Diddy trial updates: Sean Combs' former partner 'Jane' details alleged sexual abuse
Diddy trial updates: Sean Combs' former partner 'Jane' details alleged sexual abuse
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Former Diddy partner says he controlled her with his wealth
A former partner of Sean 'Diddy' Combs testified he used his wealth to control her, including forcing her to have sex with escorts against her will.
This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
Sean "Diddy" Combs' criminal trial is kick-starting its sixth week with more testimony from a former lover who alleges years of coerced sex with escorts and occasionally transporting his drugs.
Jane, a witness for the prosecution who dated Combs on-and-off from 2021 to 2024, is in her third day of testimony on June 9. So far, she has described how what she thought was a one-night escapade with a sex worker turned into a yearslong pattern of weekly or biweekly "hotel nights" where Combs allegedly pressured her to have sex with several men consecutively, lasting as long as three and a half days.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
Read on for everything Jane revealed in her latest round of testimony.
Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces life in prison
When will the Diddy trial end?
Combs' trial is expected to last for approximately eight weeks in total.
Judge Arun Subramanian, who's presiding over the sex-crimes trial in New York, has said he's hopeful proceedings will wrap up by the July 4 holiday.
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Is Diddy still in jail?
The disgraced music mogul remains in custody, and, despite repeated attempts at bail, has remained confined to the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. He has been in jail since his arrest on Sept. 16, 2024.
What are the charges against Diddy?
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 later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to all five counts against him.
Racketeering meaning
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.
Where can I watch the Diddy trial?
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.
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Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
AP reporters go behind the story in discussing coverage of the Sean 'Diddy' Combs case
NEW YORK (AP) — Hip-hop mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been charged in federal court with sex trafficking and racketeering and has pleaded not guilty. The trial has generated salacious headlines and massive coverage. In this episode of 'The Story Behind the AP Story,' reporters Larry Neumeister and Michael Sisak share their coverage of the case as the trial unfolds and witnesses take the stand. The episode contains sound and descriptions that some listeners may find graphic or violent. Listener discretion is advised. ___ Julie Walker, Host: I'm Julie Walker. On this episode of 'The Story Behind the AP Story,' we go inside the Sean 'Diddy' Combs case. He's charged in federal court with sex trafficking and racketeering and has pleaded not guilty. The trial has generated salacious headlines and massive coverage. (SOUND OF AP RADIO REPORTS ABOUT THE TRIAL) The trial began in May, and the judge has said he expects to wrap up the case by July 4th. We'll hear from AP reporters who have been in court with Combs as the trial unfolds and witnesses take the stand. To kick us off Larry Neumeister explains what the case is about. Larry Neumeister, reporter: So, when the feds go after somebody, they look for what kind of charges are federal crimes. And in this case, sex trafficking, bringing people across state lines to do illegal sex acts, or racketeering, which can involve many different things, including that 2016 tape of Cassie being beat up by Sean Combs by the elevator bank in that Los Angeles hotel. That, actually, is a centerpiece of the evidence against Combs in this case. And a lot of charges like domestic violence are all kind of things they could have brought against Sean Combs years ago. Well, there's a statute of limitations that would rule out certain charges, and certain charges just — there is no federal domestic violence charge. That's something that is brought more locally or statewide. WALKER: So the prosecution alleges that Combs used violence to keep people quiet and compliant and further his own interests., and while he was not charged with domestic abuse, prosecutors argue it is wrapped into the overall picture of this case. One reason one of the first things jurors were shown as evidence was the 2016 hallway tape from the LA hotel where Combs is seen dragging and kicking Cassie Ventura. AP reporter Mike Sisak. Michael Sisak, reporter: The refrain from the defense has been that, if anything, there could have been domestic violence charges brought against Sean Combs back in 2016. Those charges would have been brought in a California court by Los Angeles police. There has not been any real discussion of an investigation in 2016 of any effort to charge Sean Combs with domestic