Second former Sean Combs assistant recounts her dream turned nightmare
Appearing under the pseudonym Mia to protect her identity, the assistant addressed jurors on the stand in the federal trial of the once-famed rapper, producer and entrepreneur who faces racketeering and sex trafficking charges that could put him in prison for life.
Combs's case revolves around his relationship with his former girlfriend, singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, who earlier in the trial detailed years of alleged abuse and coercive, drug-fueled sex marathons known as "freak-offs."
'He's going to kill me'
Mia said she was close to the "Diddy-Cassie" couple and recalled several episodes of violence.
She sounded breathless at times as she told the court about seeing Ventura with "busted lips," "bruises" and "a black eye."
Combs would tell Mia to "go take care of her," referring to Ventura, adding that "we were not allowed" to go out until her injuries healed enough to conceal.
The prosecutors asked Mia about an incident during a holiday trip she took with the couple in 2012.
One night, she said she was woken up by Ventura running into her room, "screaming for help."
She recalled Ventura had said: "He's gonna kill me," referring to Combs.
"We started pushing furniture in front of the door," Mia said, describing how Combs was "screaming and banging" on the other side.
The former assistant, like previous witnesses, said hotel rooms would be prepared for the "freak-offs" and she would be responsible for the clean-up.
Working for the hip-hop mogul could be exciting, she said, but was often degrading.
"He treated me sometimes like his best friend, a working partner, sometimes I was a worthless piece of crap," Mia said.
'I just froze'
She also accused Combs of violent acts against her.
"He has thrown things at me. He has thrown me against the wall. He has thrown me into a pool. He has thrown an ice bucket on my head. He has slammed my arm into a door," she said.
"He has also sexually assaulted me."
She said Combs subjected her to "sporadic" instances of sexual violence, including at the artist's 40th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel in New York and his private residence in Los Angeles.
"I just froze, I didn't react, terrified and confused," Mia said about one of the assaults.
"He was the boss or the king, very powerful person," she said.
"This is years and years before social media, Me Too, or any sort of example where someone had stood up successfully to someone in power such as him," she added.
Mia said the rapper held sway over the police, describing how she herself was pulled over one day in LA for speeding.
But when she called Combs and handed the phone to the female officer, "she started laughing and saying like 'oh my God, Puff Daddy, I love you,'... and then she let me go."
Mia's testimony is scheduled to continue on Friday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Jury prepares to consider Harvey Weinstein verdict
A New York state appeals court had thrown out Weinstein's 2020 convictions after irregularities in the presentation of witnesses at his original trial, forcing two victims of his alleged abuse to testify a second time. Judge Curtis Farber began giving instructions Thursday to jurors, one of whom had to be swapped out for an alternate after falling ill, before they retire to consider their verdict. After six weeks of deliberations, the jury must decide whether Weinstein, accused by dozens of women of being a sexual predator, is guilty of sexual assaults in 2006 on former production assistant Miriam Haley and former model Kaja Sokola, and of rape in 2013 of aspiring actress Jessica Mann. "He raped three women, they all said no," said prosecutor Nicole Blumberg Wednesday as she recounted the evidence of the three alleged victims of Weinstein who testified at this trial. The Hollywood figure had "all the power" and "all the control" over the alleged victims which is why jurors should find him guilty, she said. "The defendant thought the rules did not apply to him, now it is the time to let him know that the rules apply to him. "There is no reasonable doubt; tell the defendant what he already knows -- that he is guilty of the three crimes." Weinstein's defense attorney insisted the sexual encounters were consensual, pointing to a "casting couch" dynamic between the movie mogul and the women. "We don't want to police the bedroom" -- except in cases of rape, Blumberg fired back. Weinstein, the producer of box-office hits "Pulp Fiction" and "Shakespeare in Love," has never acknowledged wrongdoing. The cinema magnate, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, has been on trial again since April 15 in a scruffy Manhattan courtroom. He is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted in California of raping and assaulting a European actress more than a decade ago. Two of the accusers in this case -- Haley and Mann -- testified at Weinstein's original trial. Their accounts helped galvanize the #MeToo movement nearly a decade ago, but the case is being re-prosecuted at a new trial in New York. His 2020 convictions on charges relating to Haley and Mann, and his 23-year prison term, were overturned last year by the New York Court of Appeals. The tribunal ruled that the way witnesses were handled in the original trial was improper.
