Day 9 of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal intercourse trafficking trial started with former assistant George Kaplan returning to the stand. In his testimony, Kaplan stated he witnessed Combs being violent towards Cassie Ventura, singer, actress, and Combs’ former girlfriend, aboard the mogul’s personal jet in 2015.
After listening to glass break, he then noticed Combs standing over Ventura, who was mendacity on her again together with her legs prolonged up, as if she was attempting to create house between the 2 of them. “Isn’t anyone seeing this?” Ventura stated. Kaplan famous that the aircraft was stuffed with Combs’ workers, but nobody intervened on Ventura’s behalf.
In one other incident, Kaplan stated he noticed seen accidents on Ventura’s physique. Combs then requested Kaplan to choose up over-the-counter merchandise like witch-hazel. He realized later he was getting an “anti-swelling agent.” He handed by Ventura, who was “crying on the mattress together with her head in her palms,” Kaplan testified. She had bruises on her face, however he didn’t attempt to assist her.
Kaplan stated he left Combs Enterprises as a result of he noticed cases of his boss’s violent conduct. “The central purpose that I left my job as Mr. Combs’ assistant was ‘I used to be not snug or aligned with the bodily conduct that had been occurring that I had seen items of over the course of a pair months,’” Kaplan stated. “It was extraordinarily difficult as a result of I used to be clearly extraordinarily grateful to be within the position and have a substantial amount of respect for Mr. Combs, however in my coronary heart of hearts, I knew it was the suitable factor to do,” he continued.
Throughout cross-examination, protection legal professional Marc Agnilfo requested Kaplan what classes he realized from Combs. “Working for Mr. Combs made my world a lot larger in such a brief time frame,” Kaplan stated. “Whenever you work with Mr. Combs, a part of the job, whether or not you’re shut with him or not, he has a particularly infectious vibration,” he testified. “You’re round him and you’re feeling his pleasure.”
Regardless of witnessing the abuse, Kaplan testified that he continues to respect Combs.
The subsequent witness the prosecution referred to as to the stand was Child Cudi, whose authorized title is Scott Mescudi. After figuring out Ventura in a photograph earlier than the jury, he testified that they met round 2008 and dated round 2011. After they started courting, he understood, “that she and Sean Combs had some issues, they usually weren’t courting anymore.”
In December 2011, Ventura referred to as him round 6 a.m., and she or he advised him Combs had came upon they had been courting. Confused, he thought their relationship was over. “She requested me to choose her up,” Child Cudi stated. “She sounded actually careworn on the telephone, nervous, scared, so I went to go decide her up.”
After choosing up Ventura, Child Cudi testified that one in all Combs’ workers advised him that Combs and an affiliate had been inside Child Cudi’s home. When he bought again dwelling, Child Cudi seen that his safety cameras had been moved, presents he purchased for his household had been opened on the desk, and his canine was locked in his toilet. Following the incident, Child Cudi refused to fulfill with Combs, and he reported the break-in to police.
“You broke into my home. You messed with my canine. I don’t need to speak to you,” Child Cudi stated in response to Combs asking him to fulfill. “I wished to confront him. I wished to battle him,” Child Cudi continued.
Child Cudi testified that in January 2012, simply weeks after the break-in, his Porsche 911 convertible was destroyed by a Molotov cocktail in his driveway. Child Cudi additionally stated that he believed the injury was “intentional.” Beforehand, Ventura testified that Combs threatened to explode Child Cudi’s automotive after discovering their relationship.
Following his Porsche being destroyed, Child Cudi seemed to fulfill with Combs via his supervisor and Combs’ bodyguard, as a result of he believed issues had been “getting out of hand.” Through the assembly, Child Cudi stated that Combs seemed “like a Marvel supervillain.”
“What are we going to do about my automotive?” Child Cudi requested Combs. “I don’t know what you’re speaking about,” Combs responded with a chilly stare. Child Cudi acknowledged he believed Combs was not telling the reality. A number of years later, Combs apologized for all the pieces when Child Cudi bumped into him at Soho Home in 2015, however didn’t share any specifics about what he did.
Throughout cross-examination, Child Cudi confirmed that legislation enforcement officers collected DNA from his car after the fireplace. Brian Metal, one in all Combs’ attorneys, requested Child Cudi if he was conscious that the outcomes of the DNA had been from a lady. Child Cudi stated he didn’t hear any follow-up from authorities in regards to the outcomes.
He additionally stated that Ventura advised him that Combs bodily abused her, however she didn’t point out sexual abuse. Metal then requested Child Cudi if he was bothered by Combs’ therapy of Ventura. “Sure,” Child Cudi replied.
Metal instructed that Child Cudi and Combs had been being “performed” by Ventura, who was dwelling a double life. “The one that performed you and the one who performed Sean was Ms. Ventura, true?” Metal requested. “True,” Child Cudi replied..
When Prosecutor Emily Johnson questioned Child Cudi, she requested if Ventura advised him in regards to the bodily abuse she suffered. “That he would hit her, typically kick her,” Child Cudi stated. Finally, Cudi and Ventura broke up as a result of the scenario was too poisonous, as he was involved for her and his security. Child Cudi stated he knew Combs may get “violent.”
Mylah Morales, a former make-up artist for Combs and Ventura from 2000 to 2005, was the following witness to take the stand. Morales testified that she noticed Ventura with accidents on her face as soon as, throughout GRAMMY weekend in 2010.
After attending a celebration at Prince’s home, Morales and Ventura went again to a lodge room. When Combs got here within the lodge room, he stated, “The place the f**ok is she,” Morales testified. Closing the door behind him, Morales stated she heard Combs yelling and screaming, Morales stated. “I used to be simply frantic, and I didn’t know what to do,” Morales stated.
When Combs left the room, Ventura had accidents on her face. “She had a swollen eye and a busted lip and knots on her head,” Morales testified.
Following the incident, Morales referred to as a health care provider, who was a buddy of hers, to look at Ventura. After inspecting Ventura’s face, her abdomen, and her ribs, the physician beneficial that Ventura go to the emergency room, Morales famous. Ventura refused to go to the emergency room, they usually didn’t name the police. She stated she by no means referred to as the police as a result of “she feared Combs and feared for her life.” Morales hasn’t spoken to Ventura for the reason that incident.
The subsequent witness the prosecution referred to as was Frederic Zemmour, an worker on the L’Ermitage Lodge in Beverly Hills, California. He testified that since 2006, Combs had used a number of aliases when checking into accommodations, together with names like Jackie Star, Frank White, and Frank Black.
Zemmour stated that notes left on Combs’ profile on the lodge learn: “ALWAYS spills candle wax on all the pieces and makes use of extreme quantities of oil, inserting the room out of order upon departure for deep cleansing.”
Joshua Croft, a pc forensics agent with Homeland Safety Investigations, was the sixteenth witness that the prosecution referred to as. He testified that he extracted information from three of Cassie Ventura’s laptops. Throughout cross-examination, Croft stated that Ventura gave consent to the federal government to go looking the laptops, however he didn’t do a full evaluation of the info.
After the jury was dismissed, the decide introduced that the trial would resume on Tuesday, Might 26.