Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - DIDDY DEFENSE: BLAME IRAN

Episode Date: June 24, 2025

Iran might be the key to Sean "Diddy" Combs' defense in his sex trafficking trial. Sources say his legal team may use the growing conflict in the Middle East to cast doubt on the federal case against the disgraced rap mogul. The defense may invoke the recent unrest during their closing arguments. Additionally, sources allege that Diddy's attorneys believe prosecutors have not met the burden of proof required for conviction. They may even choose to rest their case without calling any witnesses after the prosecution concludes, as both sides prepare for closing arguments scheduled for Thursday. Iran recently launched missiles at U.S. bases in the Middle East in retaliation for an earlier U.S. strike under former President Trump. It remains to be seen how the prosecution will respond if the defense uses this geopolitical context as part of its strategy Joining Nancy Grace today: Eric Faddis - Partner at Varner Faddis Elite Legal, Former Felony Prosecutor and Current Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation Attorney; Instagram: @e_fad @varnerfaddis; TikTok: @varnerfaddis Dr. Bethany Marshall -  Psychoanalyst, Author: "Deal Breaker," and featured in hit show "Paris in Love" on Peacock; Instagram & TikTok: drbethanymarshall, X: @DrBethanyLive Brian Fitzgibbons - VP of Operations for USPA Nationwide Security; Instagram: @uspa_nationwide_security, Kingsman Philanthropic's 2022 rescue missions of women and children in Ukraine, Iraq War Veteranide_security Lynn Shaw - Founder and Executive Director of Lynn's Warriors [an organization committed to ending human trafficking and sexual exploitation],  Host of Lynn's Warriors on YouTube;  X: @lynns_warriors, YouTube: @LynnsWarriors, Tisa Tells - Pop Culture Investigator & Commentator and Host of 'Tisa Tells' on YouTube; YouTube: @TisaTells, Instagram & TikTok: @TisaTellss Lauren Conlin - Investigative Journalist, Host of The Outlier Podcast, and also Host of "Corruption: What Happened to Grant Solomon; X- @Conlin_Lauren/ Instagram- @LaurenEmilyConlin/YouTube- @LaurenConlin4 Sydney Sumner - 'Crime Stories'  Investigative Reporter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime stories with Nancy Grace. The Diddy defense to keep Hitler loving Kanye away from the Diddy jury. This, as Diddy doubles down on the gamble of a lifetime, betting against the state and calling out a single defense witness to defend him in front of that jury. The new Diddy defense, wait for it, blame Iran. Yes, that's the Diddy defense.

Blame Iran, they're the real threat and stay out of Diddy's bedroom. Um, okay. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. I want to thank you for being with us. Objection! Eww! More freak-off tips. Diddy. Perv.

Diddy is loving every second of it. Joining us live at the courthouse, Tisa Tells, an investigator and star of Tisa Tells on YouTube. She's been in the courtroom from the get-go along with our Sydney Sumner, Crime Stories investigative reporter. Tisa, what a day in the courtroom. Is it true Sean Combs has decided in his wisdom not to call a single defense witness.

Not only has he decided not to call a single defense witness, he is now saying that his day of defense will be him literally reading, well, his attorneys reading text messages half-heartedly. This has been the ultimate bait and switch. They promised us four weeks, shows and ponies, probably goats running around the courtroom,

anything to distract. And in less than a couple of weeks, interestingly enough, after jurors six got kicked off, now they don't even want to call anybody to the stand. Not one accountant, not one employee, not one anything. Very interesting timing. Straight out to Eric Faddis joining us, veteran trial lawyer, TV legal analyst, founding partner, Varner Faddis, elite legal former felony prosecutor. Faddis, that is a big gamble. Now I said on day one, I think you fought with me about this, that the defense always claims, oh, we're going to have four weeks of testimony.

