Diddy trial recap: Former assistant Mia says Diddy sexually assaulted her, she feared he'd kill Cassie

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2 days ago

This page reflects the news from Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial on Thursday, May 29. For the latest updates from Diddy's trial, read USA TODAY's live coverage for Friday, May 30.
This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
A former assistant to Sean "Diddy" Combs told the jury in his federal sex-crimes trial that he physically, emotionally and sexually abused her, and she feared the former hip-hop mogul would kill his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura Fine.
"He's thrown things at me. He's thrown me against the wall. He's thrown me into a pool," the woman, testifying using the pseudonym Mia, said. "He also sexually assaulted me."
On the stand May 29, Mia was emotional, slow and considered in her responses. Her voice often cracked as she teared up while alleging Combs attacked her and Ventura Fine multiple times. Judge Arun Subramanian told jurors today that Mia would be using a pseudonym for the duration of the trial, and nobody was to try to take pictures of her or share her appearance in any way.
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Mia's testimony comes after Deonte Nash, a friend and stylist of Ventura Fine, said Combs tried to control all aspects of Ventura Fine's life during their decade-long relationship. "It drove her crazy. She would cry," Nash said.
He also alleged Diddy repeatedly beat her, including bashing her head on a bed frame.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
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Mia, who worked for Combs from 2009 to 2017, testified that he sexually assaulted her on "more than one" occasion. She spoke calmly about how it was a chaotic and toxic, but also exciting, work environment where the "highs were really high but the lows were really, really low."
She said her working conditions depended on Combs' mood, alleging that the mogul threw things at her, pushed her against a wall, tossed her into a pool, used a bucket on her head and slammed her arm into a door.
The former assistant alleged that the first time Combs sexually assaulted her was at the Plaza Hotel, when they were in New York City celebrating his 40th birthday in 2009.
Mia recalled having two shots that were affecting her much more than alcohol typically impacted her memory and balance. She said Combs approached her in a penthouse suite and sexually assaulted her, and she woke up sitting on a chair in the morning.
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"I thought it would never happen again. He was so drunk. I would never tell anybody," Mia told the court. "It was probably a huge accident. He probably wouldn't remember that."
In later years, Combs allegedly assaulted her several additional times, including at his Los Angeles home and on a private plane. Mia cried as she described the alleged attacks.
"Did you actually tell him no?" prosecutors asked. Mia said she felt she couldn't tell him "no" about anything. "I couldn't tell him 'no' about a sandwich," she said.
She worried that he would "fire me and ruin my future. I knew his power and his control over me. I didn't want to lose everything I had worked so hard for."
After Combs' alleged assaults, Mia explained, she had the mentality that she needed to "keep it moving." She would continue working because "there wasn't time to think or reflect," and she would "act like it never happened," she said on the stand.
Mia described the experiences as "the most traumatizing thing, the worst thing, the most shameful thing" to ever happen to her.
Combs allegedly ensured her silence by threatening to tell others, including Ventura Fine, while also claiming Mia was the initiator of these sexual acts.
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She was convinced she couldn't take her allegations to human resources at Combs' business or the police, she said. HR staff were there to help Combs punish employees, she alleged. Her run-ins with law enforcement, in which they allegedly showed deference to Combs, convinced her that filing a police report wouldn't go anywhere.
Mia had thought that "I was going to die" without having told anyone about the assaults.
Prosecutors asked Mia about a party at Prince's house in 2011 or 2012. At the time, Mia and Cassie were staying at a hotel without Combs, but a friend called Ventura Fine to tell her about "an intimate" gathering at the late musician's home.
She said they debated like teenagers about sneaking out and eventually decided to go. At the party, they danced and hung out with friends as Prince performed. But Mia saw Combs walking in, and she and Cassie "booked it," running through the house and into the yard, she said.
"Puff caught up to Cass and had her on the ground," Mia said. "He started to attack her, but Prince's security swiftly intervened." The next day, Mia said she was told Combs was suspending her without pay because she was "being insubordinate."
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Mia choked up as she described an alleged incident where she was afraid that Combs would "kill" Ventura Fine.
She said she was with Ventura Fine and Nash at the singer's Los Angeles apartment, helping her pack for a trip. They heard banging on the door, and a "very irate" Combs let himself in with a key and began screaming at Ventura Fine, asking if she had been drinking alcohol and saying she wasn't answering her phone.
