Diddy trial: Rapper Kid Cudi expected to testify this week l LIVE updates
The Brief
Kid Cudi is expected to testify at the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking trial this week.
The rapper and actor is expected to tell the jury about his brief relationship 14 years ago with Combs' ex-girlfriend, Cassie.
Cassie testified last week that Combs was enraged when she left him for a period of time in 2011 and began dating Cudi.
NEW YORK CITY - Rapper and actor Kid Cudi is expected to testify at the Sean "Diddy" Combs sex trafficking trial this week, taking the witness stand to tell the jury about his brief relationship 14 years ago with Combs' ex-girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie.
What we know
Cassie testified last week that Combs was enraged when she left him for a period of time in 2011 and began dating Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi. She said Combs left a large bruise on her back where he kicked her as she left his Los Angeles home for the last time that year.
MORE: Male escort 'the punisher' says Diddy wore veil during 'freak off'
MORE: 50 Cent calls out convicted killer tied to Diddy sex-trafficking trial
Prosecutors have contended in court filings that Combs was so upset that he arranged to have Cudi's convertible firebombed. Prosecutors informed the judge that Cudi would not be called to the stand before Thursday.
A prosecutor said at the end of Tuesday's court session that Mescudi will be the third witness after a federal agent finishes testifying about what investigators found last year when they raided Combs' home in Florida.
Cassie testified last week that Combs arranged for her to meet Cudi several times in 2011 to work on music. She said her relationship with Cudi began late in the year and she got a burner phone so the two could communicate without Combs learning about it.
Cassie said she and Combs had broken up at the time, although they still engaged in so-called "freak-offs" that involved sexual performances with male escorts that Combs watched and sometimes participated in. It was during one of those "freak-offs" that Combs picked up her regular phone and noticed communications that revealed Cassie was seeing Cudi, Cassie said.
What they're saying
FOX 5 NY is live inside and outside the courtroom with the very latest and will live stream coverage in the YouTube player below and in the live player above.
Check back here for live updates throughout the day.
The backstory
Cassie's mother, Regina Ventura, testified that she received an email in December 2011 from Cassie saying that Combs was so angry about her relationship with Cudi that he planned to release sexually explicit videos of her and send someone to hurt Cassie and Cudi.
Afterward, Regina Ventura said, she received a demand from Combs for $20,000. Scared for her daughter's safety, she went to the bank and sent Combs the money, only to have it returned by Combs days later.
Cassie testified that Cudi came to visit her at her mother's Connecticut home around Christmas in 2011 and stayed for three or four days. She said she broke up with him.
"It was just too much," she said. "Too much danger, too much uncertainty of, like, what could happen if we continued to see each other."
Cassie said she told her family she was going to Los Angeles after the holidays to "get to work." But instead, she said, she traveled after New Year's to meet Combs in Arizona, where he had gone to visit a college with his son. They resumed their relationship.
When Cassie and Combs were out of the country, Combs told her that Cudi's car would be blown up and Combs wanted Cudi's friends there to see it, Cassie said.
On Monday, the Department of Justice released several pieces of evidence, including photos showing a large chef's knife hanging on a door.
Cassie Ventura testified that she kept the knife for protection near the end of their relationship in 2018, saying she had locked herself in her apartment with the weapon to guard against unexpected visits.
Prosecutors also shared images taken after Diddy's 2024 arrest at Midtown Manhattan's Park Hyatt hotel. The photos depict bottles of baby oil, personal lubricant, bags of pink drugs, pills, and thousands of dollars in cash.
Additionally, the DOJ released photos of Ventura's injuries from the alleged abuse during her decade-long relationship with Combs. The images show bruises, a bloodied gash, and swollen lips.
Cassie alleged the permanent scar on her eyebrow came from being pushed into a bedframe by Combs.
