Jury hears more of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' 'debauchery'
Sean "Diddy" Combs dismissed requests by one of his former girlfriends to stop having sex with other men at his behest, and threatened to stop paying her rent, the woman has testified at the hip-hop mogul's sex trafficking trial.
Testifying on Thursday under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy, the woman said she was Combs' girlfriend between 2021 and 2024.
She is the third woman who prosecutors say was sexually abused by Combs to take the stand at his trial in Manhattan federal court, which is in its fourth week.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts.
Jane, a model and social media influencer, said she felt "exhilarated" the first time she had sex with a male escort in front of Combs in May 2021, about five months into their relationship.
But she said she thought it would be a one-time occurrence. Instead, she said she had sex with other men in front of Combs about 90 per cent of the time she saw him.
When she eventually told him she did not want to have sex with other men anymore, Combs - whose net worth Forbes estimated at above $US1 billion ($A1.5 billion) in 2022 - threatened to stop paying her rent, Jane said.
"He just was dismissive or wanted to move on from the subject," Jane said.
Jane said she and Combs would call the events with other men "debauchery" or "hotel nights". Her description of the events resembled what another former girlfriend of Combs', Casandra Ventura, referred to as "Freak Offs".
Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known professionally as Cassie, said she participated in "Freak Offs" with Combs and male sex workers for nearly a decade - at first to please him, and later because he blackmailed her with videos of the encounters.
Earlier on Thursday, Combs' lawyer Nicole Westmoreland accused another witness, Ventura's friend Bryana Bongolan, of falsely testifying that Combs dangled her over Ventura's 17th-storey Los Angeles balcony in September 2016.
Westmoreland suggested Combs was on the East Coast at the time of the alleged attack.
"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 but said she had no doubt it took place.
Prosecutors later displayed a text message Ventura sent an associate on September 30, 2016, stating that Combs' had dangled Bongolan's feet over the balcony.
Outside the jury's presence following Bongolan's testimony, US District Judge Arun Subramanian said he had observed Combs "nodding vigorously" in the jury's direction during Westmoreland's questioning, and threatened to kick him out of the courtroom if he did that again.
"There should be no efforts whatsoever to have any interactions with this jury," Subramanian said.
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ABC News
4 hours ago
- ABC News
Sean 'Diddy' Combs's sobbing ex-girlfriend testifies at trial
Warning: This story contains details that may be distressing to some readers. A woman who was dating Sean "Diddy" Combs at the time of his arrest last year has broken down in tears in his trial while giving testimony about their many drug-fuelled sexual encounters. She told the New York court Mr Combs ignored her signals to stop and scolded her for crying after another encounter. Appearing under the pseudonym "Jane", the woman began her testimony in the Manhattan federal court on Thursday, local time. Jane continued her testimony on Friday, when she recounted how Mr Combs pushed her to continue having sex with men while he watched. She said this was even after she gave "subtle cues" — saying she was tired and hungry, making faces and gestures — that she wanted to stop. Instead, she said, he told her to "finish strong". Asked why she did not tell him outright, Jane sobbed: "I just, I don't know." Later, she said Mr Combs would shut her down when she tried to talk about ending the encounters, which she called "dark" and "sleazy". The 55-year-old has pleaded not guilty to running his business empire as a racketeering enterprise that enabled and concealed the abuse of women over two decades. The prosecution says he used his power to coerce victims into participating in marathon, drug-fuelled orgies known as "freak-offs". If convicted, he faces 15 years to life in prison. His legal team has asserted the sexual activities were all consensual and nothing Mr Combs did amounted to a criminal enterprise. Mr Combs, who was arrested on September 16 last year, has been