Sean “Diddy” Combs Trial RECAP Week 1: Cassie Ventura Testifies, More Revelations | E! News

Sean “Diddy” Combs Trial RECAP Week 1: Cassie Ventura Testifies, More Revelations | E! News

following Shawn Diddy Comb’s September 2024 arrest on sex trafficking and racketeering charges in New York the world was waiting to see what revelations would be made at trial regarding the music mogul Here’s everything we know about what’s happened in the courtroom in the first week of the United States versus Shawn Combmes As for who is on the 12person jury that will decide the rapper’s fate the prosecution and Combmes defense team agreed to a jury of eight men and four women as well as four men and two women as alternates for the trial In her opening statement prosecutor Emily Johnson accused Combmes of using a sprawling network of employees to carry out illegal acts like dayslong freakoffs which were detailed in the federal indictment According to NBC News reporters in the courtroom she told the jury he sometimes called himself the king and expected to be treated like one to cater to all his desires He used his companies to manipulate women forcing them with male escorts to have sex while he watched He and his inner circle made sure he got everything he wanted Defense attorney Tenny Gerigos said in her opening statement that prosecutors were trying to turn consensual sex into sex trafficking Gyraos told the court “This case is about Shawn Comb’s private personal sex life which has nothing to do with his lawful businesses.” She stated that her client was violent took drugs and had anger issues and told the court “There will be times during the trial when quote “You think he is a jerk He is mean but he is not charged with being mean He is not charged with being a jerk.” Geriggo said “The evidence is going to show you a very flawed individual but it will not show you a racketeer a sex trafficker or somebody transporting for prostitution.” On May 12th Los Angeles Police Officer Israel Flores took the stand to testify He was a security guard at the Intercontinental Hotel when Combmes attacked his ex Cassie Ventura on March 5th 2016 Flores testified that he saw evidence of an altercation on the morning in question and Combmes offered him quote a stack of money to look the other way Under cross-examination Flores said he 100% interpreted the gesture to be Combmes trying to bribe him Flores said on the stand that Ventura was scared adding “She was in the corner hood on covered up I couldn’t see her face She was pretty much in the corner On the floor was a destroyed flower vase When Ventura left the hotel she had a quote purple eye Flores said once she was gone Flores said he and the desk manager went upstairs to remind Combmes of hotel rules Combmes thought the manager was recording him on his phone and grabbed it Flores continued And when Combmes tried to grab his phone Flores said he pinned Combmes against a wall testifying “We said “We are not recording you.” and deescalated the situation Prosecutors showed the surveillance footage of the attack in which Combmes appears to be hitting kicking and dragging Ventura that was slowed down from what was published by CNN in May 2024 The defense had previously alleged that the clip was sped up making the altercation look more violent than it was The jury was also shown video that Flores recorded on his cell phone when he responded to a call of a woman in distress on the sixth floor Flores testified that he did not call police at the time because Ventura wouldn’t answer questions about what happened and told him she just wanted to leave Following Flores’s testimony Daniel Phillip who said he was running a male stripper review during the time in question testified that he was paid quote a few thousand to have sex with Ventura while Combmes watched at Manhattan’s Grammarcy Hotel in 2012 Philip said that Combmes wore a robe a baseball cap and a bandana covering his face but he recognized him by his voice Ventura paid him and said she would tip me when I leave Philip told the court “We ended up having sex rubbed baby oil on each other for a couple of minutes Combmes was sitting in a corner masturbating.” Afterward the witness continued “Ventur gave him a couple of thousand more.” Philillip said that he was contracted multiple times over the next year to have similar encounters with Ventura and Combmes at other hotels at their respective homes in New York He said that Combmes recorded him and Ventura having sex once or twice and that sometimes Combmes would intervene and have sex with Ventura while Philip was there In her 2023 lawsuit accusing her ex of sexual assault and physical abuse Ventura alleged Combmes forced her to have sex with male prostitutes Philip testified May 12th that when Ventura didn’t join Combmes right when he called her on one occasion