It's going to be grueling. Then suddenly it's two weeks. Now it's two days. And in the last hours, it's nothing. They're putting up nothing. That's a very big gamble. It's a gamble of a lifetime for Sean Cums. That seems a bold move for sure. I mean, I think a lot of people are expecting kind of a counter

narrative from the defense in this case. It sounds like we're pretty much not gonna hear that. What it looks like is the defense is contending that, hey, the prosecution has the burden here. It's their job to put on the evidence. They have failed woefully according to the defense. And the defense really doesn't need to do anything more. That they've established what they need to

through cross-examination, through highlighting some of these text messages that they show, that they say show consent. And so they're going to kind of give it over to this jury in about a day or so. Eric Faddis, of course, there's going to be a huge, long, extremely painful and boring charge conference. The charge conference occurs just before closing arguments. And in a charge conference, both sides, the state and the defense, submit jury charges to the judge. What are jury charges? Those are the instructions where the judge literally reads the law verbatim to the jury,

the law by which they are to judge this case. They'll get a charge on sex trafficking. They'll get a charge on coercion. They'll get a charge on everything that Sean Combs is charged with. They'll get a charge on reasonable doubt, presumption of innocence, every permutation of the law that can apply to this case on credibility. The burden is on the state. They'll also get a charge, Fattis, on the defendant's right to remain silent. And they're going to be told if the defendant doesn't testify, you cannot hold that against him. Okay? We all know that's coming. But the reality, Fattis, the reality is

when the defense stands up and says, your honor, the defense rests in front of the jury, they're gonna be going like, what? He's not gonna take the stand? He's got nothing to say? You know they're thinking that, Fattis. Without question, that's gotta be going on in these jurors' minds.

Look, they're gonna get this instruction that says, hey, Denny has a constitutional right not to, and if he likes to exercise that right, the jury cannot hold that against him. Jurors are human beings, though. You know, think about if a parent has two kids and there's cookies missing from the cookie jar. You want to hear from both kids. You want to hear both sides. You want to hear sort of the reasons and any sort of corroborative evidence that supports either side. But in a courtroom, it's just a different scenario. And Diddy is not going to testify.

It would be perilous for him to do that. And so will these jurors be able to follow that instruction and not somehow hold that against Diddy saying, hey, I want to hear from that guy. I want to hear his story. Yeah. And you know what? They're going to think in their heads, if he's telling the truth, why doesn't he take the stand? What does he have to fear?

Now, of course the state cannot argue that to the jury. That would be reversible error. Any comment or allusion to him invoking his right to remain silent is reversible error if the state does it. Now, the defense will be able to argue, now remember jury, you absolutely cannot hold it against him that he didn't testify. He has no burden and he didn't need to testify.

You know why? Because the state didn't prove their case. That is what they're going to be arguing. Put money on it, go ahead and make book. But here's the thing, Tisa Tell's joining me outside the courthouse, You can find her at Tisa Tells on YouTube. Tisa, of course, the defendant doesn't have to testify and the jury is going to hear that in jury instructions. But what about all these other people? What about Christina Coram? Why didn't she come through for the

defense? If Coram has nothing to hide, why didn't she come on for Sean Combs? Why didn't Gina? She wouldn't come in for the state. So where are all of these other witnesses that have been part of this scenario? Where are they? Exactly. See, here's the thing. Did he still act like he's controlling everything and he can snap his fingers and make us deny reality? Yes, we all know from watching Matlock and everything else that he does not have to testify. But to your point, where is everyone else? When you look at it as a real life human woman,

it looks weird. And it's going to look weird to the jury that there is not one employee, not one investigator, not one freak off worker, not one entertainer, not anyone from Wild King Next is going to come on the stand and not one uncharged co-conspirator, KK, that is going to come on the stand and say, hey, let me tell you what it is. And you got to look at it through the jury's point of view, because we're getting the same view that the jury is.

They were promised in the open an argument that they were going to prove they had a tentative end date. So they're thinking somewhere between July, 4th, July 18th, they are waiting for dirt for Diddy to put on his defense. They know, imagine this though, you just see your coworker get dismissed. They don't know why they just said, we no longer need you. And they see a shuffling. And then all of a sudden, Diddy's team comes out and stands up and says, and we've rushed our case. It looks odd. It looks weird.

