Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' former assistant accuses him of hurling ice bucket at her head
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former assistant has accused him of hurling an ice bucket at her head as part of a toxic work environment.
The Bad Boy Records founder, 55, is sitting trial in New York on federal charges and facing life in prison if convicted on all charges including sex trafficking and racketeering, and the jury in the case heard on Thursday (29.05.25) from a woman testifying under the pseudonym Mia.
She accused Combs of repeated violence and a toxic work environment during her time employed by the music mogul, telling the federal court: 'He's thrown things to me. He's thrown me against the wall, into a pool, ice bucket on my head, slammed my arms into a door.'
Mia, now in her early 30s, appeared in court as part of a sprawling federal case against Combs, who is also accused of operating a criminal enterprise and committing acts of physical abuse and coercion.
The court heard Mia met Combs in his underwear during an interview set up by the head of Human Resources at his company. She alleged he only got dressed after she arrived.
Originally hired as Combs' personal assistant, Mia told prosecutors she later became director of development and acquisitions at Revolt Films, which was co-founded by Combs.
She said her working conditions were extreme and included working 24-hour shifts with little sleep and low pay — reportedly earning $50,000 per year at the time.
'Working long hours on little to no sleep became a norm,' she said.
Combs' trial took a chaotic turn on Wednesday (28.05.25) after Combs' legal team, led by attorney Marc Agnifilo, called for a mistrial.
The defense accused prosecutors of misconduct during questioning related to destroyed fingerprint evidence in an arson case involving musician Kid Cudi, born Scott Mescudi.
Arson investigator Lance Jimenez testified DNA recovered from a Molotov cocktail used to firebomb Kid's car in 2011 had been destroyed by the Los Angeles Police Department in 2012 without his knowledge.
Agnifilo argued the prosecution 'implied that someone in this courtroom was responsible for the destruction of the fingerprint cards';
Judge Arun Subramanian denied the motion for a mistrial but agreed to strike the related questions and instructed the jury to disregard the DNA evidence.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing, stating any sexual encounters he had were consensual.
The trial is expected to continue for another six to seven weeks.
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News.com.au
19 hours ago
- News.com.au
Sean Combs trial: Diddy text that ‘terrified' alleged victim
A former staff member of Sean 'Diddy' Combs has told a court of the seemingly mundane text message she received from the music star that 'terrified' her. At one point the witness, known as 'Mia', was so scared when a phone call came through from Combs – despite leaving his company six years previously – she threw her phone across to the other side of the room and even left her building to get away from it. The witness also said at one point she tried to escape Combs after he raged at her only to be brought back to the mogul by security. Combs is on trial in New York on federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs has denied all the charges. The court has granted Mia — which is not her real name — anonymity, which means few details can be reported about her. Previously she told the court she worked for Combs, who she Kew as 'Puff,' for eight years, until 2017, rising from an assistant to the star to an executive. She has also accused Combs of repeatedly raping and sexually assaulting her and physical abuse. Combs has not been charged in connection with any of Mia's courtroom claims. Text 'terrified' me On Friday, US time, the Manhattan federal court was shown a text exchange between Mia and Comb's former security guard Marion Knight Jr, also known as 'D-Roc'. That out of the blue text came in 2023, several years after Mia left Combs' employment. Although Mia said she liked D-Roc, she thought it was clear the call was about a civil suit that Combs' former girlfriend Cassie Ventura has just lodged. 'Puff really wanted to talk to me, maybe I could say something?' Mia recounted the text from D-Roc as saying. 'He was going to call me'. She said she felt like Combs wanted to make sure she 'wasn't a threat' to him when it came to Ms Ventura's legal proceedings. There was also an implication, she said, that they might want to send her some cash as a bribe. Several hours later, Combs called her directly. 'Seeing Puff call made me throw my phone as far as it would go and I ran outside,' Mia said, who has claimed she has PTSD from working with Combs and now cannot work. D-Roc continued to hound Mia, the court heard, trying to get her to speak to Combs. She would either not reply or when she did lie and say that she didn't have notifications on her phone so didn't see text messages or that she was out of range. Finally, Combs himself began texting her. 'Hey, its Puff please let me know when you have 10 mins to talk. Love,' one message to Mia read. Another text from Combs read: 'Hey I don't want to be blowing up your phone. Just need to talk to jog my memory on things. You were my right hand woman for years, would be good to hear your voice but if you don't want to talk all good.' Despite the seeming cheeriness of the texts, Mia told the court: 'I felt terrified'. 