Celebs Who 'Should Potentially Be Worried' As Diddy's Trial Is Set To Expose 'Freak-Offs' Guest List
Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex crimes trial is now in full swing, and it's expected to intensify with the release of the guest list from the rapper's infamous parties known as "Freak-Offs."
Already, jurors have received a list of people connected to the embattled music mogul, although it remains unclear whether those people actually attended the parties.
Now, a legal expert has warned that anyone whose name appears on Sean "Diddy" Combs' freak-off guest list should be worried, especially if the rapper is ultimately convicted in the trial.
Since the revelation that Diddy often hosted "Freak-Offs," speculation has swirled about who was involved in the hedonistic parties.
A lot of names have popped up on social media, although none have been confirmed by federal prosecutors.
That now seems set to change amid the rapper's trial, with the potential release of a guest list naming those who attended or had any connection to the alleged drug-fueled sex marathons.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we start hearing the names of other people who participated in the freak-off," said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and co-founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers, per the U.S. Sun.
Speaking on the potential revelation of the list, Rahmani warned that those named should be worried about the possibility of charges being brought against them.
"There are two sets of people that should potentially be worried. Obviously, if anyone participated in these freak-offs and sexually assaulted victims, they can be charged or sued civilly," he said. "But there are also individuals in Diddy's entourage that maybe helped set up the freak-offs. Those individuals could potentially also be charged."
During jury selection, potential jurors were presented with a list of individuals linked to Sean "Diddy" Combs through personal or professional associations.
The list included several high-profile names, such as actors Michael B. Jordan and Mike Myers, along with rappers Kid Cudi and Kanye West.
Although their inclusion does not confirm that they attended Diddy's alleged "Freak-Off" parties, the legal expert cautioned that even being mentioned by witnesses could "certainly tarnish their reputation."
Rahmani further warned that if Diddy is convicted, the ripple effects could be significant, especially for other celebrities not facing criminal charges but named in civil lawsuits filed since his September arrest.
"The other celebrities, they've been able to avoid potential criminal charges, but if Diddy is convicted and others are implicated, they should certainly be worried that they may be next," the former federal prosecutor said.
While there are four victims named in the superseding indictment against Diddy, only one has been publicly identified so far: Cassandra "Cassie" Ventura.
The alleged victim dated the rapper on and off from 2007 to 2018 and was seen being assaulted by him in a viral video from 2016.
Despite how damaging her testimony and that of other witnesses may be for the embattled rapper, Rahmani believes the videos seized from Diddy's residences in Miami and Los Angeles prior to his arrest could inflict even greater damage on his defense.
"The most powerful evidence that was seized by the government has to be the videos," the attorney said. "Criminal defendants can lie. Only when CNN got a copy of the [Cassie] video in May of last year did Diddy finally issue an apology."
He added, "That's how powerful video evidence is. And that's why the government wanted to get the hard drives, the iPhones, [and] the iPads, because Diddy reportedly videotaped these freak-offs. It may be the reason Combs gets convicted."
On Monday, opening statements were heard in Diddy's trial, with two witnesses also taking the stand, per The U.S. Sun.
Both witnesses, LAPD officer Israel Florez and a male escort named Daniel Phillip, testified to Diddy's potential for violence.
Florez, who was working as a security guard at the hotel where Diddy allegedly assaulted Cassie, claimed he saw a "devilish stare" on the rapper when he responded to the scene of the incident.
Meanwhile, Phillip stated that on two separate occasions, he witnessed Diddy assaulting Cassie. In the first, Diddy allegedly threw a bottle at his ex-girlfriend, grabbed her by the hair, and began dragging her.
In the second, he reportedly "slapped her around" after she appeared to have upset him over an undisclosed incident.
Meanwhile, prosecutors have vowed to expose Diddy's "20 years of crime," ranging from kidnapping, arson, drugs, sex crimes, bribery, and obstruction.
"To the public, he was Puff Daddy or Diddy. A cultural icon. A businessman. Larger than life," Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson said. "But there was another side to him. A side that ran a criminal enterprise."
She continued, "During this trial, you are going to hear about 20 years of the defendant's crimes. But he didn't do it alone. He had an inner circle of bodyguards and high-ranking employees who helped him commit crimes and cover them up."
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Takeaways from ‘Diddy' trial: Woman accuses Sean Combs of dangling her over a balcony
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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.
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Takeaways from ‘Diddy' trial: Woman accuses Sean Combs of dangling her over a balcony
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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.
