Justin Bieber breaks silence on Diddy allegations amid sex trafficking trial
Chatter linked Justin Bieber to the explosive Sean Combs - P Diddy - trial, held as the rapper is accused of a string of depraved crimes, including racketeering conspiracy
Troubled singer Justin Bieber has insisted he was not targeted by rapper P Diddy.
Bieber, whose had four UK number ones, said widespread fears shared by fans he was a victim of the music mogul "detracts [focus] from the justice these victims rightfully deserve" in a statement released on Thursday. It came in response to speculation the singer, 31, may have been abused by Diddy during his early years in the music industry - although this is not an allegation for which the rapper stands trial.
A video of the pair resurfaced last year and was described by some Bieber fans as "disturbing". It showed Combs and Bieber, who was a minor at the time, hanging out for "48 hours". The pair also worked together on Diddy's album The Love Album: Off the Grid, released in September 2023.
But the spokesperson for Bieber said in a statement, published by TMZ, reads: "Although Justin is not among Sean Combs' victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him. Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve." Sources also informed TMZ on Thursday the Coming Home rapper never abused Bieber in any way.
The insiders stated the interactions in the video were simply "performative" - and explained Bieber was closer to the rapper's sons rather than Combs, who is 24 years his senior.
Combs, who has won three Grammy Awards, was last year arrested in the state of New York on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, which he has denied. Bieber was reportedly "so disturbed by the Diddy news".
A source told Mail Online at the time: "Bieber is so disturbed by the Diddy news and is unwilling to process it or discuss it so he has shut off... So many people who helped to make him who he is were very close to Diddy and it has completely thrown him. Justin hasn't been responding on this since the home raids. He's not going to. He was featured on Diddy's most recent album, and had he known any of this, there is no way he would have done it."
The arrest came just one year after The Love Album: Off the Grid was released. It quickly became Diddy's fifth top ten on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
But now the 55-year-old star stands trial in New York City, accused of a number of charges, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution. The father of seven denies each of these.
Proceedings on Thursday heard P Diddy, whose debut album No Way Out sold more than seven million copies in the US alone, allegedly threatened Cassie Ventura during their 11-year relationship.
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The Guardian
34 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Judge threatens to remove Sean ‘Diddy' Combs from court over facial gestures
The judge in the federal sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs threatened to remove the music mogul from court for looking and nodding at the jury during testimony on Thursday. During a lunch break after the jury left the room on Thursday, Judge Arun Subramanian said that he saw Combs looking at the jury and 'nodding vigorously' during the cross-examination of Bryana Bongolan, a former graphic designer for Combs and a longtime friend of Combs's former girlfriend, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura. The judge warned Combs's lawyers that if he saw it again, it 'could result in the exclusion of your client from the courtroom'. 'There should be no efforts whatsoever to have an interaction with this jury,' the judge added. Combs's lawyer said that it would not happen again. Earlier on Thursday, Bongolan resumed the testimony she began on Wednesday. Bongolan previously testified about her friendship with Ventura and described an alleged incident from 2016 in which she says that Combs dangled her from the balcony of Ventura's 17th-floor apartment in Los Angeles for 10 to 15 seconds, before throwing her on to some balcony furniture. She testified that the incident left her bruised and emotionally scarred and that she experiences nightmares and paranoia. During cross-examination, Combs's lawyers challenged Bongolan's credibility, citing inconsistencies between her current testimony and prior statements she gave regarding the alleged balcony incident. On Thursday morning, Combs's lawyers pressed her on the timeline. They claimed that the alleged balcony incident could not have occurred when she alleged because Combs was performing on the east coast for much of September 2016. Before concluding the cross-examination, Combs's lawyer suggested that Bongolan was lying about the balcony incident and the injuries. 