Combs came after Mia and Nash, acting "crazy aggressive" and asking if Ventura Fine had been drinking, Mia said. He then allegedly started attacking Ventura Fine and threw her to the ground.
Mia said she and Nash "jumped in and tried to stop it," but Combs began attacking Nash, and Mia said she feared for the stylist's life too. Mia jumped on Combs' back, and he threw her off against the wall. "I realized we were in real danger," she said.
Combs grabbed Ventura Fine, picked her up and threw her on the edge of the bed, where she hit her head, Mia testified. "I thought he was going to kill her," she said. "She started gushing blood and ended up with a pretty big scar on her forehead."
While Ventura Fine lay on the floor bleeding, Combs told Mia to call an assistant and say that Ventura Fine was "drunk and hit her head," she testified. Mia said she complied because she "thought that was the only way to get her help."
Looking back, Mia said this incident was the "first time I realized the severe danger we were actually in."
Mia said she took the job as Combs' assistant because she wanted to break into the entertainment industry. She previously worked as comedian Mike Myers' assistant, but she was hired by Combs when she was about 26, she recalled.
Working for Combs quickly turned inappropriate and even controlling, Mia alleged. She recalled Combs answering the door in his underwear while she was still interviewing for her role.
Once she got the job, her work hours were so intense that she effectively moved into Combs' Los Angeles home with him. There, she said she wasn't allowed to leave the property without Combs' permission. In a 2009 or 2010 incident, she alleged the rapper had his security guards follow her after she left the home to see friends.
She was also allegedly told by Combs himself that she couldn't lock her bedroom door. "Puff said, 'This is my house,'" and no one is allowed to lock the door except members of his security team, she said.
Later in her testimony, Mia alleged Combs flew into a rage in a 2014 incident after she went to her room to change her tampon while she was menstruating.
Combs had directed her to pick up food for him and other employees at around 2:00 a.m. She entered her room after working since 8 a.m. the previous day, and when she emerged, Combs was allegedly angry that she hadn't received the food. She said Combs went on a "humiliating" rant before allegedly throwing a bowl of spaghetti at her head, just missing her body.
Mia recalled a trip to the festival known as Burning Man, during which she claimed Combs set up a "three plates of drugs" guessing game that involved cocaine, MDMA and ketamine.
She was "really nervous" when it was her turn because she didn't want to take ketamine, but "Puff wouldn't let it go." At first joking, his tone "started to change, like I was going to mess up the whole vibe," Mia said. When she pretended to take the ketamine, he got upset and started "humiliating" her in front of the group, eventually separating a ketamine dose for her.
She snorted it, then tried to blow it out when Combs wasn't looking because she was "so scared" after seeing what the drug had done to others, Mia said. "I didn't think I had a choice," but to take it, she explained.
As an assistant, Mia's job responsibilities also covered Combs' alleged "freak offs."
For the events, which she called "hotel nights," Mia said she was on-call to bring "all (Combs') lotions and potions" – Astroglide lubricant, baby oil, condoms and candles – as needed.
She also said she'd clean up after these alleged "freak offs" because Combs wanted to prevent hotel staff from contacting any tabloids. The state of the room would be "a nightmare; they were just destroyed" with candle wax that was "impossible to get out" and baby oil on the furniture and the walls. She also witnessed broken glass and blood, Mia alleged, noting that Combs explained the latter as menstrual blood.
Her job also entailed caring for Ventura Fine's injuries, which included bringing her "whatever she needed," such as arnica gel to help heal her bruises. When the wounds were "too obvious to cover up," Ventura Fine was forced to stay at hotels, Mia said.
Mia testified that she was expected to work long hours during her employment with Combs, adding that she never received vacations, rarely got a break and often had to pull all-nighters. "There were always a million things going on," she said.
Mia testified that she was previously prescribed a stimulant medication that helped her deal with the lack of sleep. But near the end of one week, where she said she had to stay awake for five full days, "my hearing went underwater. My equilibrium was off. I had blurred vision."
She said she burst into tears and began hysterically crying, at which point Combs told her to rest.
Mia told the court that – while Combs was supportive at times – she would be held responsible for any mishaps in his business, including being punished, cursed out, humiliated and berated by Combs. Combs would also insult her intelligence and threaten her job, she said.
