So, what’s Diddy’s actual defence against the sex trafficking charges?

Sean “Diddy” Combs is now facing federal charges in New York, accused of sex trafficking, racketeering, and transporting women for prostitution. Prosecutors allege that Diddy operated a criminal enterprise over nearly two decades, using violence, drugs, and coercion to force women into sex acts. The trial, which began in Lower Manhattan, is expected to last at least eight weeks.

The charges follow a series of lawsuits and investigations that culminated in Diddy’s arrest in September 2024. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in custody at a federal detention centre in Brooklyn.

Prosecutors say it’s bigger than one video

During opening statements, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson said Diddy used his companies and personal staff to cover up alleged crimes. The Attorney told jurors that Diddy “used lies, drugs, threats and violence to force and coerce first Cassie and later Jane [another former girlfriend and prosecution witness whose identity is being withheld] to have sex with him in front of male escorts.”

The prosecution played hotel surveillance footage from 2016 that shows Diddy assaulting Ventura in a Los Angeles hallway. The video, which had surfaced publicly in May 2024, shows Diddy grabbing, shoving, dragging, and kicking Ventura. Johnson said the video was “just the tip of the iceberg,” and claimed that testimony would reveal a pattern of conduct involving “a two-decade criminal enterprise.”

According to the government, Diddy orchestrated “freak offs”, drug-fuelled gatherings where escorts and others were coerced into sex acts. According to Newsweek, Prosecutors said his inner circle helped facilitate and conceal his alleged conduct.

Witness testimony is underway

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One of the prosecution’s key witnesses is Casandra Ventura, known publicly as Cassie. Ventura, who dated Diddy for 11 years, is expected to testify about her experiences during that time. Another woman, referred to only as “Jane,” will also testify for the government. According to prosecutors, both women were subjected to coercion and violence.

Diddy’s’ three daughters were present in court during the opening statements but left the room during sexually explicit portions of the testimony. Several other family members, including his mother, also attended.

So, what is Diddy’s defence?

Via Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock

Defence attorney Teny Geragos began opening arguments by acknowledging Diddy’s past, including physical abuse, drug use, and unusual sexual preferences. Geragos stated, “We will not shy away from the things he did, but we will not own the things he did not do.”

Geragos told jurors, “He is physical, he is a drug user, you may know of his love of baby oil. Is that a federal crime? No.” Geragos argued that jurors are not being asked to act as “the moral police” and said, “Domestic violence is not sex trafficking.”

Geragos said the evidence would show Diddy is “a very flawed individual,” but not “a racketeer, a sex trafficker or somebody transporting for prostitution.”

According to the defence, the government is conflating Diddy’s private sex life with criminal activity. “This case is about Sean Diddy’s private personal sex life,” Geragos said. “The government has no place in his private bedrooms. They say it is not about his private sex life, but the evidence will show that it is.”

The trial continues this week with further witness testimony. If convicted, Diddy faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

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Featured image credit: Kathy Hutchins/Shutterstock