denied bail, meaning he is in prison while the trial happens. He is being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Mr Combs's trial in began on May 12 and it is expected to continue for another few weeks. Recordings of the trial are not allowed, which is why the only images from inside the court are drawings from courtroom artists. R&B singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, one of Mr Combs's ex-girlfriends has already testified, as has rapper Kid Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi. This article is a recap of the past two days of the trial. Jane's account has closely mirrored that of Ms Ventura's. Ms Ventura testified Mr Combs assaulted her and forced her into "hundreds" of encounters with male sex workers, encounters which have been referred to as "freak-offs". In court, Jane called them "hotel nights" and the men "entertainers". Prosecutor Maurene Comey sought to show that Mr Combs used his wealth to manipulate women into submitting to his sexual demands and make them reliant on him and his needs. By September 2023, Jane said, Mr Combs had been paying her rent for about five months. When asked what she feared would happen if she stopped doing hotel nights, Jane replied: "That Sean would take the house away." Mr Combs was still paying her rent, Jane said. If you need help immediately call emergency services on triple-0 After one hotel encounter, Jane said she cried and Mr Combs told her, "Don't do that right now," and, "I can't do this right now. I'm too high." She testified she had blacked out earlier from using the drug ecstasy, which Mr Combs gave her. During another encounter, she tried to remain sober but vomited in a bathroom after having sex with two men in a row. Mr Combs told her: "That's good. You'll feel better now that you've thrown up. So let's go." She then had sex with a third man, she said, describing herself as "repulsed". Jane said she endured the encounters because she valued time alone with Mr Combs afterwards. "I would really fight to block out how sad I was after," she said. In messages to him, she wrote: "My heart is really in this and it's breaking." Jane wiped away tears as she recounted the many ill effects of hotel nights, including constant back pain, frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs) and soreness in her genitals and pelvic areas. Jane dated Mr Combs from 2021 to 2024. On Thursday, she testified their relationship began as loving and passionate but soon veered into having her engage in sex with other men. The longest sessions lasted three and a half days, while most went on for about 24 to 30 hours. On Friday, she told the court she poured her thoughts into the Notes app on her phone in November 2021, drafting a message to Mr Combs but never sending it. "I don't know what you're calling me for, but I'm sorry I don't want to do drugs for days and days and have you use me to fulfil your freaky, wild desires in hotel rooms," Jane wrote in the unsent message. In 2023, she said she texted Mr Combs to say she longed to return to the early days of their relationship. She said regretted ever getting involved in the sexual encounters but felt obligated. Mr Combs responded: "Girl, stop," she told the court. Jane said the encounters continued into 2024 and she participated in one at Mr Combs's Miami-area estate as late as August — just weeks before his arrest at a Manhattan hotel. Jurors on Friday heard the first audio from inside one of those encounters. In the recording, Jane asked a man to wear a condom during her first hotel night, but Mr Combs "guilt tripped me out of it", she said. "It wasn't something he wanted to see," she said. Jane also said Mr Combs had her act as his drug mule at least twice, nervously smuggling pills in her checked luggage on commercial flights from Los Angeles to Miami. She said he divvied up in the coloured pills into bottles, and she ended up using some of the drugs with him. Her identity is being kept secret. To protect Jane's anonymity, the judge has barred courtroom observers from describing or sketching her appearance in a way that would reveal her identity. Ms Ventura's name and photos are being reported in this trial because she has chosen to go public with her story. Mr Combs's lawyers have tried to sew doubt among jurors about the credibility of the prosecution's witnesses. In opening arguments, lawyer Teny Geragos acknowledged Mr Combs had a "bad temper" and violent outbursts, but