France 24
4 days ago
- France 24
Weinstein lawyer brands accusers 'women with broken dreams'
A New York state appeals court had thrown out Weinstein's 2020 convictions after irregularities in the presentation of witnesses at his original trial, forcing two victims of his alleged abuse to testify a second time. "If there is a doubt about their case, you gotta throw it out. These are the people they want you to believe, they're all women with broken dreams," defense attorney Arthur Aidala said of the women who testified against Weinstein at this trial. Weinstein, the producer of box-office hits "Pulp Fiction" and "Shakespeare in Love," has never acknowledged wrongdoing. The cinema magnate, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, has been on trial again since April 15 in a scruffy Manhattan courtroom. He is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted in California of raping and assaulting a European actress more than a decade ago. Two of the accusers in this case -- onetime production assistant Miriam Haley and then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann -- testified at Weinstein's original trial. Their accounts helped galvanize the #MeToo movement nearly a decade ago, but the case is being re-prosecuted at a new trial in New York. His 2020 convictions on charges relating to Haley and Mann, and his 23 year prison term, were overturned last year by the New York Court of Appeals. The tribunal ruled that the way witnesses were handled in the original trial was unlawful. 'He didn't listen' Some 20 years after the earliest incidents were alleged to have taken place, Aidala sought to cast doubt on the credibility of the accusers. He said it was not a question of whether his client engaged in sexual relations with the three women, but that those encounters were consensual. He described the encounters as "transactional" and "casting couch" scenarios involving young women who used their beauty and charm to make an older man open doors for them. Weinstein was the one they used, he argued, countering prosecutors who portrayed Weinstein as an all-powerful Hollywood figure. Aidala loudly reeled off metaphors to explain his version of events, seeking to win over the jury with jokes. He mimicked the victims to highlight inconsistencies, likening one of them to a child caught in a lie. The veteran defense attorney stressed that victims continued to associate with Weinstein after the alleged assaults, something they did not dispute, explaining that they feared jeopardizing their careers. During the trial, the three victims testified that their sexual encounters with Harvey Weinstein were not consensual. The retrial also heard new evidence from Kaja Sokola, a Polish former model who testified that Weinstein first sexually assaulted her when she was a minor at age 16. She said one occasion Weinstein pushed her onto a bed and forced her to have sex. "I told him to stop," she said, "but he didn't listen." Weinstein has appeared daily in a wheelchair, physically subdued, but laughing and joking with his legal team. This time, hearings have received less media attention, taking place in the shadow of the highly anticipated trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, on trial blocks away at federal court on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. © 2025 AFP
LeMonde
5 days ago
- LeMonde
Former Ubisoft executives on trial for sexual harassment
Three former top executives from French video game giant Ubisoft, the maker of Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, went on trial on Monday, June 2, accused of psychologically and sexually harassing employees for years. The trial, to last until Friday, was supposed to be held in March but was adjourned after lawyers complained they received some documents too late. The industry has been scrutinized for years over its treatment of women and minorities in the workplace – and the way they are depicted in games. Ubisoft launched an internal inquiry in 2020 after anonymous testimonies emerged on social media accusing the company of a toxic work culture. Several senior executives later left the firm. The executive shake-up at Ubisoft was hailed by some as a #Metoo moment in the male-dominated video game publishing industry, which has faced criticism for misogynistic imagery often found in games. One of the accused, Serge Hascoët, resigned from his post as chief creative officer. The other two – Thomas "Tommy" François, vice-president of editorial and creative services, and game director Guillaume Patrux – were dismissed for serious misconduct. All three men deny the claims. Hascoët and François arrived at the Bobigny court outside Paris on Monday morning. Employees had complained of regular public humiliation and hazing. François is the focus of the most damning claims of systematic psychological and sexual harassment at the company's offices in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil. Between January 2012 and July 2020, François is alleged to have often watched pornographic films in the open-plan office and commented on the appearance of female employees. Headstand in a skirt François was also accused of forcing a young employee he had just hired to do a headstand in the open-plan office while wearing a skirt. He is also accused of tying the same woman to a chair and putting her in an elevator, sending her to another floor. He also allegedly forced her to attend a work meeting after he painted her face with a felt-tip pen. In addition to the accusations of sexual and psychological harassment, François is being prosecuted for an attempted sexual assault when he tried to forcibly kiss a young employee during a Christmas party as she was held by other colleagues. According to an investigative report seen by Agence France-Presse (AFP), François encouraged "his subordinates to act in the same way." Hascoët is accused of lewd behaviour and posing intrusive questions of a sexual nature, as well as racist comments and behaviour. Following deadly jihadist attacks in Paris in 2015, he allegedly asked a Muslim employee if she agreed with the ideas of the Islamic State group. The woman had her computer desktop background changed to images of bacon sandwiches and food was placed on her desk during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. The third defendant, former game director Patrux, 39, has been accused of psychological harassment. Investigators spoke to dozens of witnesses during the probe, but "many refused to file a complaint for fear of reactions from the video game community," according to the report seen by AFP.