And I think, and most people in the courtroom think it's not going to play the way all these legal analysis think it is. We are real life humans and you got to think where is your defense? Keep quiet. But where is your defense? Keep quiet but where is your defense? Just bring us one sex worker. The punisher, the plainer, whatever you want to call them. Bring us one sex worker that can say it was consensual and they enjoyed it. They cannot. I think it's a big mistake and a lot of people in the courtroom think so too. And Tisa tells what about friends? Friends of

Cassie Ventura, friends of Mia not not her real name, friends of Jane, not her real name, to say, oh, this is total BS. She never complained about the free cost. In fact, she never even mentioned them. You know why they're not bringing them? Because they don't exist. But if the jury gets back there and thinks this through the way we're thinking it through they'll think well wait a minute don't any of the alleged victims have friends that the

Victims confide in why didn't they come on? Well? I don't get it see they're gonna Go back there I think and they're gonna reason through the fact that the defense did not bring one single person on. Let me go back to Eric Faddis joining me, veteran trial lawyer. While the state cannot comment on the defendant's right to remain silent, if the defense has alluded to other witnesses, okay, if they've said, well, none of her friends state that she was harmed or she was coerced or she was drugged, if the defense said that at any point in the trial or something akin to that, the state can comment on the defense's failure

to produce those witnesses. They can't say it about the defendant not taking the stand, but they can comment on any witness the defense has alluded to that the defense did not bring in front of the jury. That might happen, Faddis. Nancy, shockingly, I think we agree on that. I think generally speaking, there can't be burden shifting, so they got to be careful about that. But the defense has the same subpoena power

that the prosecution has. So the defense, like you said, could have subpoenaed bad boy entertainment folks who, if they had these witnesses, would get up there and say, hey, I wasn't aware of any freak offsets, I didn't pay for this, the business didn't pay for this. They could have gotten attendees of these hotel parties who said, hey, everything appeared consensual to me

and no one was saying no. We're not hearing from any of those witnesses. And I think it's probably fair game for the prosecution to say, hey, defense told you about witness X, Y, and Z who was gonna come up here. Where are those folks? You know, to Dr. Bethany Marshall joining us, we're now psychoanalysts out of the LA jurisdiction,

author of Deal Breaker. You can find her on Peacock and online at drbethanymarshall.com. I know, I get it, that the jury is going to be told, and it's going to be hammered in, in the defense closing argument, that Sean Combs did not have to take the stand, and there was no need for him to take the stand

because the state failed in proving its case. That's going to be the argument. But you want to tell me, Bethany, you know people better than anybody. They're not going to talk about, why didn't he take the stand? And then somebody in the jury deliberation room is going to go, you can't talk about

that. You can't think about it. And the other one will say, yeah, okay, you're right. Let's talk about the fact that he didn't take the stand. It didn't take the stand. Not only that, Nancy, in a way he has taken the stand, not personally. He invoked his right to remain silent, but that those jurors have heard P Diddy's voice. They have heard, you're my crack pipe.

They have heard, where are you? They have seen the text. They have heard the text written out loud. So unless he comes in with a better, kinder, gentler voice, that is what they were left with. You know, there was one interaction that just came out where he called Cowboys for Angels and they said, you know, you owe us another $600. And he said, well, the guy didn't even perform. And then she said, well,

they're not there to perform, the worker for Cowboys for Angels. They're there to, you're paying for their time, not their erection, basically is what she was saying. And then he steps in and says, okay, be nice. I found that interaction very interesting because it told me how quickly he becomes aggressive with people when he doesn't get his way. She was being perfectly nice. She was just explaining that he was paying for the sex worker's time, but he began to turn on her. I think that's the kind of voice that's going to be in the juror's head resoundingly. Who talks like that? Nobody really. Well, P. Diddy. Well, you're right. You're right. Speaking of that, take a listen to this.

The court hears texts where Sean Combs haggles with Bridget from Cowboys for Angels over escort prices. Bridget informs Combs that he still has an outstanding $600 balance, to which Combs replies lol he couldn't even perform. Bridgett reminds combs he's paying for the man's time and combs retorts that she should talk nice to him since he's a long time customer. In another exchange combs tells Bridgett to stop raising my rate because he is a long timer.

