Connect with us

Entertainment

Diddy Trial Closing Arguments: Prosecutors Portray Mogul as Mob Boss to Make RICO Charge Stick

Published

on

Prosecutors have spent the last month trying to convict Sean “Diddy” Combs under an organized crime law usually deployed to go after mobsters and cartels. Trying to stick the landing during closing arguments, a government lawyer used the gangland language of “kingdoms” and “foot soldiers” as she zeroed in on Combs’ alleged racketeering enterprise.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik delivered the closing argument on Thursday (June 26) for the prosecution’s case against Combs, who’s accused of using violence, bribery and blackmail to coerce women into participating in marathon sex shows dubbed “freak-offs.” Combs says his sex parties were entirely consensual.

The Case Against Diddy, Explained By R. Kelly's Prosecutors

10/07/2024

Combs is charged under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly known as “RICO,” a powerful tool that allows prosecutors to tie together various criminal acts into a single “enterprise.” The statute is traditionally used to convict mobsters and cartels, but it’s also been wielded in recent years against alleged sexual predators like R. Kelly and Nxivm founder Keith Raniere.

Slavik focused heavily on Combs’ supposed criminal enterprise as she tried to convince the jury to convict the music mogul of RICO violations on Thursday. She argued that Combs sat atop a large, organized syndicate and described his employees as “loyal lieutenants” and “foot soldiers” — words typically associated with mafia capos who report to gang bosses.

“The defendant was at the top of this enterprise,” Slavik said, according to CNN. “Remember, it’s his kingdom. Everyone was there to serve him.”

To convict Combs under RICO, the jury will have to find that the rapper and his associates committed at least two underlying crimes together. Slavik argued that there’s evidence of Combs’ enterprise engaging in a whole host of illegal acts, including distributing drugs for freak-offs, bribing a hotel security guard with $100,000 for surveillance footage of Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend, singer Cassie Ventura, and setting Kid Cudi’s car on fire.

Related

Sean 'Diddy' Combs speaks onstage during the 2022 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 15, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for MRC)

Diddy Trial Recap: The End is In Sight After Rap Mogul Opts Not to Testify

06/24/2025

Perhaps most importantly, Slavik said Combs and his employees committed the underlying crime of sex trafficking — which he is charged separately with — by forcing Ventura and another anonymous ex-girlfriend known as “Jane” to participate in the freak-offs.

Slavik told the jury that while both Ventura and Jane may have agreed to some of the freak-offs — dayslong hotel room parties where Combs would masturbate while watching the women have sex with male escorts — many of these events were obviously coerced.

The prosecutor said Combs blackmailed both women into participating in freak-offs by threatening to release their sex tapes. Slavik argued the rapper also plied the women with drugs to make them compliant and manipulated them with money — by paying Jane’s rent and threatening to stop unless she complied, and by controlling Ventura’s music career.

Combs additionally used violence, Slavik said, to traffic the women by making them think they had to participate in freak-offs if they didn’t want to get hurt. The prosecutor pointed to Jane’s testimony that she gave oral sex to an escort in 2024 after Combs dragged her by her hair and choked her, and claims from Ventura and numerous corroborating witnesses that Combs regularly beat her throughout the decade they dated.

Related

Sean "Diddy" Combs

Diddy Trial Juror Dismissed for ‘Lack of Candor,’ Despite Defense Warnings About…

06/16/2025

“It all comes down to this — what choice did Cassie have in the end?” Slavik said. “Viewed through the entire context of their relationship, Cassie did not have the freedom to make voluntary adult choices.”

Combs’ defense lawyers will get the chance to make their own closing argument to the jury on Friday (June 27), when they’ll likely say Ventura and Jane participated in the freak-offs willingly.

Prosecutors will get a final chance to address the jury with a rebuttal argument after Combs’ lawyers finish on Friday; the judge will then read out lengthy legal instructions. The jury could begin deliberating late on Friday, or when they return from the weekend on Monday (June 30).

