The second day of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal intercourse trafficking trial resumed on Tuesday, Might 13. Xavier Donaldson, a member of Diddy’s protection group, cross-examined Daniel Phillips, a male escort employed by Combs.
Earlier than the cross-examination, Decide Arun Subramanian started the proceedings by addressing requests made by greater than a dozen media retailers to grant permission to public attendees of the trial to view video proof of the sexual encounters referred to as “freak-offs” on the middle of the prosecution’s case.
Subramanian famous that whereas rather a lot had been dealt with beneath seal earlier than the trial, “We are actually in trial and there’s a heightened First Modification concern.”
Persevering with his cross-examination from Monday, Donaldson questioned Daniel Phillip, who claims he was compensated to have intercourse with Cassie Ventura, singer and on the time Combs’ girlfriend, whereas Combs watched and masturbated. Phillip acknowledged that Ventura didn’t appear drunk or excessive throughout these events, however when questioned if she was in full management of every thing she did, he replied, “I can’t say that.”
Donaldson tried to focus on inconsistencies in Phillip’s testimony concerning his encounters with Combs and Ventura, suggesting that Phillip might have wished to pursue a romantic relationship with Ventura. He denied the declare however did admit that he was interested in her. “I used to be interested in her. If she ever gave me the possibility so far her, I completely would have,” Phillip stated.
The subsequent witness the prosecution referred to as was Cassie Ventura. In 2023, Ventura filed a civil swimsuit in opposition to Combs accusing him of rape and years of bodily abuse. The swimsuit was settled the next day after submitting the grievance, resulting in allegations of intercourse trafficking and his present trial. Ventura is the prosecution’s star witness and may very well be on the stand for the subsequent 4 days.
Assistant U.S. Lawyer Emily Johnson led questioning of Ventura, who stated she was in a relationship with Combs for simply over 10 years. Ventura testified that Combs was bodily abusive in the direction of her on quite a few events throughout their relationship, stating that Combs would mash her head, drag her, kick her, and stomp her within the head when she was down. “In the event that they had been violent arguments, it will often end in some form of bodily abuse and dragging, simply various things,” Ventura stated.
Ventura defined that she discovered it troublesome to depart Combs after years of bodily abuse, “Sean is a extremely polarizing individual, additionally actually charming,” she stated. “It’s laborious to actually have the ability to resolve at that second what you want when he’s telling you what he desires. I simply didn’t know. I didn’t know what would occur.”
On the identical time, Enterprise admitted to being interested in this “bigger than life” model of Combs, she stated, “I wished to be round Sean for a similar causes as everybody else on the time. He was simply this thrilling, entertaining, enjoyable man that additionally occurred to have, you already know, my profession in his arms.” Ventura finally signed a 10-album cope with Dangerous Boy Data. Ventura went on to say that their relationship was by no means monogamous. “Sean Combs had many girlfriends,” she stated.
All through her testimony, Ventura painted an image of a controlling, manipulative, and intimidating particular person. She additionally testified that having “freak-offs” with Combs took an enormous chunk of her life as she recalled staying up for a number of days, taking medication, and having intercourse with random strangers. “The ‘freak-offs’ turned a job the place there was no area to do the rest however to get well and simply attempt to really feel regular once more,” she stated.
Ventura additionally supplied a listing of the medication that Combs allegedly supplied to individuals within the “freak-offs,” akin to Ecstasy, cocaine, marijuana, ketamine, and mushrooms. “No matter was the drug of alternative at that time,” Ventura defined, saying that she indulged within the drug use as a “coping mechanism” to cope with the trauma of the state of affairs and to please Combs’ needs.
Detailing these encounters, Ventura stated they induced her “nervousness and confusion.” Though she didn’t perceive why it turned him on, she felt accountable to please Combs. “I used to be confused, nervous, but in addition liked him very a lot,” she stated. Wiping away tears and talking softly, Ventura acknowledged that Combs “managed quite a lot of my life” and the shot movies of sexual encounters had been “blackmail supplies.”
All through her questioning, prosecutor Emily Johnson emphasised that Combs was the orchestrator of the “freak-offs.” Johnson repeatedly requested, “Whose determination, was it?” after Ventura defined the small print of their encounters, “Sean,” Ventura replied every time.
A number of males’s names together with Dave, Jules, and “the Punisher,” had been listed as escorts who had been paid to hitch the “freak-offs. Combs, she defined, dictated all of the motion and would get upset if the periods ended too rapidly. “It was his fantasy,” stated Ventura. “He was controlling the entire state of affairs. He was directing it.”
Ventura additionally testified that Combs would pressure her to repeatedly carry out intercourse acts with the escorts and sometimes, a number of escorts participated. “I used to be an object being closely objectified by males in that situation,” she testified. When Combs wasn’t current to look at different males have intercourse with Ventura, he would go to a different room to look at them on FaceTime. Ventura recalled “feeling insane” when Combs urged that they start recording these encounters. “He defined it was for him for after,” Ventura stated, noting they’d watch their very own movies whereas having intercourse with one another.
Ventura gave her account of the notorious assault by the hands of Combs in a lodge hallway in March 2016, acknowledging it was after an alleged “freak-off.” The brutal incident, captured on surveillance and obtained by CNN, was only a few days earlier than her film premiere, The Excellent Match.
The assault by Combs gave her a black eye and when requested what number of occasions Combs had thrown her to the bottom, “Too many to depend,” Ventura responded. “At this level, all I may take into consideration was getting out of there safely,” she stated. “I had my premiere, and I didn’t wish to mess it up.” Ventura went on to say that she lined her face and stayed on the bottom as a result of she didn’t need him to do any extra injury than he had already performed.
Combs’ protection group has tried to get the surveillance footage excluded from the trial, however their request was finally denied. Ventura is scheduled to return to the witness stand on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. for extra questioning from the prosecution. Johnson stated she intends to complete questioning Ventura on Wednesday (Might 14) adopted by cross-examination from Combs’ attorneys.