'I wanted nothing to do with him or anything,' she said. 'He was the person I was traumatised by and now he was coming back. 'I knew this was about (the case)'. Failed attempt to flee Combs Earlier, Mia had told the jury about one claimed incident where she was so traumatised she tried – and failed – to flee Combs. This came after she claimed she had been assaulted and raped by Combs on several occasions. She was on the French Caribbean island of St Barts around New Year's 2011/2012 on a yacht hired by Combs. Mia said the musician and producer asked her to count some cash, which was not her usual role and she was worried about getting it wrong. 'He got really angry and that I was counting to slow. 'He told me 'you better learn to walk on water bitch, like Jesus''. Mia said she ran out of the room and hid as best she could from Combs elsewhere on the yacht. Finally she persuaded the crew to take her on a tender to shore where she hoped to find a place to hide. But her passport was on the boat. Security then turned up and told her to return to the yacht. Defeated, Mia said 'I obeyed Puff's orders'. Mia's positive Puff posts Under cross examination by Combs' lawyers, Mia was confronted with a series of social media posts she made while employed by the star where she praised him including as a 'mentor' and 'brother' and said she loved him. 'That's the man who terrorised you?' said Combs' lawyer Brian Steele. Mia repeated testimony that she had said the previous day that the 'highs were high but the lows were low'. She said that Instagram was not a place where you put negative news. Her friends and family saw the posts and she wanted to project a positive image. Mia also said Combs could see her social media. 'I had to support the things Puff supported,' she said.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs accused of raping former aid
The 55-year-old music mogul is facing a federal trial in New York, accused of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution - which he has pleaded not guilty to. On Thursday, a witness under the alias of "Mia" took the stand to testify against Combs, having previously served as a personal assistant to him. The witness told the court she had been raped "More than once," by the mogul - and went on to list a string of alleged violent events that she suffered at the hands of the star.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Second former Sean Combs assistant recounts her dream turned nightmare
A second former assistant to Sean "Diddy" Combs testified Thursday in the music mogul's federal trial, alledging he committed acts of violence against her and others, including sexual assault. Appearing under the pseudonym Mia to protect her identity, the assistant addressed jurors on the stand in the federal trial of the once-famed rapper, producer and entrepreneur who faces racketeering and sex trafficking charges that could put him in prison for life. Combs's case revolves around his relationship with his former girlfriend, singer Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, who earlier in the trial detailed years of alleged abuse and coercive, drug-fueled sex marathons known as "freak-offs." - 'He's going to kill me' - Mia said she was close to the "Diddy-Cassie" couple and recalled several episodes of violence. She sounded breathless at times as she told the court about seeing Ventura with "busted lips," "bruises" and "a black eye." Combs would tell Mia to "go take care of her," referring to Ventura, adding that "we were not allowed" to go out until her injuries healed enough to conceal. The prosecutors asked Mia about an incident during a holiday trip she took with the couple in 2012. One night, she said she was woken up by Ventura running into her room, "screaming for help." She recalled Ventura had said: "He's gonna kill me," referring to Combs. "We started pushing furniture in front of the door," Mia said, describing how Combs was "screaming and banging" on the other side. The former assistant, like previous witnesses, said hotel rooms would be prepared for the "freak-offs" and she would be responsible for the clean-up. Working for the hip-hop mogul could be exciting, she said, but was often degrading. "He treated me sometimes like his best friend, a working partner, sometimes I was a worthless piece of crap," Mia said. - 'I just froze' - She also accused Combs of violent acts against her. "He has thrown things at me. He has thrown me against the wall. He has thrown me into a pool. He has thrown an ice bucket on my head. He has slammed my arm into a door," she said. "He has also sexually assaulted me." She said Combs subjected her to "sporadic" instances of sexual violence, including at the artist's 40th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel in New York and his private residence in Los Angeles. "I just froze, I didn't react, terrified and confused," Mia said about one of the assaults. "He was the boss or the king, very powerful person," she said. "This is years and years before social media, Me Too, or any sort of example where someone had stood up successfully to someone in power such as him," she added. Mia said the rapper held sway over the police, describing how she herself was pulled over one day in LA for speeding. But when she called Combs and handed the phone to the female officer, "she started laughing and saying like 'oh my God, Puff Daddy, I love you,'... and then she let me go." Mia's testimony is scheduled to continue on Friday.