Bridgett says it isn't up to her but escort, adding that the best guys have high rates. Excuse me, but did I just hear Sean Combs, AKA itty bitty ditty whining that the sex worker couldn't perform? Correct me if I'm wrong, but Tisa tells, I wanna circle back to Dr. Bethany's allegation, and she's right, that we in a way hear Sean Cone's voice through all of his ridiculous texts this one included what

is wrong with rich people here he is committing a crime he is ordering up a sex worker like he's ordering a pepperoni pizza from Papa John's okay he's ordering up a sex worker and he's whining about how much they're charging him for a male sex worker and catch this. He even has an unpaid balance. What is wrong with rich people? He's a billionaire and he can't pay a $600 balance to a sex worker, which hello is illegal. And here we've got him on text, haggling with the woman about the fee for the sex worker. And the irony, the insult to the irony,

is he accuses a sex worker of not being able to perform. I wonder if it has anything to do with him dragging Cassie Ventura out in the middle of the freak-off and beating her and then sending her back in to perform Correctly, but whoa whoa whoa whoa itty bitty diddy The one sitting over there butt naked wearing a burka over his face Talking on the phone and trying to masturbate. He says the sex worker can't be formed performed Did I just hear that you just heard that and that was one of the most shocking things

we heard in court. When you talk about these billionaires, I literally said, I thought being part of a billionaires depraved harem had some perks. He started the conversation off by accusing them of raising rates. She literally had to screenshot a picture of the rates

to let her know I'm trying to be even. And even after that, he then tried to short 600. We heard about these sex workers being flown on Spirit Airlines, are you insane? Spirit Airlines paying for their own Ubers. This man was beyond cheap. Wait, wait, wait, Peter, Tisa tells. Why are you acting like Spirit Airlines is,

pfft, pfft, because I mean, I've flown on spirit airlines before they tried to charge me for a cup not a bottle a cup of water I swear I wonder if I had to pay to go to the bathroom and I decided I would just hold it I can't remember if you had to pay to go to the bathroom so Tisa you mentioned seemingly outraged that he flew these sex workers on Spirit Airlines, but the irony, the other irony, is that he has a 60 million dollar private jet that he is renting out for tens of thousands of dollars per flight and the guests have no idea they need one of these before they sit down on Diddy's jet

because you know there's no way he can resist being a member of the Mile High Club. That's not gonna happen. And he's bringing in, I think since he was arrested, over $4 million revenue from renting out, oh, there you go, his private jet. So what were you saying about flying everyone on Spirit? The fact that he flew them on Spirit, the most low budget,

they were in charge of their own taxis, in charge of their own Ubers. They literally were paying money out of their pockets for the presence of being with them. And get this, he actually had a running tab that they would have to chase after him afterwards, begging for reimbursement of any type, even services. Again, it was shocking that a billionaire,

but when it comes down to it, there is something about a cosmic justice that his own cheapness of not handling this directly is the reason why the feds have this little breadcrumb trail of who did what because the receipts and the reimbursements again did he was notoriously cheap with his time with his love and now it seems like it is all coming down but a lot of shocking things we are live at the monahan federal courthouse as we are learning it's real. Shawn Combs not taking the stand and bringing not a single

witness in his defense, but I think there's one person that's willing to testify for Shawn Combs. Recent reports indicate that Christian Combs is working on new music with rapper Kanye West, but for Shawn Combs sake, hopefully the projects are not for Yee's upcoming album, Cuck. The rapper released the album's featured single, Hail Hitler, which includes a long sample of a Hitler speech, just for every music platform to immediately take it down. Several other tracks are in the works for Cuck, including Gas Chambers, World War III, and Hitler, Ye and Jesus. While Ye is set to perform at a music festival in Slovakia in July, protesters have started a petition to prevent the performance.

Tisa Till is joining me at the Monahan Federal Courthouse. That's one person that would be willing to testify for Sean Combs. Kanye! And he's got time. He's not going to sing his Hitler song until July. Kanye was to testify but like what everything else did he said it didn't come to fruition and let me tell you they actually put him on the witness list they actually even put him on the family list to come sit in court again this this underlies the fact that the defense did not know that they were not going to put

any witnesses on till the last minute. And Nancy, I hear you. You might be able to explain away the whole Fifth Amendment. But the one thing I think that the normal person would say when you are being faced with sex trafficking and going to jail for the rest of your life, the fact that you cannot bring one person, either Kanye's crazy self, you cannot bring one friend to Cassie, you cannot even bring one sex worker, how powerful to have the sex worker that was in the room when Cassie was dragged back to get on the stand and say, Hey, look, it only sends one message to the jury, you can't mount a defense because there's

nobody that is willing to stand up against penalty of perjury and speak one good word about you. Again, I get what the legal eagles are saying and Nancy, you have a good point, but I am certain this is not going to play well to the jury. And like you said, the jury is going to be shocked when they sit there. Not even Kanye, who said he was well ready and willing to testify and do what he could to protect Diddy is willing to The defense even thinks that's a bad idea again. They are running scared Crime stories with Nancy Grace

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Within an hour of West's Super Bowl ad airing on TV, the only item available in his shop is a $20 short sleeve white t-shirt with a swastika on it. The shirt is named H-H-O-1. Many believe the letters stand for Heil Hitler. Critics and fans alike are absolutely horrified. Shopify, the site's host, suspends Yeezy's account. Within 24 hours, the site now reading, this shop is not available.

