The trial against Diddy in New York has been ongoing for six weeks. How is he behaving in the courtroom? And what has emerged from the testimonies so far? We answer some of your questions.
Why did Diddy refuse his settlement and was that wise?
Diddy rejected a settlement proposal from the prosecutor prior to his trial. The 55-year-old musician would have received a shorter prison sentence in exchange for pleading guilty. Diddy is on trial for extortion, trafficking, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution.
Diddy does not say why he rejected the settlement proposal. Defendants can reject a proposal for various reasons and have the case come before a judge. For example, because they do not consider it a fair proposal, the prosecutor does not have strong evidence, or because a defendant believes in their own innocence. Diddy has consistently denied the allegations.
Because the founder of the label Bad Boy Records rejected the settlement proposal, the case is now being heard in court, where a twelve-member jury will decide whether he is guilty. The judge will then determine a sentence.
How is Diddy behaving in the courtroom and does he get to speak himself?
Court records show that Diddy is subdued. He passes notes to his lawyers and makes eye contact with the jurors. He blows kisses to his family members, who sit in the front row of the courtroom almost daily.
In the past six weeks, there was one incident where Diddy nodded at the jury during the cross-examination of a witness. The judge found that unacceptable and threatened to remove him from the courtroom if he did it again.
Diddy has not yet spoken himself. It is not known whether he will testify in the trial. It can always backfire if a defendant takes the floor. It is therefore possible that his lawyers do not dare to. They announced on the first day of the trial that they do not intend to launch a charm offensive.
What important information has emerged from the testimonies so far?
The Public Prosecution Service has now called almost thirty witnesses. The most important is singer Cassie Ventura, who had a relationship with Diddy for about eleven years. She said that Diddy forced her into sex with male escorts. Another ex-girlfriend of Diddy, who testified under the pseudonym Jane, shared similar experiences.
The women said that Diddy threatened to leak intimate videos of them or withdraw financial support if they resisted. They described several moments when Diddy abused them. His violent character would have contributed to the fear of refusing sex with others.
Which celebrities have already testified against Diddy? Images of well-known witnesses are circulating on social media, but some suspect they are made with AI.
There are indeed AI-generated images and audio circulating of well-known witnesses. Besides Cassie Ventura, rapper Kid Cudi is the only well-known person who has made a statement so far. Kid Cudi briefly had a relationship with Ventura, and Diddy would not have accepted that.
Kid Cudi told the court, among other things, that Diddy once broke into his house and called him from the house to intimidate him.
It is possible that more celebrities have been called to testify, but that they have refused. In the United States, everyone can invoke the right not to testify or provide incriminating information about themselves.
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Agents search properties of ‘Diddy’ for possible exploitation
What was found during raids on Diddy’s properties?
In April, agents raided Diddy’s office buildings in Los Angeles. Diddy’s homes in Miami and Los Angeles were also searched. We only know something about the findings in the house in Miami. An involved agent testified about this in court.
Among other things, a loaded pistol, sex toys, lubricant, and baby oil were found. A bag with MDMA tablets, ketamine, and cocaine was also found.
Images of the findings were shown to the jury. They were also shown evidence such as text messages between those involved, photos of the alleged victims with bruises and injuries, and images of the sex parties where the alleged victims were forced into sex with male escorts.
What sentence does Diddy face?
If Diddy is found guilty of extortion, he risks a life sentence. If he is guilty of trafficking, he must spend at least fifteen years in jail. Transportation for the purpose of prostitutes carries a maximum prison sentence of ten years.