violence at that time. So, in some sense, while it's a thread that the defense is pulling, that he's actually charged with sex trafficking and racketeering in this federal case, it almost is a bit of apples and oranges in the sense that the violence that the defense is conceding to, prosecutors allege, was part of the mechanism of the racketeering, of the sex trafficking. WALKER: Besides seeing that video of Cassie jurors were also shown photos of her with bruises she said Combs gave her. We also got some pretty explicit and explosive testimony from the singer. She was called to the witness stand early in the trial, in part, because she was about to give birth, which she ended up doing shortly after her testimony concluded. SISAK: We've heard from Cassie about the freak-offs. We've heard from some of the male sex workers that were involved. And then we're seeing other pieces of evidence that prosecutors say show the depravity of these events and then also the network of people that Combs relied on to keep them secret. I recall being in the courtroom earlier in the trial when some images were shown from some of the videotapes at issue here with these sex marathons. And there was a binder of some of these images, and Combs was sitting next to his lawyer and waved over, 'Hey, I want to see those,' and he's looking through them and he's holding — the press, the public, we were not allowed to see these images, they were graphic images. The defendant, of course, was allowed to see them and he held them in a way that we could not see what he was looking at. And then he passed it back. And then other times he's hunched over a laptop computer looking at exhibits that are showing text messages and emails that were exchanged over the years with various people involved in the case. WALKER: So how is the jury taking all of this all in. We've got eight women and four men, plus the six alternates. NEUMEISTER: One thing I've seen with this jury that I've hardly ever seen with a jury is incredible attention to every witness. They turn in their chairs, they're pointed toward the witness, they're scribbling notes like mad. I've never seen so much as a juror yawn, although I did see Kid Cudi — he was yawning several times. WALKER: Because cameras are not allowed in the courtroom, the only thing that those not attending the trial can see are sketch artists' depictions of Combs, and we see a very different Diddy. SISAK: Sean Combs, according to his assistant who testified, was using just for men to hide gray hair. And he had jet black hair up until the time he was arrested and put in jail last year. And then we also learned that hair dye is not allowed in jail. So in court, he has had this gray salt and pepper hair, goatee. He has been allowed to wear for the trial, sweaters, button-down shirts, khakis and the like. It's a stark difference in look. NEUMEISTER: You can't have dye, right, Mike? I'll tell you though, the guy is so involved with his defense, it's like off the charts, kind of amazing. I don't think I've ever seen this to this degree before. There was a witness, it was Kid Cudi, where at the end of his testimony, the prosecutors got him to say he believed Sean Combs was lying when he said he didn't know anything about his car when he brought it up. Kid Cudi's car was exploded in his driveway one day with a Molotov cocktail and absolutely destroyed. And so he had a meeting with Sean Combs some weeks after that and at the very end of the meeting, he said, brought up the car. And Sean Combs said, 'Oh, what are you talking about? I don't know anything about that.' And after, as soon as that, the prosecutor finished asking the questions, got that response, then two lawyers, one on each side of Combs, looked to him, Combs said no, and only then did the lawyers inform the judge that there would be no more questioning. SISAK: And then when there are breaks, we see him standing up, stretching, turning around, looking at his supporters in the gallery. His mother has been there. Some of his children have been there. Some of his daughters have left the courtroom during the especially graphic testimony. But at other times, when his children are there, when his supporters are there, he's shaping his hands in the shape of a heart. He's pointing at them. He's saying, 'I love you.' He's whispering. There was a moment when another reporter and I were sitting in the courtroom during a break, and Sean Combs turns around — there's nobody in front of us — and he asks us how we're doing. We say hi back to him because you're in such close proximity. We're only 10 feet apart or so. WALKER: In the end it's all going to come down to the jury deciding whether the prosecution has proved their case or whether Combs' defense team has been able to sow doubt in their minds. NEUMEISTER: One thing is very unusual on this trial is there are six prosecutors. That is almost unprecedented. I've seen terrorism trials that only had four prosecutors. I think Combs has like eight lawyers and one defense lawyer who consults with the defense team but isn't part of the in-court trial team. WALKER: Sean 'Diddy' Combs is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. His attempts to get out on bail have been rejected. If convicted on all charges, the 55-year-old faces the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison. The sex trafficking charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life. Racketeering also carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, while transportation to engage in prostitution carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. This has been 'The Story Behind the AP Story.' For more on AP's coverage of the Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial, visit