That's just what you don't want, is a Hitler-loving wackadoodle like Kanye, maybe he'll even bring his naked wife, Bianca Sensori in. I mean, here's his idea of a good idea, Tisa tells. I spent like all the money for the commercial on these new teeth. Once again, I had to shoot it on the iPhone.

Go to Yeezy.com. So Tisa tells, oh, by the way, that's from the official Yeezy.com. So Tisa tells, oh by the way, that's from the official Yeezy page, Kanye's still threatening to come into the courtroom like a stink bomb and sit behind Sean Combs during closing arguments, or at some point, he was all angry. He couldn't be put into the regular courtroom

and had to sit in overflow a few days ago, but I imagine he's gonna make up for all that with a grand entrance. Any sign of Kanye? There is zero sign, zero security. Listen, my friends like Kanye, you don't need enemies. And he's welcome to come because unlike unlike weeks before, did he side is empty. Mama Combs hasn't even shown up yet.

So there is plenty of space. Again, I'm not much for conspiracies, but you have to wonder, is Kanye even on Diddy's side? And if this is the best and the brightest that you can get to stand there and help rebuild your integrity to the jury, yeah, I see why Diddy is not even having one witness testify. If this is the only having one witness testify.

This is the only person he can get. Tisa tells in the last hours, more photographic exhibits by the state have been entered before the jury. Let's take a look at them and you can tell us exactly the significance of the photos. Tisa tells, here we have Sean Combs at the beach. What did that have to do with anything? Why did the state introduce that? Because this was supposed to be him at Turks, I believe,

where he kept tricking Jane to come. She begged, you don't love me. How come these other women? He said, you know what, baby, don't worry. I'm going to make a special trip for the two of us. We're going to your dream location. I'm taking you to Turks. And it's just going to be the two of us. And we're going to make a special trip for the two of us. We're going to your dream location. I'm taking you to Turks and it's just going to be the two of us and we're going to reconnect. And our little bunny bunny rabbit said, you don't mean it.

He said, baby, yes, I do. Just get on that plane. She was so excited. There were text messages says finally just me and you. It was supposed to be a romantic night. What is the significance of this? Because they also showed the text messages that in the background, he was coordinating with their favorite little sex worker

to actually show up unbeknownst to Jane, an ambusher, once he had taken all those narcotics and was loosey goosey, and that is how he by fraud got her to do a freak off. And they're showing in the days that yes, you were Turks. Yes, you transported those prostitutes, not over state lines, but even over international. And this is another thing of how they have ditty. It seems like dead to rights.

So dead to rights, again, keep beating a dead horse, but so dead to rights that not one person will come and sit on that stand to defend his antics. Speaking of that ill-fated trip to Turks, and I'm trying to remember if this is the one, Lynn Shaw joining me, founder, executive director, Lynn's Warriors, committed to ending sex trafficking and sex exploitation of women and girls. Do you remember the beach trip sex exploitation of women and girls. Do you remember the beach trip where two of the alleged victims paddleboard into a storm rather than come back to the shore because they could see Sean Combs pacing back and forth on the shore like a tiger, right? And now we see those photos, Lynn Shaw, of him chillaxing on the beach.

But we know what happened after that. The women were so afraid, the two of them toast a paddleboard into a tropical storm rather than come back with him wading on the shore. Triple D, dirty, ditty, degenerate. Now we learn nickel and diamond it. We have to add to the list of his names. Listen, this is force, fraud, coercion

equals sexual servitude. Women that would rather be out in the ocean in a storm than come and save their lives. Women running away. We see Cassie, you know, without her shoes on running in a hallway. I pray, you know, I have a dream all the time that he does take the stand because that would be the end of this dirty Diddy and the end of talking about him. But you know what?

