Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial recap: 'Mia,' Combs's former assistant, is pressed by defense on sexual assault allegations
The trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continued Monday in Manhattan federal court, with 'Mia' — a pseudonym for a former assistant who accused Combs of repeated sexual assault — concluding her testimony in the sex trafficking case.
Under direct examination last week, 'Mia' described a harrowing and 'toxic' work environment dominated by Combs's 'unpredictable and terrifying' behavior, telling the court that he physically and sexually assaulted her multiple times. During cross-examination on Monday, the defense pressed her on the abuse allegations.
Sylvia Oken, a sales director at the Beverly Hills Hotel, also testified about damage to Combs's rooms during his hotel stays.
Federal prosecutors say that for decades, Combs abused, threatened and coerced women to participate in marathon sexual encounters called "freak offs" and used his business empire, along with guns, kidnapping and arson, to conceal his crimes.
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 Monday's testimony culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom, including CNN, NBC News and the Washington Post.
Under cross-examination by the defense, 'Mia' was asked to read text messages she sent to Combs after being let go from her job as his assistant.
In one, she wished Combs a merry Christmas, adding "I love you so so much!"
In another, she told Combs she had a nightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R. Kelly, the R&B singer and convicted sex offender.
'I screamed for you,' she wrote to Combs, 'And you came to rescue me.'
Defense attorney Brian Steel asked "Mia" why she would send messages like these to someone she alleges sexually assaulted her multiple times.
She testified that she felt bad for Combs after the death of Kim Porter, the mother of three of his children, who died in November 2018 from pneumonia.
"Mia" also told the court that while Combs was her tormentor, for years he was also her "protector" and that while she was no longer working for him, she still felt 'psychologically' under his control.
Big picture: The defense picked up where it left off Friday, presenting dozens of messages in which 'Mia' sounds loving and affectionate toward Combs during and after the alleged abuse.
Under direct examination last week, 'Mia' described a harrowing and 'toxic' work environment dominated by Combs's 'unpredictable and terrifying' behavior, telling the court that he physically and sexually assaulted her multiple times.
During cross-examination on Monday, the former assistant acknowledged that she never documented or told anyone about Combs's violent outbursts, or the physical and sexual abuse she said he inflicted on her.
'Mia' said she felt that doing so would have violated their trust and her 'loyalty' to Combs.
She was pressed by defense attorney Steel about why she did not immediately come forward with her physical and sexual assault allegations against Combs.
'Because I was terrified and brainwashed,' she said.
Later, under redirect questioning from prosecutors, 'Mia' said she worried that if she told human resources about the alleged sexual assaults, she would have lost her job.
'They wouldn't have believed me and I would've been fired immediately,' she said.
The defense continued to press "Mia" on her reluctance to come forward with sexual abuse claims against Combs.
In November 2023, after Combs's ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura filed her explosive lawsuit against Combs alleging years of abuse, "Mia" testified that she had spoken with Ventura, but still did not disclose her own allegations.
"I was still deeply shamed and wanted to die with this," she said.
"Mia" told the court on Monday that she did not make her allegations of sexual assault known to prosecutors until June 2024, leading to pointed questions from Combs's defense team.
'That is seven months after Ms. Ventura's lawsuit went viral,' defense attorney Steel said during his cross-examination. 'Why did it take seven or eight months for you to tell the U.S. attorney's office that Mr. Combs supposedly sexually assaulted you?'
Mia said that she did not disclose the alleged abuse until she retained a lawyer.
Under cross-examination, "Mia" testified that after being let go from her job with Combs in 2017, she went on to work for Madonna as an assistant.
Her employment with the "Material Girl" singer lasted eight months. And "Mia" said that she secured the job independently of Combs.
Big picture: During direct examination last week, "Mia" testified that the abuse she endured while working for Combs left her with PTSD, which made it difficult to keep a job.
'I would have to leave because I would be triggered by really normal situations," she told the court.
