Diddy Trial’s Recap of the Most Disturbing Claims: A Day-by-Day Breakdown [Updating]

The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs, accused of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation for prostitution, began Monday, with startling allegations already emerging against the hip-hop mogul.

As the trial against Sean “Diddy” Combs began in New York City on Monday, May 12, the hip-hop mogul maintained his innocence against charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation to engage in prostitution.

If convicted on all charges, which also include arson and bribery, Combs could face a mandatory 15 year prison sentence, with the possibility of life behind bars.

As the prosecution argues coercion, the defense is countering with consent. But both sides agreed that in order to get to the bottom of the case, there would be a lot of witnesses and a lot of shocking details about Combs’ sexual proclivities.

DAY ONE
Exotic Dancer Testifies

A male sex worker took the stand, alleging he was paid thousands of dollars to engage in sexual acts with singer Cassie Ventura — Diddy’s girlfriend at the time, all while the music mogul allegedly watched and pleasured himself.

Daniel Phillip testified in court, recounting how he was initially hired to perform as a stripper at a bachelorette party held at Manhattan’s Gramercy Park Hotel. However, Phillip claimed his services soon extended beyond dancing, stating he was ultimately compensated for sexual encounters with Ventura.

Phillip detailed his initial encounter at the hotel, alleging that Ventura requested a massage using baby oil upon his arrival. He testified that Combs was present in the room during this time, describing the mogul as being “clad in a white robe, a baseball cap and a bandana over his face.”

Despite the disguise, Phillip claimed he recognized Combs by his voice, even though the rapper introduced himself as being in the “importing and exporting” business. Phillip then made the claim that “while he had sex with Ventura, the music mogul sat in the corner and pleasured himself.”

According to Phillip’s testimony, the alleged arrangement continued for some time, with him being paid “many times to have sex with Cassie,” receiving sums “up to $6,000 per encounter.” He further alleged that Combs would sometimes give “instructions” to the pair or “film” the encounter.

Phillip then recounted another explicit alleged incident, telling jurors that “Ventura even asked him to urinate on her.”

“Cassie was actually the one that asked me urinate on her,” Phillip recalled from the stand. “She asked me if I had ever done that before, she told me to do it. Apparently I was doing it wrong, because they both told me.”

The alleged arrangement purportedly came to an end after Phillip claimed to have witnessed Combs becoming violent with Ventura — an incident he said triggered a personal physical reaction.

“My thoughts were that this was someone with unlimited power,” he testified, expressing his fear at the time. “And chances are that, even if I did go to the police, I might still lose my life.”

Phillip further testified about the immediate aftermath of the alleged violent act, claiming he “heard Combs slapping Ventura and her screaming out ‘I’m sorry,'” before she allegedly “ran out of the room, nude to Phillip and jumped in his lap.” Phillip stated he then questioned Ventura about her decision to remain with Combs despite the “real danger” he perceived.

First Witness: Cassie Video

After opening statements on Monday, the prosecution wasted no time in laying the groundwork for their larger case against Combs. It begins with the viral video of ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura’s attack captured on hotel security footage in 2016.

To add context to the video, the prosecution called Los Angeles Police Department Office Israel Florez, who was working as assistant security director at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City. According to Florez on the stand, he was the the one who responded to a “woman in distress” call that day.

Florez described the scene on the sixth floor when he stepped off the elevator, as detailed by CNN and ABC7, he said he saw both Combs and Ventura and quickly recognized Combs, who he said was “in a towel and some socks.”

Combs hit Florez with “a devilish stare,” per his testimony. “He was just looking at me,” he claimed. As for Ventura, he said that she looked scared and had her hoodie pulled up. “She was pretty much just covered up. I couldn’t see her face. She was pretty much in the corner,” he said.

He also noticed the flower vase that decorates the hallway was destroyed. In the video played for the jury, Combs can be seen grabbing Ventura as she dug through a bag by the elevators and beginning to drag her back to their room.

Soon after, Ventura appears again on camera using a phone on the wall, which Florez said is what contacted him to respond. In the reflection of a mirrored wall in the footage, Combs can be seen pacing in the towel and then throws the vase that Florez described, shattering it.

Florez said that Ventura told him she just wanted to get her phone and bag so she could leave. He testified that Combs told her, “You’re not going to leave.” Florez said he told Combs that she could leave if she wanted.

He said he escorted the couple back to their room and stood with the door open while Florez grabbed her things. He testified that there was another man in the room “sitting at the corner of the bed,” but that he did not engage in the situation at all.