Here's what's happening. In my opinion, I think this is the best thing that's happening because you know what? We don't have to see his face, but let's get back to, you know, who does want to see his face because I get a lot of messages, a lot of victims, survivors, not even of ditties that have been sexually exploited. They want to know why isn't he taking the stand? They want to know where where is anybody to stand up for him? Because there is nobody they tell me to stand up for him. So you know what? This guy, if this isn't a case of sex trafficking over state lines, international, I don't know what is because this is a clear definition.

Let me repeat myself of sexual servitude, fraudulent ways to get people to attend parties or to come the little bunny as Tisa calls her, you know, on this romantic trip, he used fraud. So he is going down and you know what? He is going down and we will all be standing there waiting and clapping our hands. Sean Combs caught licking his lips, rubbing his hands together. This was the all-star Kobe Bryant Shaq Shaquille O'Neal dream team Shaq attack playoff. This is what he wrote. These are his trial notes. We are live at the Monahan

Federal Courthouse where the end of the trial seemingly is in sight. But first of all, we've got our mitts on some of the official documents and photos, exhibits, internet to evidence by the state. Let's take a look at what we obtained. Here you see Sean Combs getting yet another beauty treatment. Okay. The jury is drinking this in and now we've got a video the jury has just gotten. Let's take a look at that.

Is that Sean Combs, Sidney Sumner, Crime Stories Investigative Reporter with a Rolex on? I think that's what that is. I don't think it's a fake. And he's sitting in the back seat of a luxury SUV wearing diamond earrings and a dope rope. Is that what I just saw? The jury's going to see that? Well, Nancy, that sure sounds like Sean Combs. This man doesn't do anything without style, without being in the most luxe clothes that he can be in. This man knows what top shelf quality is, and he flaunts it on a regular basis. But yet, it's so bizarre, Dr. Bethany Marshall, that he haggles with people over saving money.

We've heard about how he wants free tickets to basketball games, front seat on the court, that he wants special perks when he travels, not in his private plane, that he wants free clothing, free tickets to Fashion Week, free everything, reduce prices for illegal sex workers. Yet there he is all laid up in a luxury SUV wearing two huge diamond earrings.

Let me tell you, that ain't cubic zirconia, okay? A big dope rope made of gold around his, and I think that was a Rolex watch. Yet he's haggling with everybody else. And you know, Nancy, also if you roll that tape again, he looks high to me. He doesn't look like he's sober. And all those complaints about sex workers

not being able to perform, well, he wants them to perform for three days. Oh yeah, he's totally high, thank you. Uh-huh, how are the sex workers supposed to keep an erection for three days? I mean, really, so back to not wanting to pay for things. Hold it, wait a minute, Dr. Bethany. What is he, is he smoking a blunt?

Hold on. Let me see. He waits till the camera pans away before he puts it to his mouth, which I'm pretty sure is him avoiding getting caught smoking a joint. He's showing off his orthodontics too. I mean look he just opens his mouth ever so slightly so you can see all those beautiful veneers. So Nancy, in terms of not wanting to pay for anything, that's called entitlement, which is one of the criteria for narcissism and sociopathy. It's the expectation of reward without achievement. Wanting the best table in the restaurant, you've never been to the restaurant before, or wanting your girlfriend to come to Turks and Caicos, but you're lying to her about the fact that it's going to be a vacation. He wanted something for nothing. And these poor girls, Mia, Jane, Cassie, they were trolled online for only being in it for

the money. When you hear this comment about not wanting to pay a $600 tab for a sex worker, this comment about not wanting to pay a $600 tab for a sex worker, that's how he treated them. Whatever he gave them was pennies on the dollar. Okay, so they got one piece of jewelry. That was nothing compared to all the hardship that they endured. Joining me, Brian Fitzgibbons, Director of Operations, USPA Nationwide Security. He leads a team of investigators that work all over the world. You can find him at USPAsecurity.com. Okay, I want you to brace yourself, okay? Brian Fitzgibbon's,

the new defense is blame Iran. Why blame Iran? The defense is going to argue that the prosecutors should be focusing on the real threat and that is Iran and not sticking their noses into Sean Combs' bedroom. That's the defense. They are going to argue that in closing statements. I mean, as soon as Iran and Israel got into a conflict and the U.S. waited in, all the defense attorneys are like gnashing their teeth and twitching their tails. How can we use the war to Diddy's benefit? What about it, Fitzgibbons?

