Combs, wearing a white sweater and beige pants and with white speckled hair and beard, stood up as he was introduced to the jury. Several family members filled the front row of the public space behind Combs.
“Let me be clear, this case is not about a celebrity’s private sexual life,” federal government lawyer Emily Johnson told the court.
“The evidence will show the sexual conduct was coercive and criminal.
“He made women have sex when they didn’t want to be there.”
Sex tapes and blackmail
Combs and his “inner circle” helped facilitate crimes including kidnapping, arson and sex crimes “again and again,” she added.
Johnson detailed one night when it is alleged Combs kidnapped one of his own employees, broke into a house with the intent to harm an apparent boyfriend of Ventura, and then beat and blackmailed her, threatening to release sex tapes from the “freak off” parties.
“He said he would release images of her having sex with male escorts.
“These were souvenirs of the most humiliating nights of her life”.
This was just the “tip of the iceberg” of the alleged crimes, she said.
The prosecution said Ventura was deeply in love with Combs and initially indulged his sexual proclivities with others. But these became degrading, drug-fuelled sessions that could last for days.
It was claimed that she and other alleged victims would be forced to wear lingerie and tall platform heels during the sex parties.
“He expected the women to appear to be enjoying themselves,” Johnson said.
“[Combs] masturbated throughout the freak offs and videoed them.
At one point, she claimed Combs “made a male escort urinate in [Ventura’s] mouth”.
Ventura and Combs dated for years
Combs was said to have eventually “lost control” of Ventura whom he had been in a relationship for years. The alleged beating was so bad at times, “he flung her around like a rag doll”.
In their opening statements, the defence did not deny Combs beat women. But they said that was not the charges that were brought in this case. They portrayed the women accusing Combs as having “jealousy” and seeking cash.
“Sean Combs is a complicated man but this is not a complicated case, “ said defence lawyer Teny Garagos.
“This case is about voluntary adult choices in consensual relationships.”
Addressing the jury, Garagos said there would be multiple times they might think Combs was “mean” or a “jerk”.
“But that is not prostitution, racketeering or sex trafficking.
“He is simply not guilty of those crimes.
“Being a willing participant is not sex trafficking”
‘Money grab’
The case, she said, was a “money grab” by the accusers.
Prosecutors also warned jurors to brace themselves for disturbing details of the freak-offs as Combs is accused of forcing Ventura and then a witness identified as Jane Doe to have sex with him in front of male escorts.
Jane, a single mum, met Combs in 2020 and was quickly trapped under Combs’ control, prosecutors said.
Johnson said Combs forced Jane to have unprotected sex with escorts and do drugs at his alleged sick hotel marathons.
“She wanted the escorts to wear condoms but he would not let them, then he would make her take drugs, she broke down and took Ecstasy,” Johnson told jurors.
“One time she vomited, he told her to hurry up and get back in the room where an escort was waiting.”
Combs faces life in jail
Combs’ former personal assistant, identified as Mia, will also be testifying during the case, prosecutors said in opening statements.
“She is just beginning to grapple with the times he forced himself on her sexually - she wanted to keep the secret to her grave,” Johnson said.
Combs could face life in jail for just the racketeering charge, a minimum of 15 years for sex trafficking and a minimum of 10 years for transportation to engage in prostitution.
The federal charges are being heard in the Daniel P Moynihan Courthouse in downtown Manhattan.
Combs has been held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Centre, which in the past has held R Kelly, Ghislaine Maxwell and Sam Bankman-Fried before and during their trials.
He has been jailed since September last year.
Combs was said to have held sex-fuelled parties known as “freak offs” where many of the allegations took place.