Combmes threw a liquor bottle in her direction then grabbed her by her hair and dragged her into the bedroom Philip testified she was screaming and from the next room what I heard sounded like him slapping her Philip said he heard Combmes say “I tell you to come here you come here now not later.” Philip said he was terrified and did not intervene He further testified that he overheard what sounded like Combmes assaulting Ventura on a separate occasion at the Essex House Hotel in New York Philip said “I heard her yelling “I’m sorry I’m sorry.” Someone was being slapped around and slammed around the room And I looked around the corner and I saw Mr Combmes walk out of the hotel altogether without clothes He might have had a towel on He testified Ventura came out of the room and jumped into Philip’s lap saying “She basically tried to convince me that it’s okay and I’ll be okay.” and I said “It is not okay and you need to get help.” I tried to explain to her that she was in real danger if she stayed with him Asked by prosecutor Moren Comey why he didn’t call the police Philip testified that he thought of Combmes as quote someone with unlimited power and chances are even if I did go to the police that I might still end up losing my life On May 13th Combmes ex Cassie Ventura took the stand and stated that during their on andoff romance from 2007 to 2018 Combmes was frequently violent towards her She testified “Yes there were violent arguments usually resulted in physical abuse and dragging different things He would mash my head knock me over drag me kick me.” She said that her injuries were often visible adding “I would get knots on my forehead black eyes red eyes bruises all over my body.” Ventura told prosecutors that during the first year of her decadel long relationship with Combmes he proposed the introduction of voyerism into their sexual relationship It first began with her hiring an escort and setting up so that she could perform for Combmes who would watch her with another person Eventually she said orchestrating sex performances Combmes called freakoffs which could last anywhere from 36 hours to 4 days became a job for her She testified “I had the contacts to set it up in the hotel room and all of that At the beginning Shawn set it up.” Ventura said that her stomach churned when he first proposed the experience explaining “I didn’t have a concept of how that would be a turnon but I accepted the responsibility I was confused nervous but also loved him very much and wanted to make him happy It wasn’t something that I wanted to be doing especially as regularly as it became.” She admitted “At some point I felt like I didn’t have much of a choice.” Ventura testified that Combmes directed her and other Freakoff participants to cover themselves in baby oil She said in court “Shawn wanted it heated and he wanted it to be glistening so we applied every 5 minutes.” During one such freakoff at the Montage Beverly Hills Ventura said Combmes asked her to get into an inflatable pool filled with baby oil while she was wearing clothes She didn’t want to but if it was something Combmes wanted to happen that’s what was going to happen and she continued “We used 10 bottles of baby oil regular size.” In a particularly graphic moment Ventura testified that after a freakoff there would be baby oil all over the hotel room and if Combmes had instructed someone to urinate on her there might be urine on the sheets and if she was menrating at the time Ventura said there could be blood on the sheets and furniture as well Ventura said being urinated on made her feel humiliated She told the court “It was disgusting It was too much I choked I didn’t want to be doing that I was in a position I couldn’t easily get out of Asked by prosecutor Emily Johnson why she didn’t refuse Comb’s directions in these cases she replied “I thought that it was obvious that I didn’t want to do it.” Ventura testified that she drank alcohol and took ecstasy when she first had sex with an escort in front of Combmes and to make it through the freakoffs she would take marijuana ketamine mushrooms whatever was the drug of choice at that point regarding the Intercontinental Hotel attack caught on video The singer testified May 13th that Comolmes went after her because he was mad she walked out of a freakoff “I chose to leave,” Ventura told the court “I got out and Shawn followed me into the hallway and grabbed me shoved me to the ground kicked me and dragged me back to the room and took my stuff.” She hadn’t wanted to participate but she had a movie premiere a couple of days later and wanted to play Kate Combmes She said “If I pleased him with a freakoff then my premiere would run smoothly.” Ventura stated the attack left her with a black eye and said “At this point all I could think about was getting out of there safely I had