Diddy is seeking spiritual guidance during jury selection for his sexual assault trial.
According to TMZ, Diddy was spotted reading from the Bible before opening statements began. The outlet reports that the 55-year-old “hardly moved as the prosecution addressed the jury” and maintained a “blank stare.” Diddy faces five counts of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Delivering the opening statement for Diddy’s defense team was Teny Geragos, who argued that the artist’s intimate life shouldn’t be misconstrued throughout the court proceedings. The trial will examine Diddy’s alleged “freak-off” parties, with accusations that the Bad Boy Entertainment founder hired sex workers to take part in extreme, marathon sex sessions. According to Geragos, as reported by TMZ, these events were merely “swinger parties” involving consenting adults.
Opening statements also covered the notorious 2016 surveillance footage showing Diddy assaulting his then-girlfriend, Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura, in a hotel corridor. Diddy’s defense team claims that domestic violence went both ways between the former couple, and that instead of being evidence of sex trafficking, the exes were fighting over a phone and “the secrets of infidelity.”
If found guilty, Diddy could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
