Latest news with #CapricornClark
New York Times
27-06-2025
- New York Times
Sean Combs Trial Live Updates: Defense Lawyer Calls Cassie a ‘Winner' Who Is $30 Million Richer
The testimony by Capricorn Clark, a former assistant to Sean Combs who the government said was kidnapped twice, was targeted by Mr. Combs's lead lawyer during his closing argument on Friday. If Act I of Marc Agnifilo's closing argument in Sean Combs's defense was delivered in partly comedic tones — he raised his voice animatedly and ridiculed the prosecutors' close attention to items like baby oil and lubricant — his second act was more narrowly trained on questioning the credibility of witnesses called by the government. He focused on dismantling the account of Capricorn Clark, a former assistant to Mr. Combs who the government said was kidnapped twice, and on the allegation of an arson attack against a romantic rival. Their emphasis appeared to represent an overall strategy by the defense of attacking allegations made by the government that it thinks are particularly weak. Ms. Clark testified that in 2004, she was subjected to five straight days of lie-detector tests over stolen jewelry in what she said was a vacant building in Midtown Manhattan. Ms. Clark said that a large, unnamed man administered the test daily, and that he told her that if she failed, 'they're going to throw you in the East River.' The government called it an example of kidnapping, as part of the racketeering conspiracy charge against Mr. Combs; to prove Mr. Combs's guilt the government must show that he agreed with collaborators to commit at least two criminal acts. Mr. Agnifilo broadly mocked this episode. Each day, Ms. Clark testified, she was driven home to Queens before returning for another day of lie-detector tests. 'A door-to-door kidnapping!' Mr. Agnifilo said. 'It's just not a kidnapping.' Mr. Agnifilo questioned the logic of the government's argument, asking: Were the jurors also kidnapped because they were stuck in court for long hours? 'Anyone feel kidnapped?' Mr. Agnifilo jokingly said. Throughout his summation, Mr. Agnifilo has let his voice crack or slip into high registers to underscore his sarcasm. The lawyer also argued that there existed implausibilities in the second kidnapping allegation involving Ms. Clark that were so great that the jury should disregard her testimony completely. Ms. Clark testified that Mr. Combs, carrying a gun, arrived at her apartment early one morning and forced her to accompany him to 'kill' Kid Cudi, a rapper who was a rival for the affections of Casandra Ventura, the singer known as Cassie. Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, testified that Mr. Combs entered his home that day without permission. Mr. Agnifilo challenged Ms. Clark's testimony that Mr. Combs had a gun, noting that neither Ms. Ventura or Mr. Mescudi said that Ms. Clark had mentioned a gun when she called them during the trespassing at Mr. Mescudi's house. Raising the issue of witness credibility, Mr. Agnifilo foreshadowed the judge's instructions to jurors before they deliberate: Judge Arun Subramanian will instruct them that if they find a witness lied, 'you are free to disregard all of the witness's testimony,' the lawyer said. The government has argued that a few weeks after Mr. Combs trespassed in Mr. Mescudi's home, the mogul ordered a Molotov cocktail to be thrown into Mr. Mescudi's Porsche, destroying the interior. Mr. Agnifilo derided a fire official's arson investigation, saying it 'stunk,' and said it was not Mr. Combs's 'style' to blow up another man's car using a Molotov cocktail in a malt liquor bottle. 'It's a coward's way out,' the lawyer said. Julia Jacobs and Joe Coscarelli contributed reporting.
