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Today, U.S. government prosecutor Christy Slavik delivered closing arguments to the jury. Slavik, who addressed jurors for nearly five hours, painted a scathing portrait of Diddy, casting the defendant as “the leader of a criminal enterprise” who did “not take no for an answer” and “used power, violence and fear to get what he wanted.”
“It was his kingdom,” Slavik said. “Everyone was there to serve him.”
In painstaking detail, Slavik walked the 12-person panel through the federal government’s three charges against Diddy. She asserted that the evidence, when tied together, showed beyond a reasonable doubt that the music mogul was guilty of one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The center of the government’s case: drug-fueled “freak offs.” Slavik detailed how Diddy relied on his inner circle to force ex-girlfriends Cassie Ventura and “Jane” into participating in marathon sexual encounters with male escorts. She argued that Diddy’s employees carried out an array of crimes to “make him happy,” including kidnapping, arson and bribery.
“He was able to get away with it due to his money, power and influence, and that stops now,” Slavik said in closing. “It is time to hold him accountable. It is time for justice. It is time to find him guilty.”
🔎 The view from inside
By Adam Reiss, Chloe Melas, Katherine Koretski and Jing Feng
We felt nervous energy coursing through the packed courtroom this morning as Diddy’s family members took their seats and Slavik prepared to deliver her closing argument. Diddy, wearing light pants and a white sweater, entered a short time later. He looked at his family and put his hand to his heart. At one point, Diddy’s twin daughters passed a note to defense attorney Teny Geragos. She handed it to Diddy, who smiled.
In the second hour of Slavik’s summation, Diddy started to take on a noticeably more downcast appearance. He sat back in his chair with his head down while Slavik detailed the government’s sex trafficking charges, looking completely dejected — even defeated. Later, he kept his eyes on the floor when Slavik played the infamous video recording of Diddy kicking and dragging Ventura in a hallway at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in 2016.
PSA: Every night during Diddy’s trial, NBC’s “Dateline” will drop special episodes of the “True Crime Weekly” podcast to get you up to speed. “Dateline” correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC News’ Chloe Melas and special guests — right in front of the courthouse. Listen here.