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Entertainment

No ‘Good’ Deed Goes Unpunished for Ariana Grande’s Glinda in Final ‘Wicked: For Good’ Trailer

Published

on

By

In the final trailer for Wicked: For Good, Ariana Grande‘s character learns that a big price comes with being Glinda the Good.

‘Wicked: For Good’ Soundtrack Release Date & Tracklist Revealed, Featuring 2 Brand New Songs

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo in "Wicked"

Everything We Know About ‘Wicked: For Good’ (So Far)

Ariana Grande at the MTV Video Music Awards 2025 held at UBS Arena on September 07, 2025 in New York, New York.

‘Wicked: For Good’ Director Jon M. Chu Previews Two New Songs From Anticipated Sequel: ‘They’re Questioning, ‘What Is Home?’

Released on Wednesday (Sept. 24) — about two months before the Wicked sequel finally premieres in theaters on Nov. 21 — the preview shows how the blonde leading lady wrestles with her new role as Oz’s spokeswoman, as Cynthia Erivo‘s Elphaba attempts to expose the Wizard’s evil agenda while living in hiding. At first, Glinda is “obsess-ulated” with the gorgeous gown, tiara and mechanical flying bubble her public-facing life affords her — but everything quickly comes crashing down when she realizes that she’s on the wrong side of history, and that she just might be too late to save her former schoolmate from the wrath of Oz’s brainwashed citizens.

“I’m a public figure now, people expect me to …,” Glinda tells Elphaba at one point, with Dorothy’s fallen house and the Yellow Brick Road visible in the background.

“Lie?” the green-skinned witch cuts in, to which Glinda says defensively, “Be encouraging.”

Grande’s character is less sure of herself when she is confronted by Jonathan Bailey’s Fiyero, who accuses, “You can’t resist this.”

“Who could?” Glinda asks, to which the Winkie prince replies, “You know who could.”

Arriving one year after the first Wicked hit theaters and shattered movie-musical box-office records, For Good will serve as the film adaptation of the second act of the Broadway musical on which the live-actions are based. The soundtrack will also drop on Nov. 21, complete with two brand new songs sung by Grande and Erivo.

As revealed when the tracklist dropped a week prior to the new trailer, the title of Glinda’s bonus song is “The Girl in the Bubble,” while Elphaba’s added balled is called “No Place Like Home.”

Watch the final trailer for Wicked: For Good above.


Billboard VIP Pass

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Priscilla Presley Says That Leaving Elvis Presley Was ‘The Only Way to Survive’ in New Memoir ‘Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis’

Published

on

By

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

Priscilla Presley was with Elvis Presley for around 14 years before they split; however, the pair had known each other for years before they wed in 1967.

The time in between and following Priscilla and Elvis’ divorce was a tough spot for Priscilla, and one she wasn’t super open about — that is, until now. In her new memoir Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis, the actress shares the difficult but inspiring journey beyond the walls of Graceland post-split with the King, choosing to put herself and her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, first.

A hardcover version of the book is now on sale and can be purchased now on Amazon for $22.38, while paperback will run you $32. A Kindle version retails for $15.99. If you’re a superfan of Priscilla and the Presley family, you can also snag a signed version of the memoir via Barnes & Noble for $32. The piece makes a great gift for the avid Elvis collector in your life. If you’d rather listen to the memoir, we won’t judge, you can do so with Audible via a subscription which costs $7.95 a month, a price tag less than a physical copy.

Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis

Buy Now on amazon $22.38 $22.38
Buy Now at Barnes & noble $32 $32
Buy Now on audible $7.95 a month $7.95 a month

A new memoir by Priscilla Presley.


If you didn’t know, Priscilla met Elvis when she was just 14 and he was 24. The singer was serving in the U.S. Army in 1959 in Germany. The pair remained romantically connected for years, even with distance between them and in 1967, they were wed in a simple and very secret ceremony in Las Vegas. While their separation in 1973 was painful for Priscilla, this novel highlights why it was so important for the Naked Gun star to leave.