Forbes
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Diddy Trial: Prosecutors Ditch Kid Cudi Arson Theory
Prosecutors told the judge presiding over Sean 'Diddy' Combs' racketeering and sex trafficking trial they will drop theories they presented alleging Combs was responsible for attempted kidnapping and attempted arson, weeks after rapper Kid Cudi testified his car exploded after Combs learned he was dating Cassie Ventura. Prosecutors included the attempted arson and kidnapping theories as part of the racketeering ... More conspiracy charge. (Photo by) Getty Images Prosecutors submitted a letter to judge Arun Subramanian on Tuesday, stating they would drop the theories to comply with the court's directive to 'streamline' their instructions to the jury. Prosecutors had previously introduced both the attempted kidnapping and attempted arson theories in an effort to prove their racketeering conspiracy charge against Combs, one of the five federal charges he faces (Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges). Capricorn Clark, a former assistant to Combs, testified Combs kidnapped her at gunpoint in December 2011 and told her: 'Get dressed, we're going to go kill' Kid Cudi, after Combs learned the rapper was dating Ventura during a break in their relationship. Kid Cudi testified Combs broke into his home in December 2011, at which point he called Combs and said, 'Motherf——, are you in my house?' to which Combs replied, 'I am here waiting for you,' though Combs was no longer there when Kid Cudi returned home. Weeks later, Kid Cudi's car exploded in his driveway, and the rapper testified he believes Combs 'had something to do with' the bombing, but the defense objected to the remark and the judge told jurors to disregard the rapper's statement. Ventura, the government's star witness, testified Combs had said he wanted to blow up Kid Cudi's car after learning about her brief relationship with the rapper. A police report from the time indicates Kid Cudi's car was set on fire by an 'incendiary device' on Jan. 9, 2012, though nobody was charged in relation to the incident, and prosecutors showed jurors pictures of the rapper's damaged car during his testimony. Mark Zauderer, a veteran trial and appellate lawyer, told Forbes the prosecution's move is not unusual and that attorneys may believe they have 'not likely proven to the jury's satisfaction' how the attempted arson and kidnapping allegations prove the racketeering charge. To maximize the chance of a conviction on the racketeering conspiracy count, prosecutors will instead focus on allegations which they believe 'very adequately established the elements of the crime,' Zauderer said, adding it is a 'tactical judgment by the government, and I do not view it as any concession of lack of strength of evidence on the major counts in the case.' Prosecutors said in their letter they are complying with the 'Court's desire for brevity' and they would 'simplify' the language used in their instructions to jurors relating to the racketeering conspiracy charge. Meghann Cuniff, an independent legal reporter who has covered the Combs trial, said in a post on X she believes prosecutors feel the racketeering conspiracy count is the 'weakest charge' and questioned whether Combs 'causing someone to commit an act' like arson is sufficient to prove he entered a racketeering agreement. She said in response to a commenter it 'sure seems like' Kid Cudi testified for nothing. How Else Will Prosecutors Try To Prove The Racketeering Charge? In a court filing earlier this week, prosecutors outlined various allegations under the racketeering charge in a proposed verdict form that will be used by the jury. The proposal initially included the attempted kidnapping and attempted arson allegations, but also outlines other allegations, including bribery, forced labor, sex trafficking, and transportation for the purpose of prostitution, all of which prosecutors say can prove racketeering conspiracy. In earlier testimony, a Los Angeles hotel employee said Combs bribed him for a video, published by CNN last year, that depicts Combs attacking Ventura in the hotel's hallway. Multiple former Combs employees also took the stand, including one who testified under the pseudonym 'Mia,' who said Combs made her work for days on end without sleep and sexually assaulted her. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys are scheduled to present closing arguments to the jury Thursday. The prosecution rested its case Tuesday after more than a month of testimony, during which prosecutors called 34 witnesses to the stand. The defense declined to call any witnesses, and Combs told the judge he and his lawyers decided he would not testify. The defense rested its case Tuesday after about 20 minutes, arguing prosecutors failed to prove their charges and presenting text messages between Combs and Ventura attorneys argued showed Ventura was a consenting participant in their 'freak-off' sexual encounters. After closing arguments, the case will be in the hands of the jury for deliberation. Prosecutor Maurene Comey said in court Tuesday she does not believe the jury will begin deliberating until Monday. Prosecutors Made A Strong Case Against Diddy—But Verdict Unpredictable—Legal Experts Say (Forbes) Diddy Trial: Kid Cudi Testifies Sean Combs Broke Into His House Before His Car Was Firebombed (Forbes)
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' posse threatened to murder assistant Capricorn Clark after his jewelry vanished: ‘They're going to throw you in the East River'
Double-cross him and you'll be sleeping with the fishes. Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former assistant detailed her chilling experiences working for the music mogul in court Tuesday — including how one of his goons once told her she could wind up getting thrown into the East River. In a scene that could have been straight out of 'The Sopranos,' a Combs bodyguard nicknamed 'Uncle Paulie' allegedly forced ex-assistant Capricorn Clark to an abandoned Manhattan skyscraper to have her take a lie detector test for five days straight. The Bad Boy Records founder's diamond necklace, bracelet and watch had gone missing while Clark was transporting them, she testified, describing how Paul 'Uncle Paulie' Offord came to her home and brought her to the empty Midtown building — where a heavy-set man chain smoking cigarettes and drinking black coffee greeted her on the sixth floor. 'He said if you fail this test, they're going to throw you in the East River,' Clark, 46, recalled in Manhattan federal court. Combs, sitting at the defense table flanked by his lawyers, shook his head as Clark described the wise-guy threat leaving her 'petrified.' 