my premiere and I didn’t want to mess it up.” Once he pushed her to the ground in the hallway Ventura said she stayed down because she didn’t want him to do any more damage than he had already done On her second day of testimony May 14th Ventura said that Combmes threw a vase at her before physically assaulting her at the hotel She said of the vase “I just remember it coming towards me It hit the wall I didn’t get hit He was yelling at me He threw it at me I don’t remember exactly his words I’m sure he was calling me something other than my name However she said that Combmes told her that I wasn’t going to leave him that I couldn’t Shortly after the hotel attack Venturus said she had to attend the premiere of her film The Perfect Match with bruises on her face and body alongside combs Along with having to apply heavy makeup to cover up her black eye and fat lip she added “I had several bruises on my legs so I changed my outfit.” She testified the freakoffs left her with urinary tract infections mouth sores and stomach issues Ventura told the court “When we were having frequent freakoffs they were back to back and sometimes I would do a freakoff with the infection I tried to flush it out with water It got to the point where the antibiotic cypro didn’t work anymore It was a mess.” She continued “It was really painful for a long time I can’t believe I actually dealt with that.” Ventura testified that toward the end of 2011 she broke up with rapper Kid Cuddy whose real name is Scott Mscotti and said Combmes threatened Scott’s car would be blown up She told the court “Too much danger too much uncertainty of what could happen if we continued to see each other.” Shawn said he was going to hurt the both of us Ventura testified that after having dinner out at a Malibu restaurant with Combmes in 2018 he took her back to her apartment and sexually assaulted her She said that she was already in a relationship at that time with Alex Fine whom she married in 2019 She told the court “I went inside He came in and raped me on the living room floor I just remember crying and saying no but it was very fast His eyes were black He wasn’t himself It was like somebody taking something from you.” Comb’s attorneys have maintained that he did not engage in non-consensual sex and that those who have accused him of sex crimes consented to whatever sexual activity they participated in Ventura testified that she accepted a $20 million settlement from Combmes after filing a lawsuit against him in November 2023 alleging he sexually assaulted and physically abused her over the course of their relationship Ventura testified May 15th that her ex had filmed the sexual performances to use as blackmail against her She said he told her that he was going to release them and put her career in jeopardy He would mention them when he was upset about something It was just a pretty common thing Ventura said “I feared for my career I feared for my family Just embarrassing all of it It’s horrible and disgusting No one should do that to anyone During her testimony the singer alleged that Combmes was often under the influence of drugs Ventur said per NBC News “He needed to recover I would say he was an addict And when defense attorneys asked if Combmes would become angry or volatile while going through withdrawals she agreed stating “I’m not a doctor Coming off of certain pills he would be pretty irritated.” Danny Kane alum Don Richard who began working with Shawn Diddy Combmes while competing on his show Making the Band in 2004 took the stand after Cassie wrapped her testimony May 16th Richard joined Combmes group Diddy Dirty Money after Danny Kane disbanded While on the stand she told jurors that she saw Combmes hit Ventura with a skillet full of eggs at his Los Angeles home in 2009 Richard testified per NBC News He came downstairs asking where his phone was and he threw her to the ground He attempted to kick her She fell to the ground and went into the fetal position literally trying to hide her head In addition to striking Ventura with the skillet Richard said Combmes put his arm around the singer’s neck and took her upstairs before she heard glass breaking Richard added “I was scared for her I was scared to do anything.” Judge Subermanian told jurors that he believes the trial will possibly conclude by July 4th He said that he hopes the trial will be done by then although it could go longer [Music]

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial began in New York May 12, and the court heard from Combs’ ex Cassie Ventura and former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, as well as a former hotel security guard and an alleged escort. Full Story: https://www.eonline.com/news/1417672/sean-diddy-combs-reacts-to-cassie-venturas-cross-examination

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