Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial recap: ‘Jane' says Combs was angry she went to another rap icon's ‘freak off'

Yahoo

21 hours ago

The trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continued Thursday in Manhattan federal court, with 'Jane' — a pseudonym for an alleged victim and ex-girlfriend of Combs — concluding her testimony in the high-profile sex trafficking case.
Federal prosecutors say that for decades, Combs abused, threatened and coerced women to participate in drug-fueled marathon sexual encounters called "freak offs" and used his business empire, along with guns, kidnapping and arson, to conceal his crimes.
Over six days on the witness stand, Jane tearfully recounted the 'freak offs'— which she called 'hotel nights' — telling the court that she felt obligated to have sex with men in front of Combs because he was paying her rent. One of the encounters lasted three days, she said. Jane also testified about a brutal assault she endured before Combs ordered her to cover up her injuries, take ecstasy and perform oral sex on a male escort.
The defense has argued that the sexual encounters were consensual, and Jane acknowledged that she initiated some of their 'hotel nights.' Under cross-examination Thursday, she said she flew to Las Vegas on another rapper's private jet with a group of friends and attended a hotel sex party without Combs.
The 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is facing five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution.
Combs has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Here are some key takeaways from Thursday's testimony culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom, including CNN, NBC News, and the Washington Post.
During Jane's direct testimony, she recalled a trip she went on with an unnamed rapper to Las Vegas in January 2024, when she and Combs were on a break. She testified that in a Las Vegas hotel room, she and the rapper's friends watched a woman have sex with a male entertainer, identified as Antoine, who she and Combs had previously hired for a 'freak off.'
During Thursday's cross-examination, Jane told the court she and a friend flew to Las Vegas on the rapper's private plane, and that Combs was unaware of the trip.
Defense attorney Teny Geragos asked Jane if the rapper was 'an icon in the music industry' and 'very close' to Combs, and Jane agreed.
While they were in the hotel room in Vegas, Jane said the rapper flirted with her and that at one point, the rapper and his partner asked if she knew 'anybody else in the lifestyle.'
Big picture: The defense has argued that Combs was engaged in a 'swinger' lifestyle, and that such sexual behavior was not only consensual — it was 'common.' But later during cross-examination, Jane testified that when Combs learned about the trip, he said, 'How could you go to another man's freak off?'
After reuniting in 2024, Jane testified that Combs threw her a lavish birthday party in Miami in February of that year, replete with a five-course dinner and music.
She told the court that the romantic celebration was everything she always wanted — and that she was willing to participate in a 'freak off' for Combs later that night.
Jane also testified that she realized the sexual encounters were 'going to be a forever thing' with Combs.
Big picture: The defense continued to press Jane on her willingness to participate in the encounters to undercut the allegations that she and other women were coerced by Combs.
Under cross-examination by the defense, Jane was asked about the brutal assault she said she suffered during a fight with Combs at her home in June 2024 over a young woman she had seen him with. (After the beating, she said that Combs told her to put on makeup to cover her injuries and insisted she take an ecstasy pill before performing oral sex on a male escort while Combs watched.)
Jane told the court that before the fight began, they had each consumed two shots of tequila and at least two glasses of champagne.
She confirmed that she called Combs a 'pedophile' even though the woman was not underage.
Jane previously testified that she instigated the fight by pushing Combs's head into a marble counter and throwing candles around the house before locking herself inside the bathroom.
She told the court that after Combs kicked the door in, she hid in a closet and eventually tried to flee, but Combs caught her near the front door and placed her in a chokehold. During her direct testimony, Jane said she 'almost couldn't breathe.'
Geragos asked Jane about the video of her injuries taken in the days after the incident. The witness agreed that the footage showed bruises around her face but no marks on her neck.
Pressed by the defense about details of the June 2024 altercation, which she admitted to instigating, Jane testified that at one point on the patio, she punched him in the head, which led to him punching her twice.
She previously testified that he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back into the house.
Jane told the court Thursday that once inside, she continued to insult Combs after he followed her into the shower, calling him a 'fraud,' 'bitch' and 'pedophile.' He slapped her twice, she said.
She dismissed the implication that she provoked the violence after learning of the physical abuse allegations against Combs in his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura's explosive lawsuit.
'I had just reached my breaking point,' she said.
Under re-direct questioning from prosecutors, Jane described the physical, mental and emotional toll the 'hotel nights' took on her.
She told the court that after one encounter that lasted 24 hours, she didn't feel 'like a human being.'
Jane testified that she would fake orgasms during the encounters.
'I was putting on a show,' she said.
Near the end of her testimony, Jane was asked by prosecuting attorney Maurene Comey whether she could remember every 'hotel night' with Combs.
'I wish I could forget them,' she said.
Before Jane's testimony got underway, lead counsel for both the prosecution and defense teams were called into Judge Arun Subramanian's chambers several times, causing a lengthy delay.
It's unclear exactly what they were discussing behind closed doors, but there was a flurry of activity inside the courtroom, with Combs appearing to be agitated as he sat at the defense table.
When the lawyers finally emerged, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo asked to put on the record his objection to an unspecified ruling Subramanian had made, suggesting it infringed on Combs's right to a public trial.
Agnifilo made reference to the January 2024 trip, arguing that the names of those present should be revealed at trial. Prosecution attorney Maurene Comey objected, saying that naming the individuals would be an attempt to 'harass and intimidate' the witness. Subramanian sided with the prosecution, saying the January 2024 encounter was not connected to the sex trafficking charges in Combs's indictment.