I just about fell out of my chair when I read that, Nancy, about Iran. And we're in the six week of this trial. The defense is opportunistically taking this 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel to hopefully confuse the jury, I guess. You know, you've had six weeks of shocking witness testimony, six weeks of lurid video, and they're trying to distract the jury with this Iran thing, bottom line.

Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. You know what's interesting? So many things are interesting, Brian Fitzgibbon's, and I'm not blaming the lawyers, the defense lawyers, although you make a choice of what kind of law you want to practice. You don't have to defend guilty people, right? There's a million other things you can do, good things you can do with your law degree. These lawyers are good. I know for a fact that Steele is a great lawyer. I know for a fact, Tina Geragos is a great lawyer. She learned at the feet of her father.

Mark Geragos won a lot of cases. But this whole Iran suggestion, think about it. Remember at the get-go, Fitzgibbon's, that the sex worker came in, he didn't know who he was working for, and he looked over and saw a male completely naked from here down but wearing a burka, a burka from here up. I can't wait for the defense to blame Iran and say, hey, prosecutors, you need to get out of Diddy's bedroom and focus on a real threat for Homeland Security and that would be Iran. When there is their client dressed up in a burka, and that brings me to another point

for the prosecution since they didn't ask me, in Iran, women are treated the way Shawn Combs allegedly treated these victims every day. Beaten, degraded, humiliated, forced to live by the man's rules and then the man is shocked when the woman is a quote grateful and one of Sean Combs' missives he said every other woman would be so happy to be in your shoes. Who's he talking to? Oh the woman with the fat lip and the plastic surgery for the cut over her eye. I mean go on bring up Iran Yeregos bring it up, Steele, and just see what the state fires back at you. What about that, Fitzgibbon's Iran, my rear end?

Yeah, they're making no attempt to rehabilitate, you know, witnesses that have been up there rehabilitate Diddy's image. And they're gonna distract with Iran. You know, maybe that's a place that Diddy would fit right in at. If this trial works out for him, maybe he can move there. Freecofs, King Night, Hotel Night, Wild King Night.

She was hot and bothered, licking his lips, gross, rubbing his hands together, ew. And just to be clear, when we're talking about licking his lips and rubbing his hands together. That was watching the Freecov video of his, the second love of his life, the first love of his life being Kim Porter, the second one being Cassie Ventura, being forced to have sex with three male sex workers and licking the lips, rubbing the hands together and demanding extra time to watch the video from the judge. Not a good look. That's it. That's what we were just talking about. And speaking of a good look. Now while he is haggling over bills that he owes with overdue balances and forcing his love objects to fly cut rate airlines.

Let's take a look at what Diddy's doing in his spare time. Wow, okay, the full on beauty treatment. That's from Diddy's official Instagram. I take it Sydney Sumner, this is not behind bars at the MDC, is it? No, absolutely not. Diddy would not be receiving this kind of treatment at the MDC, which is apparently on his

last legs and not a great place to be housed. But Nancy, this was back for a birthday, I believe, almost 10 years ago. And Combs posted a series of photos bringing his followers into everything that he does to prepare for a special event. Sydney, okay, you know what? Obviously I've had no effect on Sydney Sumner at all because Lynn Shaw, I believe she just referred to a freak-off as a special event. A special all right, special to the prosecutors that have charged him with sex trafficking.

Special event, what are we talking about? What have we seen video evidence of? I mean, special event? You know what? I'm falling out of my chair. I really am. I can't contain myself. This is sex trafficking.

I'm gonna go back. I am a broken record, Nancy. Force broad coercion upon women. And I'm gonna even maintain some men. And I'm gonna throw into the mix today that we don't even use the term, a lot of us, working in the sex trade against it. We don't use sex worker because we don't believe

sex is work, work is not sex because we have so many studies upwards of 97% that tell us those people in the sex trade, including strippers, including these sex workers from cowboy angels, angel cowboys, wherever they're coming from, that they were forced into this sex trade. So again, I'm going to go back to, I don't know, we're watching videos of him.

I see three or four women pampering him. You know what? I wish all the women who were abused, right, were getting that kind of pampering treatment. I wish everybody would talk more about the victims and survivors of some kind of monster, this triple D monster that we've had to endure for the last now seven weeks and multiple months.