"Mia" also testified that Combs would make it impossible for her to land a job somewhere else in the entertainment industry. The defense sought to undercut that testimony by showing the jury her post-Combs employment with Madonna.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Diddy's accusers testified about volatile relationships with a man they loved and feared
The three women identified as victims in the federal case against Sean 'Diddy' Combs took the stand to describe a charming, larger-than-life record label tycoon whose double-sided personality straddled the line between praiseworthy and predatory. They portrayed Combs as influential, full of confidence and passionate, telling stories of him introducing them to a celebrity life filled with extravagant trips around the world and, in the case of Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, a shot at superstardom. But they also testified to the dark side of Diddy. They said he could be a demanding boss, subjecting employees to extreme work hours and mental anguish, and an overbearing boyfriend capable of sexual abuse. Sign up for the 'Diddy on Trial' newsletter for key developments and analysis 'The highs were really high and the lows really low,' said 'Mia,' one of Combs' former personal assistants who testified in court under a pseudonym that Combs sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. The testimony framed Combs as an abusive employer and romantic partner, which could leave a lasting impression with the jury, who will have to untangle those intertwined and deeply personal relationships when considering the federal charges, several attorneys closely following the trial say. Combs has pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. If found guilty of even one charge, he could face a lengthy prison sentence. The accusers' alleged experiences are part of the prosecution's indictment that says Combs used his businesses as a criminal enterprise to fulfill his desires with the help of co-conspirators and accomplices. 'The fact that a victim has seemingly contradictory feelings toward a person who is allegedly sexually assaulting them is not uncommon when he's established control,' said attorney Rachel Maimin, a former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York who is not involved in the case. She noted that the jury will 'have to evaluate the credibility of these women.' But some other lawyers not involved in the trial are trying to decipher how testimony from the three accusers so far has fit into the prosecution's most serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking. Particularly, they looked at the government's latest witness, 'Jane,' a former girlfriend who testified this week under a pseudonym. 'If I were a judge, I would want to know the relevance of this testimony,' veteran criminal defense attorney Tama Beth Kudman said. On the racketeering conspiracy charge, prosecutors must prove Combs was involved in a criminal enterprise with a group of people engaging in criminal acts, multiple lawyers said. For the sex trafficking charges, prosecutors must demonstrate Combs forced women to travel across state lines and commit sex acts. Jurors have heard testimony from three accusers across four weeks as the prosecution presented its case. Ventura testified to her more than 10-year personal and professional relationship with Combs, before they split in 2018. Mia worked for Combs from 2009 to 2017, and Jane, whose testimony hasn't yet concluded, had a romantic relationship with Combs from 2021 to 2024. All three acknowledge that Combs gave them opportunities they likely wouldn't have had otherwise, but said it came at a steep personal and emotional price. Mia, who managed Combs' schedule and served as the main liaison between him and Hollywood, testified that working for Combs was simultaneously toxic, chaotic and exciting. However, their boss-employee relationship was blurred in 2009 or 2010 at Combs' Los Angeles home when Mia said she was awakened by Combs on top of her. Asked if she wanted to have sex with Combs, a tearful Mia said no and that 'it was very quick.' Her testimony also included allegations of forced labor and a claim that at one point Combs threatened to kill her. Combs signed Ventura to a 10-album deal in 2006 when she was 19. She was immediately struck by the record producer and executive's magnetic persona and aura. 'He was charismatic — big personality, larger than life,' Ventura said in court, regarding Combs. 'The more time I spent with him, his real personality came out — sweet, attentive.' Ventura said Combs encouraged her and called her a queen. 'He's got that inspiring energy inside him,' she said. Before long, however, Ventura was no longer releasing music and instead found herself caught in a sexual web with Combs. 'I just felt pretty horrible about myself. I felt disgusting. I felt humiliated,' Ventura testified, referring to the alleged physical abuse and control that included dayslong, drug-fueled sexual encounters with male escorts under Combs' direction that were referred to as 'freak offs.' '[I] just didn't feel like I had much of a choice,' she said in court. Jane said she was drawn to Combs 'pretty instantly' upon meeting him, adding that he seemed larger than life and was super charming and passionate when he spoke. Her friend had been dating Combs first, she testified. 'I remember it was like morning time and we just decided to go for a walk on the beach, saw the sunrise on the balcony, walked on the beach,' Jane said of the morning after her first date with Diddy in Miami in 2021. 'I was head over heels.' Their relationship progressed fast, with trips to Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas she says were fueled by love, lust, ecstasy, molly and cocaine. Soon, Diddy introduced the idea of having another man in the bedroom. 'He started saying I can make this fantasy a reality,' Jane testified. Jane said the first time she had sex with another man as Combs watched, in May 2021, opened up 'Pandora's box.' 'Just completely set the tone for our relationship going forward,' Jane said, adding she agreed to make Combs happy but eventually grew tired. 'I felt an obligation because I knew he was paying my rent,' she testified. Maimin said threatening to not pay someone's rent if they don't comply with demands could point to coercion. 