argued his sexual habits were part of a consensual swinger lifestyle. The defence painted Ms Ventura, for example, as an eager participant in the so-called freak-offs. When Ms Ventura was on the stand, Mr Combs's lawyers had her read texts and emails in which she expressed willingness to engage in the encounters. Before Jane began testifying, the defence cross-examined Bryana "Bana" Bongolan, a friend of Ms Ventura and a graphic designer, who is suing Mr Combs. Ms Bongolan testified that in 2016, Mr Combs held her over the edge of a balcony at a Los Angeles high-rise for 10 to 15 seconds. It was an episode that traumatised her and left her with lasting night terrors, she said. Mr Combs's lawyer Nicole Westmoreland suggested that Ms Bongolan lied or exaggerated. She noted Mr Combs was on tour for much of September 2016, including for shows on the east coast of the US — which is on the opposite side of the country to the Californian city of Los Angeles — at about the time of the alleged balcony incident. Ms Bongolan later testified she did not recall the exact date of the incident but had no doubt it occurred. AP
News.com.au
13 hours ago
- News.com.au
Witness tells jurors of coercive sex, transporting drugs for Combs
An ex-girlfriend of Sean Combs testified Friday of sex with a network of paid male escorts at the music mogul's behest and that he asked her to transport drugs for him. The woman speaking under the pseudonym Jane took the stand for a second day in the sex trafficking and racketeering trial, delivering emotional, graphic testimony in the trial of Combs, the 55-year-old superstar known as "Diddy." He faces life in prison if convicted, and has denied all charges. Jane told jurors Friday that she, assistants of Combs or the artist himself would book travel for the escorts, who would frequently be paid in thousands of dollars in cash or via apps. The payment was in exchange for choreographed sexual encounters that would sometimes last days, which Jane described as "hotel nights" and which a previous star witness, Casandra Ventura, said were called "freak-offs." Jane spoke through tears as she recounted one of several instances that she told Combs she did not like having sex with the escorts while he watched -- but that he was "dismissive" when she tried to protest. Among the tranche of text exchanges between Jane and Combs was one message in which she described the pattern of hotel nights as a "Pandora's box" that she couldn't shut. "I'm so much more than being loved in the dark in hotel rooms doing things that make me feel disgusted," she texted Combs. "I don't want to play this role in your life anymore." "It's dark, sleazy and makes me feel disgusted with myself," she continued, saying that she felt he was paying her rent in exchange for the sex parties. "I don't want to feel obligated to perform these nights with you in fear of losing the roof over my head," Jane wrote. "Girl stop," Combs wrote back. - Flying with drugs - Jane's testimony of paying for the travel of escorts is key to the prosecution's argument that Combs trafficked men and women across state lines with the intent of prostitution. She also told jurors that she transported illegal drugs for Combs on two occasions. When she expressed to a high-ranking staff member of Combs that it felt "unsafe" to fly with drugs from Los Angeles to Miami, the staffer replied that "it's fine" and "I do it all the time." In their opening statements, the defense insisted that Combs's relationship with Jane was consensual. But she described struggling to get through the hotel nights without the aid of drugs, recounting once instance when she attempted to have sex with multiple men for hours in front of Sean to the point that she threw up, saying she was "repulsed." "Sean came in and I told him I had just thrown up and he was like, 'that's good then you'll feel better.'" '"Let's go because the guy is here, the third guy,'" Jane said he told her. Jane previously told jurors that her relationship with Combs continued up until his arrest in September 2024. Prosecutors say he ran a criminal enterprise of employees and bodyguards who enforced his power and fulfilled his desires with illicit acts including trafficking, kidnapping, bribery and arson. Along with Ventura and Jane, witnesses have included former employees of Bad Boy Enterprises, Combs's company. Jane's testimony could last days, with court proceedings expected to continue at least another month.
