Takeaways from ‘Diddy' trial: Woman accuses Sean Combs of dangling her over a balcony

CNN

2 days ago

A forensic video expert and a woman who said Sean 'Diddy' Combs dangled her over a balcony took the stand Wednesday in the Hip-hop mogul's federal criminal trial.
The testimony came as the prosecution has sought to prove Combs and some in his inner circle constituted a criminal enterprise that used threats, violence, kidnapping and other means to coerce women into 'Freak Offs' with male escorts and to protect his image.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. His defense has acknowledged Combs was violent but has questioned the motives of those testifying and has said the accusations fall short of the charges.
Bryana Bongolan is set to return to the stand for more cross-examination on Thursday at 11 a.m. The prosecution has indicated the court will soon hear testimony from a key accuser who has been referred to in court by the pseudonym 'Jane' and in the indictment as 'Victim-2.' Her testimony is expected to last into next week.
Here's what we learned in testimony Wednesday.
A forensic video expert testified Wednesday that the March 2016 surveillance video showing Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel in Los Angeles was not manually altered.
Frank Piazza, the expert, said he examined the surveillance video from the InterContinental Hotel, cell phone video and 'sex videos' in preparation for his expert testimony but did not have knowledge of the case.
At the government's request, Piazza said he created a video compilation of clips from inside the hotel showing the actions of Combs, Ventura and the security officer who responded to the scene, Israel Florez. He testified that he slowed the InterContinental surveillance footage to real-time because a technical file-converting process had inadvertently sped it up.
Surveillance footage of the assault has been the central piece of evidence in the trial so far, and the jury has watched the video at least eight times. CNN first published surveillance video of the assault last year.
Piazza also testified that he enhanced 10 'sex videos' originally recorded in 2012 and 2014 that were recovered from a laptop Ventura gave the government under the user profile Frank Black, an alias used by Combs. The videos were entered into evidence Wednesday under seal.
On cross-examination, when defense attorney Teny Geragos noted the time codes on the hotel surveillance footage jump rather than advance second-by-second, Piazza explained that the hotel camera system is motion activated so motion triggers a time stamp change and that the hotel's cameras were not synchronized to the same internal clock. He testified he was able to sync the footage based on overlapping events.
Bryana Bongolan, the second witness of the day, testified Combs held her over a 17-story balcony and threw her onto the balcony furniture in September 2016.
The incident was previously mentioned in a civil suit filed by Bongolan against Combs in November 2024.
Attorneys for Combs previously denied Bongolan's allegations in a statement to CNN.
On Wednesday, Bongolan testified that the incident occurred after Combs began banging on the door of Ventura's apartment in Los Angeles. Bongolan said she hid her now ex-girlfriend, who was with her and Ventura in the apartment, in the bathroom because she 'didn't want to expose her to things that I see.'
She then went to the balcony to appear 'casual,' she testified, and was facing away from the door when Combs came up behind her, grabbed her chest and then held her by her armpits over the balcony railing.
Combs repeatedly yelled, 'Do you know what the f**k you did?' according to Bongolan. She recalled responding something like 'I don't know what the f**k I did,' and added that she still doesn't know what Combs was angry about.
After about 15 seconds, Combs threw her on the balcony furniture, she testified.
Bongolan said as she was falling, she heard Ventura ask something similar to 'Did you just hang her over the balcony?' and it sounded like she was in disbelief.
Afterward, she had a bruise on her leg and had back and neck pain, she testified. The jury saw photos of the bruise and bandages on her back and neck.
'I have night terrors and paranoia and scream in my sleep at times,' she added. She said she didn't experience those things before the incident.
A day or two afterward, Combs or someone on his team FaceTimed her, Bongolan said. 'I remember saying a couple times, 'I don't want any problems with you,'' she testified. She said she didn't report the balcony incident to police because she was scared.
Bongolan said she's seeking $10 million in her lawsuit against Combs but said she's not expecting any money to come from her testimony at this trial. Bongolan said she filed the lawsuit against Combs, 'because I wanted to seek justice for what happened to me.'
A hearing on her civil case is set to take place in July, according to court records.
Bongolan also testified about other threatening incidents involving Combs and about her frequent drug use with Ventura.
Bongolan testified under an immunity order after she invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. She is the third witness to testify under immunity.
She testified she frequently stayed at Ventura's apartment, and Combs regularly came over in the middle of the night banging on the door. On one occasion, Combs threw a knife in Ventura's direction, and Ventura threw the knife back but didn't hit him, Bongolan said.
She said she didn't call the police about the incident. 'I was just scared of Puff,' she said, referring to Combs' nickname.
Bongolan testified she saw Ventura with bruises or injuries on some occasions. She said she saw Ventura had a black eye during a FaceTime call with her around the time of Ventura's premiere of the Perfect Match, which was in March 2016. 'I was a little quiet and I remember saying I'm sorry,' Bongolan said.
Bongolan also testified about a time Combs threatened her while she and Ventura were doing a photoshoot on the beach in early 2016. 'He came up really close to my face and said something around the lines of 'I'm the devil and I could kill you,'' Bongolan said. She said she was likely using cocaine at the time, which gave her confidence to brush it off.
Bongolan said she and Ventura did drugs together and the drug use 'definitely created like a habit.' She sold drugs to Ventura often, including oxycodone pills, cocaine and ketamine, she testified.
She said Combs gave her drugs a few times and said she's seen Combs use drugs.
On cross-examination, the defense challenged Bongolan's memory of the balcony incident and noted Ventura described it differently in her lawsuit against Combs.
Bongolan confirmed she had conversations with Ventura about the balcony incident before and after Ventura filed her lawsuit, including about the location and who was present. She confirmed that Ventura had said it was at a hotel with a different person present.
The defense suggested that Bongolan's testimony did not match what she told prosecutors in meetings prior to trial. Bongolan repeatedly said she didn't remember exactly what she told prosecutors or at what meeting.
'Isn't it true that just two days ago you told the prosecution you just don't recall the details of the balcony allegation?' Westmoreland asked.
'I don't remember,' Bongolan said.