judge asked him how he’s doing.
“I’m doing great, your honor,” Combs answered. He then said, “I want to tell you thank you, you’re doing an excellent job.”
Diddy’s defense says ‘Jane’ was fully consensual in ‘hotel nights’
During cross-examination Tuesday, defense attorneys pushed that “hotel night” sexual events between Combs and “Jane,” who testified against the music producer using a pseudonym, were entirely consensual.
Combs’ team highlighted years of text messages between Combs and Jane in order to show that she was excited and enthusiastic about “hotel nights” with male sex workers.
They also tried to show that Jane had an active role in setting up and paying escorts for sexual events.
On one message, Jane sent Combs a long, emotional text expressing love and gratitude after a hotel night involving an escort.
Cerciello acted as a summary witness and reviewed the evidence provided by the prosecution. He said he examined bank records, cellphone records and airline and ground transportation records.
Diddy’s sex tapes played for jury
Cerciello said he reviewed “many hours” of nearly 50 videos showing sexual encounters that were retrieved from Combs. The videos included “Jane” and a sex worker.
Prosecutors played nearly 20 minutes of explicit recordings from 2021 and 2022 for the jury on Monday.
Cerciello also testified to text messages between Combs and his chief of staff, Kristina Khorram. In one 2022 text, Combs tells Khorram that he “really wanted to have a fun night in Vegas” with a woman named Annika.
Khorram replied, saying that she had a room at the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas and put Plan B in his nightstand. She reminded him of the medication in later texts.
Khorram has not testified in the trial, though her texts have been introduced by summary witnesses like Cerciello.
Jurors were shown flight and hotel records belonging to several people, including sex workers who were paid using Combs’ credit card.
Prosecutors spent six weeks building their case
Prosecutors spent nearly 30 trial days presenting their case, which included bombshell testimony from Combs’ ex-partners Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and “Jane,” who spoke under a pseudonym.
Ventura detailed a decade-long abuse that involved her having to perform in sexual events called “Freak Offs.” Jane testified to similar events, which she called “hotel nights.”
The government’s case has consisted of 34 witnesses, including former employees of Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment companies.