'You can love someone and be afraid of them. And if they take financial control over their lives, you can understand the mixed feelings,' she said. Jane may be on the stand to help freshen up the prosecution's evidence, allowing it to argue that Combs hasn't learned from, or regretted, his past conduct, said Mark Chutkow, a defense lawyer who handled racketeering cases as a federal prosecutor in Detroit. 'If the prosecutors can't show compelling evidence of coercion, questions about her consent could have a spillover effect on the earlier testimony regarding Cassie — particularly since this new testimony is toward the end of the government's case,' he said. In the midst of the dysfunction in their relationships with Combs, the victims, according to their testimony, either hesitated to leave or stayed in Combs' orbit despite the way he treated them. Mia referred to herself in social media posts as Combs' best friend, praising him as a mentor and inspiration. 'Legend, rapper, actor, entrepreneur, an extraterrestrial was born, happy bday thank you for showing me the path to Pluto and beyond,' she wrote about Combs during his birthday celebration in 2016. 'You are the coolest alien rockstar unicorn pizza slice and we f------ lovvvve you!' Her post came exactly six years after one of the alleged sexual assaults by Combs. 'I tried to protect that night and shut it down and not think about it again,' she testified. Ventura testified that Combs raped her in 2018 after she said they were supposed to have a 'closure conversation' after their relationship ended. 'I remember crying and saying no. It was fast, his eyes were black, he wasn't himself, it was like somebody taking something from you,' Ventura said. Sometime later, she admitted they had consensual sex even though she was in a relationship with her soon-to-be husband, Alex Fine. Forensic psychologist Dawn Hughes testified in court that some domestic violence victims fall prey to psychological, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as financial dependence, making it harder for them to fight back or get away. Before leaving the stand, Ventura said she does not hate Combs and that she has love for the past and what their relationship was. 'I don't hate you, I never have,' she wrote to Combs in a 2019 email exchange. Mia claimed Combs threw things at her and once threw her in a pool. Despite it all, she was devastated after being let go from her job. 'I'm going to kill myself, my life is over,' Mia wrote to Combs' then chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, in a 2017 text message. 'I'm so heartbroken I can't breathe.' If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence hotline for help at (800) 799-SAFE (7233), or go to for more. States often have domestic violence hotlines as well. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
NEWS OF THE WEEK: Jamie Foxx has brutally lashed out at Sean 'Diddy' Combs while delivering a stand-up routine
The 57-year-old Hollywood star has berated 55-year-old Combs amid his ongoing sex trafficking trial - while the pair are known to have tension between them. Appearing at Netflix's All-Star Comedy Night last week, Foxx ruthlessly mocked Combs over his ongoing trial and the lurid alleged details of his sex life that have emerged since the singer was arrested last September. Foxx said, per the New York Post, "That Diddy s**t is crazy, huh? I don't know if he's going to jail, but he's a nasty motherf**ker.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bruises, Threats And Obama-Shaped MDMA: 7 Shocking Revelations From Diddy's Trial
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering trial is well underway, with witnesses painting a picture of a violent and controlling Combs. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have accused the media mogul of using his money and prestige to run a criminal enterprise since at least 2004. He was indicted on five federal charges: 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' apparent downfall comes after his ex, R&B singer Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura filed a damning lawsuit against him in November 2023. The lawsuit was settled quickly and quietly the following day, but additional accusers came forward alleging that Combs had abused and/or sexually violated them. Some of the accusers were minors at the time of the alleged events. He has denied the allegations against him and pleaded not guilty to the charges. He also rejected a plea deal shortly before the trial started. Combs' attorneys have attempted to downplay the case against him as an attempt to bring down a thriving Black man. In the months that followed, federal authorities raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami, and CNN released a video showing Combs attacking Ventura in the hallway of a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Combs, who was once celebrated as a beacon of Black male success, has been held at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since his arrest in September. The trial, which is not being televised or recorded, is expected to last around two months. Jury selection began on May 5. Opening statements occurred the following Monday. Many of the witnesses who have taken the stand essentially described Combs as evil. Kid Cudi called him a 'marvel supervillain;' Ventura said his 'eyes [would] go black;' and Bryana Bongolan, a friend to Ventura, said he called himself the 'devil.' If convicted, Combs could spend the rest of his life in jail. Here's a look at some of the most explosive and jarring moments from the trial. 'There was a line of questioning where your client was nodding vigorously and looking at the jury,' Judge Arun Subramanian told Combs' attorneys on June 5, according to NBC News. 'There should be no efforts to have any interactions with this jury.' The nodding the judge referred to came while Bongolan was on the stand. The judge said that Combs would be removed from the courtroom if he continued. Combs' lead attorney Marc Agnifilo told the judge that the interaction is 'not going to happen again.' 'This cannot happen again,' Subramanian reiterated. A pregnant Ventura took the stand for about a week at the beginning of the trial. At one point, she described what Combs called 'freak-offs.' 