Diddy trial updates: Sean Combs' ex Jane faces cross-examination after harrowing testimony
Diddy trial updates: Sean Combs' ex Jane faces cross-examination after harrowing testimony
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Witness Jane 'shocked' when she heard of Cassie's 2023 Diddy lawsuit
Sean "Diddy" Combs' ex-girlfriend who goes by Jane testified that she was shocked when she learned of Cassie Ventura Fine's bombshell 2023 lawsuit.
This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
A former girlfriend of Sean "Diddy" Combs is sharing more revelations from the pair's allegedly tumultuous relationship during the rapper's ongoing criminal trial.
Combs' sweeping federal sex-crimes case resumed in Manhattan court on June 10 after the woman testifying under the pseudonym "Jane" concluded her harrowing testimony about the music mogul's alleged abuse. She is expected to undergo cross-examination during Wednesday's hearing.
Prosecutors highlighted Jane's reluctance to participate in Combs' debaucherous "hotel nights," during which she was allegedly pressured to have sex with several men consecutively. "I don't want to be used and locked in a room to fulfill your fantasies," Jane wrote in a message to Combs shown in court.
Jane also said she fainted when she learned that Combs' other ex-girlfriend, Casandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine, sued Combs in November 2023 on allegations he raped, trafficked, sexually assaulted and physically abused her. Jane told the court she felt "like I'm reading my own sexual trauma" as she pored over Cassie's lawsuit.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges.
Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling case that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.
He was arrested in September and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him.
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Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity.
Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have video of.
The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings.
USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.
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