The Advertiser
14 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Diddy's ex sobs as she testifies at his sex trial
Sean "Diddy" Combs twice rebuffed a former girlfriend's requests that male entertainers wear condoms when having sex with her as Combs watched, the woman said during often tearful testimony at the hip-hop mogul's sex trafficking trial. The woman, testifying under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy, said Combs would "guilt trip" her when she asked that the entertainers wear condoms during their frequent, lengthy sexual encounters. The sexual interactions resembled what another one of Combs' exes, Casandra Ventura, referred to as "Freak Offs" during her testimony last month. Jurors in the Manhattan federal court trial heard an audio recording in which Combs intervened after Jane asked a male entertainer named Don if he had a condom. As the recording was played, Combs rapidly tapped his fingers against his leg while seated at the defence table. "Why didn't you just insist that Don wear a condom?" prosecutor Maurene Comey asked. "Because I just didn't want to disappoint my lover," Jane responded, referring to Combs. Jane said she and Combs dated from 2021 through 2024. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Prosecutors say he coerced women over two decades to take part in elaborate, drug-fueled sexual performances during Freak Offs over two decades. The Bad Boy Records founder's defence lawyers have acknowledged that Combs was occasionally abusive in domestic relationships, but say the women who took part in Freak Offs did so consensually. During the first day of her testimony on Thursday, Jane said she was "head over heels" for Combs and wanted to have a one-on-one relationship with him, but that starting five months into their relationship most of their time together involved sexual interactions with male escorts in hotels. Jane said that when she told Combs she wanted those encounters to stop, he threatened to stop paying her rent. On Friday, Jane frequently sobbed and dabbed her eyes with a tissue as she told jurors how Combs would encourage her to keep going even after she grew tired during the encounters, which she said often lasted 24 hours or more. She recounted one instance in which she broke down crying after Combs said he had to leave following an encounter with an entertainer, despite having promised Jane a one-on-one date night and that the entertainer would be there for "just a little bit." "I hung onto those words, 'just a little bit'," Jane said. "I was feeling terrible that he was going to leave me alone." Combs' defence lawyers are expected to cross-examine Jane next week. They may focus on sexually explicit text messages that she sent Combs in between their encounters to show she was a willing participant in their relationship. Combs has been in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Sean "Diddy" Combs twice rebuffed a former girlfriend's requests that male entertainers wear condoms when having sex with her as Combs watched, the woman said during often tearful testimony at the hip-hop mogul's sex trafficking trial. The woman, testifying under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy, said Combs would "guilt trip" her when she asked that the entertainers wear condoms during their frequent, lengthy sexual encounters. The sexual interactions resembled what another one of Combs' exes, Casandra Ventura, referred to as "Freak Offs" during her testimony last month. Jurors in the Manhattan federal court trial heard an audio recording in which Combs intervened after Jane asked a male entertainer named Don if he had a condom. As the recording was played, Combs rapidly tapped his fingers against his leg while seated at the defence table. "Why didn't you just insist that Don wear a condom?" prosecutor Maurene Comey asked. "Because I just didn't want to disappoint my lover," Jane responded, referring to Combs. Jane said she and Combs dated from 2021 through 2024. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Prosecutors say he coerced women over two decades to take part in elaborate, drug-fueled sexual performances during Freak Offs over two decades. The Bad Boy Records founder's defence lawyers have acknowledged that Combs was occasionally abusive in domestic relationships, but say the women who took part in Freak Offs did so consensually. During the first day of her testimony on Thursday, Jane said she was "head over heels" for Combs and wanted to have a one-on-one relationship with him, but that starting five months into their relationship most of their time together involved sexual interactions with male escorts in hotels. Jane said that when she told Combs she wanted those encounters to stop, he threatened to stop paying her rent. On Friday, Jane frequently sobbed and dabbed her eyes with a tissue as she told jurors how Combs would encourage her to keep going even after she grew tired during the encounters, which she said often lasted 24 hours or more. She recounted one instance in which she broke down crying after Combs said he had to leave following an encounter with an entertainer, despite having promised Jane a one-on-one date night and that the entertainer would be there for "just a little bit." "I hung onto those words, 'just a little bit'," Jane said. "I was feeling terrible that he was going to leave me alone." Combs' defence lawyers are expected to cross-examine Jane next week. They may focus on sexually explicit text messages that she sent Combs in between their encounters to show she was a willing participant in their relationship. Combs has been