Photo: Prince Williams/WireImage
When Sean “Diddy” Combs finally goes to court on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking, he plans to testify, according to his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo. For reasons that remain inexplicable, Agnifilo participated in a new TMZ documentary about the case and revealed that Combs is itching to talk.
“I don’t know that I can keep him off the stand. He is very eager to tell his story,” Agnifilo tells TMZ founder Harvey Levin in Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment. “I think he will tell every part of his story, including what you see on the video, so I expect it’s going to be explained by the both of us.”
The video Agnifilo is referring to is one from 2016 in which security cameras captured Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel. The disturbing footage was released earlier this year by CNN, and it is cited in the 14-page indictment against Combs.
“The thing that’s missing from this story is the overall context of the entire situation,” Agnifilo tells TMZ. “When that context is appreciated, what people are gonna see is clearly this was a long-term, loving, intense relationship that had mutual infidelities. That is the reason why you see some of what you see on the video.”
When Levin expresses shock that Combs intends to take the stand — opening himself up to what is sure to be an intense and thorough cross-examination from the prosecution — Agnifilo reiterates the idea that his client has a unique perspective.
“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,” Agnifilo says. “It’s a human story, it’s a story of love, it’s a story of heartbreak. He was heartbroken. She was heartbroken.”
Agnifilo, if you can’t tell from these quotes, is a pretty slick guy. Elsewhere in the documentary, he makes glib comments about the 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant seized by federal agents in raids on Combs’s homes earlier this year. The attorney suggests that Combs “buys in bulk” and that he might have purchased the bottles at Costco.
While Agnifilo is the one talking, it seems that Combs is driving the bus when it comes to his case. When asked if the mogul would ever take a plea deal, Agnifilo quickly says that Combs has no interest.
“He believes he’s innocent,” Agnifilo says. “He believes that he needs to stand up not just for himself, [but] 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.’”
Combs is currently being held in a Brooklyn detention center without bail. A date for his trial has yet to be set.
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