'It basically entails the hiring of an escort and setting up this experience so that I could perform for Sean,' Ventura said. The freak-offs allowed for Combs to 'watch me with the other person and actually direct us on what we were doing,' she added. 'Eventually it became a job for me, pretty much,' she claimed, adding that she had to personally reach out to the male escorts and had to participate in the freak-offs even if she was menstruating. She also claimed that he recorded the performances and used them as blackmail against her. Ventura described Combs during sexual encounters: 'His eyes go black. The version of him I was in love with was no longer there,' she said, according to The New York Times. Ventura also discussed being physically abused by Combs. Prosecutors showed the jury images of Ventura's injuries. Some of those images included bruises on her face, back and thigh, and a gash on her eyebrow, USA Today reported. Within two weeks of testifying, Ventura gave birth to her third child with her husband, Alex Fine. Kid Cudi, born Scott Mescudi, briefly dated Ventura in 2011. Mescudi testified on May 22 that Combs broke into his home when he was with Ventura and that he believes he set his luxury vehicle on fire with a Molotov cocktail. 'I'm going to be very candid,' Mescudi said while describing the break-in, according to Rolling Stone. 'I was like, 'Motherfucker, are you in my house?' And he said, 'I just want to talk to you.' I was like, 'I'm on my way over right now.' He was like, 'I'm here.'' But Mescudi did not find Combs when he arrived. He did, however, find that his dog was locked in a bathroom and that Christmas presents had been opened. He said Combs wanted to talk to him, but Mescudi said he responded by telling him, 'You broke into my house. You messed with my dog... Like, I don't want to talk to you.' Mescudi and Ventura stopped seeing each other in late December of 2011. 'The drama, it was just getting out of hand,' Mescudi testified. 'I kind of wanted to give her some space … for my safety, for her safety…' He also told the courtroom that he believed Ventura was 'playing' both him and Combs. Combs' former personal assistant from 2007 to 2009, David James, testified on May 19 that he personally acquired drugs for Combs before. James claimed that Combs used to take opiates during the day and ecstasy at night, according to CNN. Some of the ecstasy pills were shaped like former President Barack Obama, according to James. James also described Combs' drug use in more depth, including informing the jury of a 'medicine bag' that Combs brought around with him, according to Business Insider. 'There were probably 25 to 30 different pillboxes or pill bottles,' James said, according to BI. 'Some were like Advil, Tylenol. He had water pills to help him lose weight. He had Viagra in there. He had some pills that helped increase his sperm count, for example.' 'He did have ecstasy and Percocets in there, as well,' James added. Former member of the music groups Danity Kane and Diddy—Dirty Money, Dawn Richard, testified on May 16 that Combs compelled people in his orbit to stay quiet because 'where he comes from, people who say something can end up missing.' Richard described watching Combs beat Ventura when she took too long to cook his dinner, Business Insider reported. 'He took the skillet with the eggs in it and tried to hit her in the head, and she fell to the ground,' Richard testified. The next day, Combs told Richard and Ventura that 'what we saw was passion, and it was what lovers in a relationship do.' He also told them 'he was trying to take us to the top, and that, where he comes from, people go missing if they say things like that, like, if people talk. And then he gave us flowers,' according to Business Insider's report. Richard filed her own lawsuit against Combs in September 2024. She accused him of sexual assault, retaliation, threatening to end her life and refusing to pay her. Capricorn Clark had an on-and-off working relationship with Combs between 2004 and 2018, at one point working as his former assistant and as the marketing head for Sean Jean at another. She testified on May 27 that Combs kidnapped her at gunpoint in 2011 to kill Mescudi when he learned that Ventura was dating him. According to Clark, Combs came to her home in the early morning with a gun out, told her to get dressed, and said, 'We're going to go kill [Mescudi],' according to NPR. They went inside of Mescudi's house while he was not home, which Mescudi described in his own testimony. Clark claimed that Combs threatened to kill her if she informed the authorities. In a separate instance, Clark said Combs locked her in a building in Manhattan and subjected her to numerous lie detector tests when some of his jewelry went missing, NPR also reported. She said the man testing her told her that she would be 'thrown into the East River' if she failed. 'I was petrified,' Clark said. Mia, the pseudonym for a former assistant for Combs who he tasked with keeping an eye on Ventura, while taking the stand on May 29, described an instance in which Combs attacked Ventura at Prince's house in 2011 or 2012, according to The New York Times. 'Cass and I debated like little kids if we should sneak out of the house,' Mia reportedly said. But Combs showed up at the party. 'Oh, crap,' Mia recalled thinking when she saw her then-boss. 'Me and Cass just booked it.' When Combs caught them, he beat Cassie until a security guard for Prince interfered, according to USA Today. Mia claimed she was fired the next day for 'being insubordinate.' While on the stand, she also testified that Combs sexually assaulted her on more than one occasion. 'I couldn't tell him no about a sandwich — I couldn't tell him no about anything,' she said, according to the Times. 'There was no way I could tell him no, because then he would know that I thought what he was doing was wrong and then I would be a target.' Need help? Visit RAINN's National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center's website. Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Trump Weighs In On Possible Sean 'Diddy' Combs Pardon: 'He Used To Really Like Me' Cassie's Lawsuit Against Diddy Started A Movement Many Didn't See Coming 'Marvel Supervillain': Kid Cudi Describes Meeting With Diddy After Molotov Cocktail Hit His Porsche
