‘I think they have Costcos in every place where he has a home’
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyer says there’s a reason law enforcement officers found 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lube when they raided the rapper’s mansions earlier this year: He shops at Costco.
Attorney Marc Agnifilo said the case against Combs, who is facing charges of sex trafficking and racketeering, is a “takedown of a successful Black man.” He also maintained the music mogul kept mass amounts of baby oil on hand because he was involved in threesomes.
TMZ producer and legal analyst Harvey Levin pushed back on the claim that it was threesomes by asking, “How do you explain the 1,000 bottles of baby oil?”
“I don’t know where the number 1,000 came (from),” Agnifilo answered. “I can’t imagine it’s thousands. I’m not really sure what the baby oil has to do with anything.”
“They’re essentially saying it’s a lubricant for an orgy,” Levin interjected.
“I don’t know what you need a thousand … one bottle of baby oil goes a long way. I don’t know what you need a thousand for,” Agnifilo said. “I mean, he has a big house. He buys in bulk. I think they have Costcos in every place where he has a home. Have you sat in the parking lot of a Costco and see what people walk out of there with?”
“Not a thousand bottles of baby oil,” Levin fired back.
According to a criminal indictment, Combs, who was denied bail and remains in custody, is accused of using his “power and prestige” to induce female victims and male sex workers into drugged-up, elaborately produced sexual performances dubbed “Freak Offs” that the rapper arranged, participated in and often recorded on video. The events would sometimes last days and Combs and victims would often receive IV fluids to recover, the indictment said.
“He used the embarrassing and sensitive recordings he made of the ‘Freak Offs’ as collateral against the victims, and the indictment alleges that he maintained control over the victims in several ways, including by giving them drugs, by giving and threatening to take away financial support or housing, by promising them career opportunities, by monitoring their whereabouts and even by dictating their physical appearance,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.
Prosecutors said that victims were left afraid for their safety and allege that Combs used firearms to threaten and intimidate participants.
If convicted, Combs, who has pleaded not guilty, could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Some of the abuse claims alleged by police mirror accusations Combs’ former girlfriend Cassie Ventura made against the three-time Grammy winner last fall.
Ventura sued Combs last November, claiming the hip-hop star raped and sex trafficked her over the course of their abusive 10-year relationship.
The lawsuit was settled a day later, with Ventura saying: “I have decided to resolve this matter amicably on terms that I have some level of control. I want to thank my family, fans and lawyers for their unwavering support.”
But earlier this year, security video aired by CNN showed Combs attacking Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
After Cassie’s lawsuit was settled, Combs was hit with several more lawsuits filed in the following months, and was subjected to a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to raid his mansions in Los Angeles and Miami, which uncovered drugs, videos and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant. Agents also seized guns and ammunition, including three AR-15s with missing serial numbers.
Last week, Agnifilo stressed that all of Combs’ sexual encounters were always consensual.
He also disputed the claims that authorities uncovered 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lube.
“I don’t think it was 1,000. I think it was a lot. I mean, there is a Costco right down the street. I think Americans buy in bulk, as we know.”