And you know what? He's gotta go down because I can't field any more phone calls, text messages, emails from women begging me what's gonna happen. Is he gonna be held responsible? Because you know what? There's a lot of dirty ditties out there. So we gotta see one of them being held accountable and he's got to go down.

And I hope we hear about this by next week. Eric Faddis joining me, veteran trial lawyer, founding partner of Varner Faddis Elite Legal. Eric, I've been thinking a lot about the defense decision not to put their own client on the stand. That was a given at the get-go. But not bringing any defense witnesses at all in the defense of Shawn Combs. That's a big, big gamble, Eric Faddis. But I've been thinking about the reasoning. Faddis, think about who could they bring on? Anyone that was a witness to the so-called freak-offs would likely

have to testify that they were paid sex workers or that the women were beaten at some point or they were drugged. Who else could come on? Good character. Once the defense brings on good character of Sean Combs, the state can then bring on bad character. And what I'm talking about, Thaddeus, is those dozens of women, dozens and dozens, there's a toll free number for them, Eric Thaddeus, to call, that are filing civil suits claiming they were drugged and raped at freak offs. So who are you going to bring in? Somebody that was at a freak offoff that could backfire on cross-examination or a good character

witness? Can't do that either. So, the defense's hands are really tied. Who can they bring on, Eric? Yeah, Nancy, the defense does have several options, I suppose. They could bring on other affiliates of bad boy who would get up there, presumably, and say, hey, look, bad boy never paid for any of these freak offs. There was never anything criminal of which I was aware. There was never

anything that rose to the level of sex trafficking and that everything looked consensual. If they had such witnesses, those would be really valuable to bring up and put onto the stand. The fact that they're not calling any such witnesses does kind of raise the specter of, you know, is there anyone from Bad Boy who could actually get up there and truthfully say that? We are headed to a verdict watch here at Crime Stories. Phatis, I don't know if you ever did this,

but I would always stand by in the courtroom waiting, waiting to hear the buzzer that would go off in the courtroom when the jury would relay that they had a verdict. It's gonna be excruciating, waiting for this jury to come back guilty, not guilty, hung, or split. Go ahead, give me your best bet. Yeah, Nancy. I just handled a homicide case and the jury was out for about a day. I was biting my fingernails the whole time. Mine was a complete not guilty. But in this case, you know,

I think there is probably substantial evidence of the interstate transportation for prostitution. That might be guilty. That being said, that's the least serious charge here. I think the jury could conclude that Bad Boy was not a criminal enterprise. They could conclude that these freak offs were consensual. And if they do, that is a huge black eye to the government. Even if they are wins on the least serious charge, who cares? Did he's probably gonna get time served. Lynn Shaw, where would that leave the victims of this and every other sex trafficking case? Yeah, well here, Nancy, it leaves them with never coming forward. We hear this time and time again.

We saw with the Epstein case, why should I come forward? Why should I uproot my life? Why should I subject my family to it? Why should I subject myself to embarrassment? This case has to stick in one way, shape or form. We have so much proof here in my opinion. Again, this goes to what we're working with at the Warriors nonstop, educating the justice system about something called forced servitude. Again, it is a description of human trafficking

equals sex trafficking. And we see these women beaten. We see Cassie, I am praying that this jury, no matter what goes down when they're in that room, because people are visual, no matter what, they may not even understand legal stuff or whatever, but they're visual. They will remain, that video will remain in their brains

of her being kicked, dragged, running away barefoot down a hallway and he keeps kicking her and she's just on the floor not even moving and the women out in the ocean and they didn't come in because they were afraid of him. He's menacing, he's there on the beach pacing back and forth. I am praying that that's what sticks in their minds and they do something. Again, people are visual and we have to think of all of this case. We're not talking enough about victims and survivors, even overall, of sex trafficking, of labor trafficking, of human trafficking. This case is all that put together in one. So I'm just going to pray here because I have to be the strong one, the warrior for all these victims

and survivors of sexual exploitation out there. As we wait for the verdict watch to commence, we remember an American hero, Deputy Sheriff Bradley Reckling, Oakland County sheriffs, just 30 years old, shot dead in the line of duty, served nine years and leaves behind his wife, Jacqueline, and their four little children. American hero, Deputy Sheriff Bradley Reckling. Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend. you This is an iHeart podcast.