It seems that Priscilla lost touch with herself throughout her relationship with Elvis. Leaving allowed her to find herself again. Through the book, we are treated to snippets of Priscilla’s life pre- and post-Elvis and how she had to reinvent herself a second time as the single mother after the performer’s death in 1977.

Today, we are taken through how Priscilla was able to transform Graceland into an international destination and helped guide the development of Elvis Presley Enterprises, turning the King’s legacy into a full-on business. If you are an Elvis fan, this gives readers a unique perspective on his life, as told by his ex-wife. It also gives Priscilla’s story more context for those who aren’t too familiar with her life and career.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Calvin Harris’ Ex-Business Manager Denies $22M Fraud Claims: ‘Categorically False’

Published

on

By

Calvin Harris‘ former longtime business manager is firing back against bombshell fraud claims, saying he never stole from anybody and that the Scottish DJ willingly agreed to invest in his Los Angeles real estate development project.

Thomas St. John, an entertainment industry-focused accountant who runs the eponymous firm Thomas St. John Group, is currently wrapped up in thorny arbitration proceedings with his former client Harris (Adam Wiles). He’s accused of abusing his access to Harris’ accounts in order to fund his side venture: the construction of a recording studio and office space complex in Hollywood.

Calvin Harris

Calvin Harris Accuses His Financial Adviser of $22M Theft: ‘Absolutely Breached That Trust’

BLOND:ISH

How Blond:ish Plans to Eliminate 42 Tons of Waste From NYC Nightlife Every Year: 'This Is My Passion'

Beyoncé

Suspect Arrested in Theft of Beyoncé's Unreleased Music

Harris claims that St. John tricked him into investing $22.5 million in the project, known as CMNTY Culture Campus, which he says turned out to be a “complete boondoggle” that he “has not received a single penny in return for” — while suggesting that St. John pocketed much of the money for himself.

However, a representative for St. John says in a new statement that the allegations are “categorically false.” The rep denies that St. John engaged in any self-dealing, adding that Harris is one of nine above-board investors who “knowingly signed investment agreements” to get involved in CMNTY Culture.

“Not a single dollar has been misappropriated, all investor entitlements remain intact, and the project continues to advance within the normal entitlement timeline,” says St. John’s rep in the Tuesday (Sept. 23) statement. “We will continue to take every necessary step to set the record straight and to ensure that these malicious, bad-faith attacks are recognized for what they are: entirely without merit.”

While CMNTY Culture was initially designed to house a recording studio and office space, St. John has since shifted the plans and is now developing a residential apartment complex on the same tract of land in Hollywood. According to his rep, the project is proceeding apace and “is expected to approach a $1 billion valuation” upon completion.

Related

Rear view of a concert crowd with parts of the stage visible. Psychedelic colors.

Insomniac CEO Called ‘Insufferable to Work With’ in Counter-Lawsuit Over Miami’s Factory Town Venue

“While the entitlement process has naturally taken longer than initially projected due to unprecedented interest, macroeconomic conditions and significant city red tape, it remains firmly within its promised schedule and is now on the verge of securing final entitlements, an important milestone that will unlock substantial value,” adds St. John’s rep.

Thomas St. John Group has offices in Los Angeles, London, Amsterdam and Stockholm. The management firm’s U.S. arm recently filed for bankruptcy, citing hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid rent in L.A. and multiple pending legal actions.

One creditor listed in the firm’s bankruptcy papers is Philip Lawrence, a songwriter and producer who made his name collaborating with Bruno Mars. Lawrence used to be a client of St. John’s and at one point invested $10 million from the sale of his catalog into CMNTY Culture Campus, according to court filings in Lawrence’s own personal bankruptcy case.

Continue Reading

Trending