Diddy 'eager' to testify in criminal trial focused on sex trafficking, 'freak offs': documentary
Sean "Diddy" Combs is "very eager" to testify and tell his story in his impending sex trafficking trial.
Combs pleaded not guilty to charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution Sept. 17. The rapper remained behind bars at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center after two judges denied his request to be released on bail. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars and a maximum sentence of life in prison. Combs has denied all sexual assault allegations brought against him in the last year and maintained his innocence in the federal criminal investigation.
Combs' lawyer, former PR executives, industry professionals and others explored the allegations brought against the "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" singer in TMZ's documentary, "Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment." The musician has been accused of forcing sex workers and female victims into sexual encounters, also referred to as "freak offs," with him.
The documentary revealed the music industry was aware of Combs' sexual preferences far before the bombshell indictment was unsealed.
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Combs will likely testify in his criminal trial, according to his defense attorney, Marc Agnifilo.
"I don't know that I can keep him off the stand," Agnifilo said in the documentary. "I think he is very eager to tell his story. And I think he will tell every part of the story, including what you see on the video. So, I expect it's going to be explained by the both of us."
The video he referenced was of Combs allegedly beating his girlfriend at the time, Cassie Ventura.
"The thing that's missing from this story is the overall context of the entire situation," he added. "Clearly, this was a long-term, loving, intense relationship that had mutual infidelities. And that is the reason why you see some of what you see on the video.
"He has his story, and he has a story that I think only he can tell in the way he can tell it in real time. And it's a human story. It's a story of love. And it's a story of hurt. It's a story of heartbreak. I mean, when he describes that relationship, the word he uses more than any other word is heartbreak. He was heartbroken. She was heartbroken."
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A former PR executive who worked closely with Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment roster knew there was "no safety" after a certain time at the music mogul's infamous parties.
"My spidey senses were always on high alert," Dr. LaJoyce Brookshire recalled. "And I know that there’s no safety after a certain hour when you’ve got drinks flowing and people behind your back doing drugs in bathrooms, two or three people walking out of a bathroom together. There's no safety in that. So, could there potentially be? Absolutely. Did I see it? No. I never stayed at the party late enough to see.
"Did I sense that there could be trouble? There could be trouble riding on the subway," she added. "Yes, I sensed it. Yes."
Brookshire has handled publicity for A-list celebs, including Aretha Franklin, Notorious B.I.G., Toni Braxton and others.
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The feds seized "cases and cases of the kinds of personal lubricant and baby oil that Combs' staff allegedly used to stock hotel rooms for the freak offs, more than 1,000 bottles altogether," Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at a press conference.
However, Combs' attorney insisted the musician just buys in bulk when faced with the assumption the baby oil was used as a "lubricant for an orgy."
"I guess. I don't know what you need a thousand for. One bottle of baby oil goes a long way. I don't know what you'd need a thousand for," Agnifilo said. "I mean, he has a big house. He buys in bulk. You know, I think they have Costcos in every place where he has a home. I mean, have you sat in a parking lot of a Costco and see what people walk out of there with?
"I don't think it was a thousand. I think it was — let's just say it was a lot. OK?"
In response to Agnifilo’s claim, Costco told TMZ in a statement it does not sell baby oil in any of its United States locations.
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Combs was allegedly known as a "highly sexual individual" for years within the music industry.
"It was always sort of known that if you went to a party at Puff's house and were you to stay past certain hours that you might be introduced to some sort of massive orgy," Adam Grandmaison, host of the "No Jumper" podcast, claimed in the documentary. "It was just a lot of whispers about what it might have consisted of.
"Certainly, I don't think that it was common knowledge that there was so much nonconsensual stuff going on or any of the seedier allegations, but it was definitely discussed years ago that Diddy was a highly sexual individual and that he certainly was a fan of drugs in general," Grandmaison, who's been interviewing rappers and hip-hop artists for years, added.
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Combs' lawyer presumed the "I'll Be Missing You" singer would not accept a plea deal.
"He believes he's innocent," Agnifilo said. "And what's more, he believes that he needs to stand up not just for himself — for his family and for everybody who's been targeted by the federal government.
"He feels an obligation to those people to say, ‘You know what, maybe I can break the model. Maybe I can show the world that a Black man can win in federal court.’ And I think he probably is the only person I know of who might be able to actually accomplish that goal."