Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial recap: ‘Mia,' former assistant, testifies that Combs threatened to kill her, used sexual assaults as blackmail and left her with PTSD
The trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continued Friday in Manhattan federal court, where 'Mia' — a pseudonym for an alleged victim and former assistant to Combs — continued her testimony against him in the sex trafficking case for a second straight day.
She 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. She also said he threatened to tell his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura that they had slept together.
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.
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.
Combs has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
Here are some key takeaways from Thursday's testimony culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom, including CNN, NBC News and the Washington Post.
The former personal assistant to Combs, who was referred to in court by the pseudonym 'Mia,' alleged that Combs sexually assaulted her multiple times throughout her employment, and threatened to tell Cassie Ventura, his longtime girlfriend, that they had slept together consensually.
In 2015, 'Mia' accompanied Ventura to South Africa for a film shoot. She said that while they were there, Ventura found out that Combs had been cheating on her, and stopped returning his calls.
Combs called 'Mia' repeatedly, the former assistant told the court. She told the court she woke up to 48 missed calls and messages from her boss, some of which were shown to the jury.
In one text exchange, Combs wrote 'Call me now' seven consecutive times.
'If you dont call me now f*** it all. And imma tell everything. And don't ever speak to me again. You have 2 min. F*** her,' Combs wrote to 'Mia' in a WhatsApp message on Oct. 31, 2015.
She said he also threatened to rip up a television deal that they had reached with ABC about an assistant like her working for a prominent figure like him. The show never aired.
When she did speak with Combs, he was 'irate' and 'irrational,' she told the court, demanding she return to the United States, threatening to kill her and report her to HR.
'Mia' recounted numerous instances of Combs's rage over seemingly innocuous mistakes.
She said that while they were on a chartered yacht in St. Barths on New Year's Eve in 2010, Combs became irate with her after she took too long to count the money in his safe.
'He told me, 'You better learn to walk on water like Jesus, b*tch. Get the f*** out of here,'' she recalled.
She said she eventually got a yacht crew member to take her to shore, but that the crew radioed saying Combs wanted her back on the boat, so she reluctantly returned.Combs then said he wanted her to go with him on a jet to Las Vegas, and threatened to fire her if she did not.
'I was just overwhelmed with fear that I would be in huge trouble, I would definitely be fired, and I didn't have a way out of it,' she testified. 'He would have destroyed my reputation. Yeah, I was scared of him.'
Big picture: Prosecutors have appeared to use testimony from former assistants to show a pattern of abuse, intimidation and threats employed by Combs — and part of what the government has alleged was a criminal enterprise.
Under direct examination, 'Mia' said that she eventually left her job in 2017 after Combs decided to shut down his film production company, where she had been serving as director of development and acquisition.
She told the court that she felt 'betrayed' by the decision, and subsequently hired an employment attorney to work out a severance package for her. After months of negotiations, they settled for $400,000.
'Mia' testified that she has since struggled to work due to post-traumatic stress she developed from working for Combs.
She told the court that she is easily 'triggered' by normal interactions, such as when someone asks 'Where are you?'
Under cross-examination from the defense, 'Mia' was asked about the positive experiences she had working for Combs.
She was presented with 2013 photos from Burning Man posted to social media, which show her smiling alongside Combs.
"You're standing right next to and leaning toward him, the man who terrorized you?" defense attorney Brian Steel asked.
"Yes," she replied.
The defense also asked "Mia" to read a message she wrote wishing Combs a happy birthday on what would have been the 6-year anniversary of a sexual assault she testified he committed against her.
"Legend, rapper, actor, entrepreneur, an extraterrestrial was born, happy bday thank you for showing me the path to Pluto and beyond," read the message.
'Mia' acknowledged that she often posted glowingly about Combs to Instagram, but said that all employees were expected to promote him and his brand on social media.
Big picture: The defense sought to minimize the former assistant's claims by showing the jury that she appeared to be happy at times in her employment even after the alleged abuse.
At the White House Friday, President Trump was asked if he would consider a pardon for Combs.
'Nobody's asked, but I know people are thinking about it,' Trump replied.
The president has used his pardon power numerous times since retaking office. Earlier this week, he pardoned the rapper NBA YoungBoy and reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley.
'I haven't been watching it too closely though it's certainly been getting a lot of coverage,' Trump said of the Combs trial, 'I haven't seen, I haven't spoken to him in years. He used to really like me a lot. I think when I ran for politics, that relationship busted up, from what I read.'
'I don't know, I would certainly look at the facts,' the president added. 'If I think someone was mistreated, whether they like me or dislike me wouldn't have any impact.'
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