Fox News
36 minutes ago
- Fox News
Fox News Entertainment Newsletter: Madonna name-dropped in Diddy trial, Miley Cyrus turns heads in sheer dress
Welcome to the Fox News Entertainment Newsletter. TOP 3: -Madonna, Leonardo DiCaprio name-dropped in Diddy's federal trial amid explosive testimony -Miley Cyrus drips in crystals as she turns heads in a risqué sheer dress -Kate Middleton stands firm with Prince William as doors 'shut' on Prince Harry: expert GIRL NEXT DOOR - Former Playboy model confesses major missed opportunity during years with Hugh Hefner. BOLD MOVE - Hailey Bieber flaunts curves in bikini photos as fans praise cheeky Rhode placement. MAJOR RULING - Justin Baldoni's $400M lawsuit against Blake Lively dismissed. SPLIT FOCUS - Meghan Markle reportedly 'wishes' Prince Harry would stop dwelling on the past. ON THE RECORD - Diddy's ex reveals he still pays her rent while testifying about alleged abuse. GROWING PAINS - Ron Howard's daughter had a 'messed-up' childhood fixation that worried her parents. 'LAST LINE' - 'American Pie' star Jason Biggs admits digging through trash for cocaine during drug addiction. LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex says she joined 'cuckold' sex marathons to feel loved by him
NEW YORK (AP) — Under cross-examination, Sean 'Diddy' Combs ' ex-girlfriend testified Tuesday she took part in sex acts with male sex workers at the music mogul's request because it made her feel loved by him, but now regrets what she came to recognize as the 'cuckold' lifestyle. The woman was testifying at Combs' sex-trafficking trial under the pseudonym 'Jane' to protect her identity. A day earlier, she revealed their three-year relationship stretched up until the Bad Boy Records founder was arrested in September at New York hotel, where she'd been planning to meet him. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges that carry a potential penalty of 15 years to life in prison. He has been jailed without bail. Prosecutors allege Combs used violence, threats and a network of employees and associates to control and abuse women for two decades. His lawyers have told the jury in federal court in Manhattan that although there was domestic violence in his relationships, everything he did sexually was consensual. Earlier in the trial, R&B signer Casandra ' Cassie ' Ventura testified over four days that Combs physically abused her and that she participated in hundreds of 'freak-off' sexual performances during a nearly 11-year relationship that ended in 2018. The Associated Press doesn't name alleged victims of sexual abuse without their consent unless they have shared their identities publicly, as Cassie has. Teny Geragos, a lawyer for Combs, cross-examined Jane on Tuesday by leading her into discussing the drug-fueled sexual marathons choreographed by Combs — which Jane said sometimes happened weekly — by reminding her that she mentioned regrets in earlier testimony. 'I resent him for leading me into the lifestyle he led me to,' Jane said. 'I resented the way he went about introducing me to this lifestyle.' She said she agreed to these 'hotel nights' while 'under a lot of emotional pressure' — and already hooked on love and a desire to stay in a relationship with Combs. Jane testified Monday she began therapy about three months ago. She previously met with lawyers on Combs' defense team but cut off those meetings in April, days before the trial began. She said she struggles to understand why she kept participating in 'hotel nights' even though she only wanted to have sex with Combs, however the reasons are 'becoming more and more clear' as she proceeds with therapy. Jane initially felt it was 'something very special' to have these secret sexual experiences with Combs. She said she didn't want to judge him and 'really wanted to just go along with these things because if I can be my partner's escapes than I would be.' Jane said she researched sexual variations in 2022 and came across the words 'cuck' and 'cuckold,' which seemed to fit the lifestyle she found herself in because she said a man known as a 'cuck' derives pleasure seeing 'his woman receive pleasure' from another man. In earlier testimony, Jane provided recent examples of Combs acting violently toward a woman while seeking to fulfill his sexual desires. Cassie sued Combs in November 2023 alleging sexual abuse. The lawsuit was settled within hours for $20 million, but it touched off the criminal investigation into Combs.