in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Sean "Diddy" Combs twice rebuffed a former girlfriend's requests that male entertainers wear condoms when having sex with her as Combs watched, the woman said during often tearful testimony at the hip-hop mogul's sex trafficking trial. The woman, testifying under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy, said Combs would "guilt trip" her when she asked that the entertainers wear condoms during their frequent, lengthy sexual encounters. The sexual interactions resembled what another one of Combs' exes, Casandra Ventura, referred to as "Freak Offs" during her testimony last month. Jurors in the Manhattan federal court trial heard an audio recording in which Combs intervened after Jane asked a male entertainer named Don if he had a condom. As the recording was played, Combs rapidly tapped his fingers against his leg while seated at the defence table. "Why didn't you just insist that Don wear a condom?" prosecutor Maurene Comey asked. "Because I just didn't want to disappoint my lover," Jane responded, referring to Combs. Jane said she and Combs dated from 2021 through 2024. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Prosecutors say he coerced women over two decades to take part in elaborate, drug-fueled sexual performances during Freak Offs over two decades. The Bad Boy Records founder's defence lawyers have acknowledged that Combs was occasionally abusive in domestic relationships, but say the women who took part in Freak Offs did so consensually. During the first day of her testimony on Thursday, Jane said she was "head over heels" for Combs and wanted to have a one-on-one relationship with him, but that starting five months into their relationship most of their time together involved sexual interactions with male escorts in hotels. Jane said that when she told Combs she wanted those encounters to stop, he threatened to stop paying her rent. On Friday, Jane frequently sobbed and dabbed her eyes with a tissue as she told jurors how Combs would encourage her to keep going even after she grew tired during the encounters, which she said often lasted 24 hours or more. She recounted one instance in which she broke down crying after Combs said he had to leave following an encounter with an entertainer, despite having promised Jane a one-on-one date night and that the entertainer would be there for "just a little bit." "I hung onto those words, 'just a little bit'," Jane said. "I was feeling terrible that he was going to leave me alone." Combs' defence lawyers are expected to cross-examine Jane next week. They may focus on sexually explicit text messages that she sent Combs in between their encounters to show she was a willing participant in their relationship. Combs has been in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Sean "Diddy" Combs twice rebuffed a former girlfriend's requests that male entertainers wear condoms when having sex with her as Combs watched, the woman said during often tearful testimony at the hip-hop mogul's sex trafficking trial. The woman, testifying under the pseudonym Jane to protect her privacy, said Combs would "guilt trip" her when she asked that the entertainers wear condoms during their frequent, lengthy sexual encounters. The sexual interactions resembled what another one of Combs' exes, Casandra Ventura, referred to as "Freak Offs" during her testimony last month. Jurors in the Manhattan federal court trial heard an audio recording in which Combs intervened after Jane asked a male entertainer named Don if he had a condom. As the recording was played, Combs rapidly tapped his fingers against his leg while seated at the defence table. "Why didn't you just insist that Don wear a condom?" prosecutor Maurene Comey asked. "Because I just didn't want to disappoint my lover," Jane responded, referring to Combs. Jane said she and Combs dated from 2021 through 2024. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Prosecutors say he coerced women over two decades to take part in elaborate, drug-fueled sexual performances during Freak Offs over two decades. The Bad Boy Records founder's defence lawyers have acknowledged that Combs was occasionally abusive in domestic relationships, but say the women who took part in Freak Offs did so consensually. During the first day of her testimony on Thursday, Jane said she was "head over heels" for Combs and wanted to have a one-on-one relationship with him, but that starting five months into their relationship most of their time together involved sexual interactions with male escorts in hotels. Jane said that when she told Combs she wanted those encounters to stop, he threatened to stop paying her rent. On Friday, Jane frequently sobbed and dabbed her eyes with a tissue as she told jurors how Combs would encourage her to keep going even after she grew tired during the encounters, which she said often lasted 24 hours or more. She recounted one instance in which she broke down crying after Combs said he had to leave following an encounter with an entertainer, despite having promised Jane a one-on-one date night and that the entertainer would be there for "just a little bit." "I hung onto those words, 'just a little bit'," Jane said. "I was feeling terrible that he was going to leave me alone." Combs' defence lawyers are expected to cross-examine Jane next week. They may focus on sexually explicit text messages that she sent Combs in between their encounters to show she was a willing participant in their relationship. Combs has been in federal lockup in Brooklyn since his September 2024 arrest. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts.