Count One alleges that, from at least in or about 2004 through in or about 2024, the defendant participated in a racketeering conspiracy during which he agreed with other employees and associates of his businesses to commit kidnapping, arson, bribery of a witness, obstruction of justice, drug distribution, forced labor, sex trafficking, and transportation for purposes of engaging in prostitution.
Count Two charges the Diddy with sex trafficking an adult female victim through force, fraud, and coercion between in or about 2009 and in or about 2018.
Count Three charges the Diddy with transporting that female victim and male commercial sex workers to engage in prostitution between in or about 2009 and in or about 2018.
Count 4: Count Four charges the defendant with sex-trafficking a second adult female victim through force, fraud, and coercion between in or about 2021 and in or about 2024.
Count Five charges the defendant with transporting that second female victim and male commercial sex workers to engage in prostitution between in or about 2021 and in or about 2024.
Additional charge: Mann Act charge filed April 3 and an allegation that he forced a woman into sex trafficking between 2021 and 2023. The Mann Act is a federal law that makes it a crime to transport someone across state lines for illegal sexual activity.
At the center of the allegations are what investigators call "Freak Off" parties, where victims were allegedly drugged, coerced and exploited.
Diddy has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
43 minutes ago
- New York Times
‘Mia' to Continue Her Testimony as Sean Combs's Trial Nears Midpoint
The federal trial of Sean Combs is entering its fourth week, the midpoint of what is expected to be an eight-week trial, with prosecutors still filling out the particulars of a case that charges the music mogul with sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Jurors have heard from 21 witnesses in support of the government's case that Mr. Combs was a violent and abusive man who controlled, intimidated and sexually violated women, and that he directed employees to commit arson, bribery, forced labor, obstruction of justice and other crimes on his behalf as part of a 'criminal enterprise.' Mr. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, and his lawyers have strongly denied that any of his sexual arrangements were nonconsensual, arguing that the women who are part of the government's case willingly consented to sex with Mr. Combs. If convicted of all charges, Mr. Combs, 55, could face life in prison. The witnesses in the case so far have included Casandra Ventura, the singer known as Cassie, who said she had been coerced intro drug-fueled sex marathons, and a former assistant, testifying under the pseudonym 'Mia,' who said that her boss sexually assaulted her and subjected her to sleep deprivation and violence. Another witness, Deonte Nash, a stylist, described witnessing Mr. Combs's violent attacks on Ms. Ventura, and said she told him that Mr. Combs had threatened to release explicit videos of her with other men in 'freak-offs,' the sexual encounters that are at the heart of the government's case. Ms. Ventura had called those videos 'blackmail materials.' At a news conference at the White House on Friday, President Trump said that, if asked, he was open to reviewing a possible pardon for Mr. Combs — whom he crossed paths with decades ago on the celebrity scene in New York — if he was convicted. 'I would certainly look at the facts,' Mr. Trump said. Mia, who testified on Thursday and Friday last week, will return to the stand on Monday for what should be the conclusion of her testimony. Under cross-examination on Friday, Brian Steel, a lawyer for Mr. Combs, showed Mia dozens of social media posts in which she repeatedly expressed affection and admiration for the music mogul. Mr. Steel asked how she could write such things if he had also abused her in the way she said. 'I was young and manipulated and just eager to survive,' Mia said. The next witnesses suggest the government will further examine the circumstances of freak-offs. One witness, Eddy Garcia, was a supervisor at an InterContinential Hotel in Los Angeles, where a security camera recorded Mr. Combs attacking Ms. Ventura in 2016. Another expected witness, Frank Piazza, is a forensic video expert who examined that hotel footage. Other expected witnesses include Sylvia Okun, a hotel custodian, and a man named Enrique Santos.
UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Watch: 'Black Phone 2' to open in theaters Oct. 17
1 of 2 | Ethan Hawke can now be seen in the trailer for the horror sequel "Black Phone 2," opening in theaters on Oct. 17. File Photo by Rune Hellestad/UPI | License Photo June 2 (UPI) -- Horror sequel Black Phone 2 is set to open in theaters Oct. 17. Ethan Hawke, Mason Thames, Madeline McGraw and Jeremy Davies are reprising their roles from the original 2022 blockbuster, while The Nun and The Grudge alum Demian Bichir is joining the ensemble for the follow-up. Both Blumhouse films were written, produced and directed by Scott Derrickson, whose credits include The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Doctor Strange. "Four years ago, 13-year-old Finn (Thames) killed his abductor and escaped, becoming the sole survivor of The Grabber (Hawke). But true evil transcends death... and the phone is ringing again," a synopsis said. "As Finn, now 17, struggles with life after his captivity, the headstrong 15-year-old Gwen (McGraw) begins receiving calls in her dreams from the black phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp known as Alpine Lake," the summary continued. "Determined to solve the mystery and end the torment for both her and her brother, Gwen persuades Finn to visit the camp during a winter storm. There, she uncovers a shattering intersection between The Grabber and her own family's history. Together, she and Finn must confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine." A 2-minute trailer released Sunday has already gotten 1.6 million views since it was posted on YouTube.
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
The 5 biggest takeaways from Netflix's Tudum fan event
Netflix used its annual "Tudum" fan event to unveil footage from some of its most anticipated projects, with Lady Gaga performing to tease the second season of "Wednesday." "Tudum" is a way of generating hype around Netflix movies and shows that's a little more exciting than just releasing a trailer on YouTube. Think Comic-Con, but for Netflix. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from "Tudum," which took place in LA on Saturday and was streamed live, including "Stranger Things" season five and "Wednesday" season two. 1) The final season of 'Stranger Things' has three release dates "Stranger Things" became a global phenomenon in 2016 when the first season was released, and it is finally coming to a close almost a decade later. Netflix revealed the first teaser for the fifth and final season at "Tudum." The new footage showed the Upside Down spreading across Hawkins and confirmed that "Stranger Things" season five will have three release dates. The first volume consists of four episodes and will be released on November 26, 2025. Then, a month later, on December 25, the second volume of three episodes will arrive. Finally, the last episode will debut on December 31. 2) The first trailer for Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi was shown at Tudum Guillermo del Toro 's "Frankenstein" movie is one of the most intriguing projects that Netflix has on the way, and the full trailer was revealed at Tudum. Out in November, Oscar Isaac plays Victor Frankenstein in the film, while the "Saltburn" star Jacob Elordi plays his monster. The haunting footage shows off del Toro's grim and gothic vision for the film, but cleverly keeps the full monster reveal under wraps. 3) A new 'Squid Game' season three trailer teased the end of the games The "Squid Game" season three trailer sees Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) take on deadly new games and fighting some of his fellow players. But the most interesting scene sees Gi-hun come face-to-face with the Front Man (Lee Byung-hun), who takes off that incredibly creepy mask. It appears that Gi-hun has won again because he's dressed in a tuxedo, but since Netflix is putting that detail in the trailer, it's likely not all that it seems. Fans only have to wait until June 27 to find out what happens in season three. 4) The first 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery' teaser showed Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc After months of Netflix releasing moody set photos, Tudum revealed the first teaser for Rian Johnson 's "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery." It sees Daniel Craig reprise his role as detective Benoit Blanc for the third time. Predictably, a star-studded cast, including actors Jeremy Renner, Josh O'Connor, and Glenn Close, are at the center of the mystery involving a murder in a church. It will be released on December 12. 5) Lady Gaga performed to promote 'Wednesday' season two Lady Gaga performed at Tudum to promote "Wednesday" season two. She sang a medley of songs, including "Abracadabra," "Zombieboy," and "Bloody Mary." She will appear alongside Jenna Ortega in the show as Rosaline Rotwood, a teacher at the Nevermore Academy, which Wednesday attends. The performance also featured the first six minutes of "Wednesday" season two, which sees the titular character dealing with a serial killer. The first part of the season drops on August 6, and part two releases a month later on September 6.