'I can't agree with you,' Bongolan responded, adding that she could not recall the exact date of the alleged incident, but she 'will never forget him holding me on that balcony'. Another former girlfriend of Combs, who alleges she was abused and made to participate in drug-fueled sex sessions known as 'freak-offs', is also expected to be called to the stand on Thursday. Testifying under the pseudonym 'Jane', the woman has been described by prosecutors as a single mother who began dating Combs in 2020. Her testimony is expected to be similar to that of Ventura, Combs's former longtime girlfriend, who testified during the first week of the trial. Ventura, who dated Combs on and off from 2007 to 2018, told jurors last month that she was subjected to years of physical and emotional abuse during the relationship. She alleged she was coerced, through violence, and blackmail, into taking part in the so-called freak-offs which she said were orchestrated and directed by Combs and involved drugs and male sex workers. During cross-examination, Combs's attorneys sought to portray Ventura as a willing participant in the freak-offs, framing the encounters as part of a 'swingers lifestyle'. Now in its fourth week, the trial has featured graphic and emotional testimony from several witnesses. To date, more than 16 witnesses have testified, including the singer Dawn Richard, three of Combs's former assistants, Ventura's mother, and rapper Scott Mescudi, also known as 'Kid Cudi'. Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and faces federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Prosecutors allege that Combs ran a criminal enterprise since at least 2004 that engaged in or attempted to engage in crimes including sex trafficking, kidnapping, forced labor, arson, bribery, enticement to engage in prostitution and obstruction of justice, with the help of his associates and employees. While Combs's lawyers have acknowledged his history of domestic violence, they argue that the women participated in the freak-offs consensually and they maintain that Combs is not guilty of sex trafficking or racketeering, or of operating a criminal enterprise. Prosecutors have said that they may rest their case next week, with the defense expected to begin calling its own witnesses soon after. However, Combs's lawyers have signaled that their presentation may take longer than anticipated, potentially extending the trial into early July. If convicted on all counts, Combs could face life in prison. The Associated Press contributed reporting In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women's Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via
The Sun
41 minutes ago
- The Sun
Diddy judge threatens to throw him out of court over ‘unacceptable' gesture to jury a day after rapper mouthed message
THE judge in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal trial has threatened to throw the music executive out of the courtroom after he tried to interact with the jury. Judge Arun Subramanian singled out Combs before the jury returned from its lunch break, calling his behavior "absolutely unacceptable." 1 "There was a line of questioning where your client was nodding vigorously and looking at the jury," the judge told Marc Agnifilo, Combs' lead defense attorney. "I could not have been any clearer in terms of what I said." Judge Subramanian said he saw Combs looking and attempting to interact with the jury on two separate occasions during the testimony of Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura. "I looked and I saw you client looking at the jury and nodding vigorously," the judge added. "It is absolutely unacceptable." The judge then asked Agnifilo, "Is it going to happen again?" to which the defense attorney assured him it would not. "It cannot happen again," Judge Subramanian said, warning that if the issue continued, it could result in the "exclusion of your client from the courtroom." .
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer accuses witness of lying about balcony attack
NEW YORK, June 5 (Reuters) - A lawyer for Sean "Diddy" Combs accused a witness at his sex trafficking trial on Thursday of falsely testifying that the hip-hop mogul held her over the balcony of a Los Angeles apartment, and suggested Combs was on the East Coast at the time of the alleged attack. Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Combs' former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, opens new tab, testified on Wednesday that Combs in September 2016 held her over the rail of the balcony at Ventura's apartment and then threw her onto the balcony's furniture, causing her bruises. Prosecutors say the incident was among several violent acts that Combs, 55, took against Ventura and people close to her during the decade he was coercing Ventura to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "Freak Offs." Combs has to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Bongolan had not stated the exact date of the alleged balcony attack during her testimony on Wednesday. Jurors on Wednesday saw a picture Bongolan took of a bruise on her leg taken on September 26, 2016. A civil lawsuit Bongolan filed against Combs last year said the incident took place "on or about September 26, 2016." On Thursday, Combs' lawyer Nicole Westmoreland asked Bongolan if she was aware that Combs performed at a concert in New Jersey on September 25, 2016 and attended an event in New York with Ventura the following day. Westmoreland also showed jurors a document from the Trump International hotel in New York indicating that someone named "Frank Black" stayed there from September 24, 2016 through September 29, 2016. Previous witnesses at the trial have testified that Combs, like other celebrities, frequently used aliases when staying at hotels. "You came in here and you lied to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury, didn't you?" Westmoreland asked. "I can't agree with you," Bongolan replied. Under further questioning from prosecutor Madison Smyser, Bongolan said she did not know the exact date of the incident because it happened "a while ago," but said she had no doubt it took place. "I will never forget him holding me on that balcony," Bongolan said.
