Combs defense team's only hope is to make sex acts appear consensual: former prosecutor
Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani on the charges against Sean 'Diddy' Combs and how he would defend the case if he were Combs' defense team.
Hip-hop's "Bad Boy" billionaire Sean "Diddy" Combs is drawing comparisons to the late sex-trafficking financier Jeffrey Epstein, who used his power and connections to lure young women and girls to a private island, allegedly along with a network of wealthy friends.
Now Combs is facing federal sex trafficking charges himself along with racketeering and other counts.
His arrest at a New York City hotel came six months after Homeland Security agents raided his mansions in Miami and Los Angeles and nearly a year after a series of explosive lawsuits began naming him as an alleged sex trafficking and domestic abuser, claims apparently supported, in part, by the leak of security video showing an assault on his ex, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, in a hotel hallway.
"This is like Epstein 2.0, if you think about it," said David Gelman, a New Jersey-based defense attorney and former prosecutor. "You have a guy who is extremely rich and extremely powerful, just like Jeffrey Epstein was. You have him being charged with allegations that are inhumane and unheard of against women and potential minors for sex trafficking and sexually deviant acts, and the similarities are uncanny."
SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS' LUXURY YACHT DRAWS COMPARISONS TO EPSTEIN ISLAND AMID SEX TRAFFICKING PROBE
Sean "Diddy" Combs and his defense lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, stand before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn Tarnofsky after prosecutors brought three criminal charges against him in federal court in the Manhattan borough of New York City. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)
It's too early to tell who else may get dragged into federal court, however, according to Gelman. Even though a number of civil lawsuits have leveled allegations against other executives, stars and Combs associates, and his indictment alleges "Combs relied on employees, resources and influence" of his business empire, there's not enough information available yet to speculate on specific individuals, he said.
More information will come out in court as the case proceeds, he said.
"You only have so many rich, powerful individuals in this world, especially in the U.S.," Gelman told Fox News Digital. "I’m not going to be surprised if we read information about where Epstein and Diddy crossed paths. I know Epstein has been dead for the past few years, but his criminal involvement went back many, many years."
Both men were influential in Democrat politics and have been photographed with former presidents, he said.
Sean "Diddy" Combs (Romain Maurice/Mega for Fox News Digital)
"I don't think it's very far-fetched at all to think that the two of them knew each other, potentially," he added.
While no one else has been charged, by its nature the racketeering case alleges a conspiracy involving others, and prosecutors in court filings claimed Combs took advantage of his billion-dollar business empire to abuse and silence victims. He is known to travel with an entourage and bodyguards and had been revered in entertainment circles for decades before his fall from grace.
DIDDY HIT WITH SEX TRAFFICKING AND RACKETEERING CHARGES
This is Jeffrey Epstein's mugshot from 2019 after federal authorities filed trafficking charges against him. (Kypros/Getty Images)
"U.S. Attorney Damian Williams dodged questions about additional charges or defendants, and said the investigation is ongoing," said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor who now runs a private practice in Los Angeles. "Other members of the RICO conspiracy are criminally liable for the sex trafficking even if they didn’t actually participate in the sex acts. So, someone who bought the thousand bottles of baby oil or who gave the victims post-drug IVs could be charged as a co-conspirator."
Prosecutors can pressure unnamed and unindicted co-conspirators to turn against Combs or anyone else involved in the alleged crimes, he said. And if they don't flip, they can face charges themselves.
R. Kelly and P. Diddy are pictured at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. (Theo Wargo/WireImage/File)
"And of course, anyone who actually participated in sex acts with Diddy should be shaking in their boots," Rahmani said. "There are multiple victims, many witnesses and likely video evidence of the ‘freak offs.’ Those individuals can and should be charged with sex trafficking or prostitution, depending on whether they used threats or force against the victims."
Jeffrey Epstein is shown with longtime associate and madame Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently in federal prison.
SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS' ACCUSER ADDS CUBA GOODING JR TO SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWSUIT
If someone else is charged, it wouldn't be the first time a case involving Combs saw members of his entourage dragged into court. After an infamous nightclub shooting in New York in 2001, Combs' former protege, Moses "Shyne" Barrow, went to prison for 10 years. Combs was acquitted in connection with the shooting.
Shyne and Diddy are shown at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on Nov. 7, 2023, in London. (Samir Hussein/Getty Images for Sean Diddy Combs)
"All it takes is a few brave people to speak out and talk about what is happening and eventually the entire house of cards falls," said Spencer Kuvin, a trial attorney representing nine of Epstein's victims in legal battles with the disgraced financier, corporations and other wealthy and powerful men in his orbit.
"Depending on the facts that come out, it is similar to the Epstein case because you have a very wealthy, well-connected individual that believes that he is above the law," he told Fox News Digital. "While people give famous rich people the benefit of the doubt and often look the other way when they do bad things, the time for accountability always catches up to them."
Federal investigators have likely already identified and interviewed alleged co-conspirators about testifying against the entertainment mogul, he said.
"Anyone who participated in these illegal activities can be prosecuted, and likely the federal authorities have already spoken with them to grant certain people immunity so that they will testify against Combs," Kuvin said. "Rich, famous and powerful people continue to believe that they are above the law. The federal authorities will hopefully continue to show them that they are not."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Even years after Epstein's death, however, questions about his purported "client list" remain unanswered. The release of thousands of pages of court documents this year named a slew of A-listers, wealthy businessmen and others in his orbit but contained few substantiated allegations against them. Many were mentioned in passing.
True Crime
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time.