Mia went on to say that she had to "beg" for the title of director of development at Revolt, the hip-hop media company Combs founded, after working in the industry for years. She said she initially made $70,000 a year before getting a raise to $100,000, but she said she was also promised bonuses that she never received.
Mia, one of Combs' former assistants, took the stand after Combs' attorneys finished questioning Nash about Cassie and Diddy's relationship.
As Xavier Donaldson, Combs' attorney, cross-examined Nash, he focused on Cassie and Diddy's other romantic relationships during their on-and-off, decade-long connection.
He asked Nash about Ventura Fine shooting a movie in South Africa before the stylist jumped in and responded, "Yes, I did hook her up with Michael B. Jordan. I know where you're going with this."
Nash clarified that Ventura Fine was "somewhat" pursuing Jordan, and that they were "dating, talking and getting to know each other." Nash set up Ventura Fine and Jordan with Mia's help, he confirmed.
Donaldson also asked Nash about Ventura Fine's relationship with former NFL linebacker Andre Branch. "Oh, the cute football player?" Nash replied.
The court was shown text messages from around that time when Ventura Fine was away in South Africa and had broken up with Combs. Ventura Fine saw a picture of Combs and a woman identified as Gina, and told Nash, "Why does he keep humiliating me and trying to ruin my career?" he recalled on the stand.
Nash said that Ventura Fine "wasn't pressed about Gina." But why are Combs' lawyers asking about these other relationships?
It's not clear, but the attorneys have repeatedly argued Ventura Fine felt in control of her relationship with Combs and free to leave when she wanted. Ventura Fine has testified that he exerted physical, psychological and sexual abuse over her for their entire relationship.
As Combs' lawyers continued cross-examining Nash May 29, they pointed to multiple examples of the stylist not asking Ventura Fine about the alleged abuse she was facing.
For example, in one text exchange, the lawyers pointed to Ventura Fine and Nash talking about a "secret trip" Ventura Fine was set to take, but Nash didn't ask where she was going – or who she was traveling with. "Good friends don't really pry," Nash hit back.
Defense lawyers showed more text messages between the stylist and Ventura Fine, in which he encouraged her to enjoy a 2017 vacation with Combs. In 2018, Nash ended his professional relationship with the rapper, but he invited Combs to his birthday party, and they checked in on each other often.
The same year, Combs texted Nash, "Please call me. No drama, it's important. I'm concerned. How is she?" Nash confirmed to jurors that Combs was talking about Ventura Fine in the message. In January 2019, Combs texted again, "How is she? Make sure she's alright. If she ever needs me, call me."
As questioning continued, Donaldson appeared intent on demonstrating the gaps in honesty in Nash and Ventura Fine's relationship. "You deeply care for Cassie, yes?" he said, "She kept major secrets from you, correct?" Nash replied, simply, "OK."
Nash told jurors May 28 that he frequently saw Diddy be violent with Cassie, hitting her face and giving her black eyes. He alleged Combs once beat Ventura Fine so badly in a hotel room that she had a bloody gash over her eye that required stitches.
The stylist described another violent incident in 2013 or 2014, when an angry Combs allegedly came to her Los Angeles apartment, pleading with her to speak privately. After a few minutes, they emerged from her bedroom with Combs allegedly grabbing her by the hair and jacket and pushing her halfway out the door while yelling at her to get out of her own home.
Nash said there were at least four security guards with Combs that night who initially blocked him from leaving the building, but they eventually let him drive Cassie to safety. But while Nash and Ventura Fine were in the vehicle, Combs called them and ordered them to pull over.
When he caught up, Nash said the rapper came to the car window and again threatened to release footage of Ventura Fine having sex.
Before breaking for lunch on May 28, jurors heard testimony from Nash, who worked as a stylist for Combs and Ventura Fine between 2009 and 2018. Los Angeles Police Department officer Chris Ignacio also testified about Combs' alleged break-in at Kid Cudi's home.
Capricorn Clark's testimony this week came after a slew of witnesses, including Ventura Fine's mother Regina Ventura, Danity Kane alum Dawn Richard and Scott Mescudi (aka Kid Cudi), appeared in court last week to share harrowing accounts of Combs' alleged abuse.
Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling lawsuit that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.
He was arrested in September 2024 and has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.
Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity.
Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in "freak offs" — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have video of.
The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings.
USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff; Reuters
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Diddy trial recap: Former aide Mia says Diddy sexually assaulted her