After Ventura left the room, Florez testified that Combs “was pretty much holding a sack of money and he said, ‘here take care of this for me, don’t tell anyone.'” He stated that he declined the money, adding that the damage to the hotel would be reflected on their bill.

Ventura is seen in security footage not before released walking out of the room and down the hall. Florez followed shortly behind. He said he later noticed Ventura had a “purple eye.” Florez said when he tried to talk with Ventura, she did not respond to his questions, just saying, “I want to leave, I just want to leave.”

He said he returned to the room with another security guard to remind Combs of the hotel rules, alleging that the rapper opened his door and grabbed the other guard’s phone, asking if he was recording. Florez claimed he pinned Combs to the wall and demanded he return the phone

Florez said that he did not file a police report at the time because no one wanted to press charges. He also said that he did not see the full surveillance footage of the altercation in the hallway until after all parties had left the hotel.

The defense cross-examined Florez, calling out his description of a “devilish stare” from Combs as not a detail he put in his official report of the incident. He also didn’t mention an additional man in the hotel room or anything about Ventura having a discolored eye.

Florez said of the look, “It was my opinion but not part of the incident so not in the report.” He said that Combs was calm and cooperative throughout his encounter with him as why he did not call for assistance on the matter.

The defense noted that in the incident report, Florez wrote of Combs that he “grabbed his hand and told him to back off,” but did not say he “pinned” him to a wall.

Defense Opening Statement

Combs’ defense team acknowledged that he may have certain unorthodox sexual interests, calling him “complicated.” They argue that he may be violent and have a temper — especially when drinking or doing drugs — or even come across as a “mean” person, but he is not on trial for these things.

In the opening statements, defense attorney Teny Geragos said the government has no business scrutinizing Combs’ bedroom habits, according to TMZ’s ongoing coverage. She said this case is about “love, jealousy and adult choices.”

He is “not charged with being mean, he’s not charged with being a jerk,” she insisted.

At the same time, the defense acknowledged that Combs is “very flawed” and that there was domestic violence in the case of Cassie Ventura, and that he will take accountability for some of his actions, as warranted, throughout the trial.

Geragos said in court, per ABC7, “What he understood was that [Ventura] was a willing participant in their sex life.” She claims that Ventura is motivated by money in bringing this case forward.

“Domestic violence is not sex trafficking,” she argued, while also calling the viral video from 2016 of Combs assault Ventura “indefensible.”

Geragos went on to describe the relationship between Combs and “Jane” as “toxic” and “dysfunctional,” but asserted that she, too, was a consensual participant in all sexual activity: “Being a willing participant in your own sex life is not sex trafficking.”

“You are not here to judge him for his sexual preferences,” Geragos told the jury of 12, describing Combs as living a “swingers’ lifestyle.” She argues the women were all involved with Diddy consensually as adults, and were getting a lot of benefits through those relationships.

Prosecution Opening Argument

Meanwhile, the prosecution laid out a story of “freak offs” that involved forced sex with male escorts, with Diddy watching, and other behaviors. They threw out terms like kidnapping, arson, drug distribution, sex crimes, bribery, and obstruction.

They argued that Combs was aided and abetted by an inner circle that helped him perpetuate “crime after crime” over a span of years, with Combs at the center. He “called himself the king and expected to be treated like one,” said prosecutor Emily Johnson.

Prosecutors said that their case will primarily focus on two women, the aforementioned Cassie Ventura and another woman who has chosen to remain anonymous — she will be referred to as Jane throughout the trial.

During his two-year relationship with Ventura, Johnson alleged that Combs forced Ventura to have sex with male escorts, recorded it, and then used the recordings as blackmail against her. She claimed that in one incident, Combs had a sex worker urinate in Ventura’s mouth.

In an incident separate from the violent viral hallway beating seen on video, the prosecution detailed another alleged encounter, claiming that Combs went “on the hunt” after he learned Ventura was seeing another woman. He allegedly took a gun, found her, and beat her severely, according to Johnson in court.

As for the “freak offs,” the prosecution argued that Combs would drug women, including Ventura, and force them into unwanted sex acts. The prosecution is alleging that Combs often assaulted Ventura beforehand to “show who was in charge.”

There will be many pieces of material evidence presented in relation to these “freak offs,” including actual video and related text messages, bill, and reported damage to hotel rooms.

The prosecution argued that the racketeering conspiracy charge comes from Combs working with his high-level employees and bodyguards to “commit different crimes, kidnapping, arson, distributing drugs to other people, exploiting employees for labor.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

via: TooFab

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