'I was told I was not able to leave until I got to the bottom of this,' said Clark, who worked for Combs from 2004 through 2012. The terrifying account from Clark kicked off the third week of testimony in Combs' sex-trafficking and racketeering trial – as federal prosecutors tried to bolster their case that the legendary music producer ran a criminal enterprise comparable to the mob. On her first day working for Combs, Clark said he took her to a deserted Central Park after dark — and threatened to kill her over her links to his rival Suge Knight, who managed Death Row Records when she had a job there. 'He told me that he didn't know that I had anything to do with Suge Knight and that if anything happened he would have to kill me,' Clark told the jury. Combs faces a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act – or RICO – charge that historically has been used to go after La Cosa Nostra. Diddy trial live updates: Drama as lawyers move for mistrial over fingerprints tied to Kid Cudi home break-in Kid Cudi's Porsche was 'targeted' with Molotov cocktail made from 40 oz Olde English bottle and designer handkerchief: testimony Livid Sean 'Diddy' Combs made chilling threat to Cassie Ventura as she partied at gay club with Rita Ora, longtime stylist reveals Sean 'Diddy' Combs once implied he might use a gun on 50 Cent over longstanding beef: testimony 'Kidnapping, arson, drugs, sex crimes, bribery and obstruction – these are just some of the crimes that the defendant and his inner circle committed again and again,' said prosecutor Emily Johnson during her opening statement in the trial. Combs' ex-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie Ventura, and other witnesses, including a male escort nicknamed 'The Punisher,' have previously testified about the mogul's degrading, drug-fueled and baby oil-drenched 'freak-off' sex parties. Kid Cudi, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, took the stand to accuse Combs of bombing his Porsche with a Molotov cocktail in a bout of violent jealousy over his budding relationship with Ventura. Clark testified to two alleged kidnapping incidents, including one in which Combs showed up to her house with a gun and forced her to join him as he broke into Mescudi's home. The other alleged kidnapping centered around Clark contending she was forced to undergo a whopping five full days of lie detector tests over the missing jewelry before being told she could finally return to work. The California native said Combs' bodyguard, Offord, was also present when her new boss threatened her over her ties to Suge Knight, who was also the dad of her best friend's kids. Suge Knight — whose real name is Marion Knight Jr. — founded West Coast record label Death Row Records, whose stable of rappers feuded with Combs' Bad Boy Records troupe in the 1990s. He's currently serving 28 years behind bars for manslaughter. Another former Combs assistant – David James – last week testified that his ex-boss once hauled him to confront Knight, while packing three guns. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that could send him to prison for life, if convicted.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A 'criminal enterprise' may be emerging in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
Capricorn Clark, a former assistant to music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs, said Combs was on a mission of revenge in December 2011 after learning rapper Kid Cudi was also dating his girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie. Combs, armed with a gun, commanded Clark to go with him to Cudi's Hollywood Hills estate, Clark testified this week during Combs' sex trafficking trial. ''Get dressed,'' Combs allegedly told Clark after beating on the door of her home. ''We're going to kill this n-----.'' Sign up for the 'Diddy on Trial' newsletter for key developments and analysis After Combs and a member of his security team broke into Cudi's home, she said, they saw he wasn't there, setting off a violent chain of events that she would tell a Bad Boy Records executive about three months later. 'I told him that Puff kidnapped me with a gun,' Clark said, referring to one of Combs' previous stage names. Clark's stunning testimony in the third week of Combs' trial provided another example of the control he allegedly wielded as head of his New York-based record label, building on the premise set forth by prosecutors that Combs allegedly oversaw a criminal enterprise that relied on employees and other accomplices to carry out illegal acts. Clark's 'testimony is certainly helpful in painting a sinister image of Combs, of his manipulation and his coercion, his control and his violence, which will be beneficial to the prosecution down the line in terms of gaining the jury's sympathies that this guy was up to no good and needs to be put away, or at least held accountable,' said Mark Chutkow, a defense lawyer who handled racketeering cases as a federal prosecutor in Detroit. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. As per the federal racketeering statute, the government must prove at least two predicate offenses, or crimes, committed via a criminal enterprise, Chutkow said. Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, spent four days on the stand in the first week of testimony, saying she 'felt trapped' into engaging in orchestrated sexual encounters, known as 'freak offs,' with male escorts at hotels and homes — sessions that she said Combs funded. Kid Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, testified how his car was firebombed in January 2012, following the December break-in at his home. Los Angeles police also testified that evidence showed the break-in was connected to Combs. The car that police observed leaving the scene of the break-in at Kid Cudi's home was registered to one of Combs' companies, according to testimony from Los Angeles police officer Chris Ignacio. Another accuser, who used the pseudonym 'Mia' on the witness stand, testified that she worked for Combs as a personal assistant for several years and he sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions during that time. Combs was never charged in the firebombing or alleged sexual assaults. His defense team said in opening statements that Combs is a 'very flawed individual' prone to violence and jealousy in his relationships, but that the sexual encounters were consensual. The tangled relationships Combs had with his employees will have to be addressed by the jury during deliberations, Chutkow said, because prosecutors and defense attorneys have raised questions about whether the workers were victims, accomplices or both. For example, Clark, who testified she was paid $55,000 a year, said she set up hotel rooms for the freak-offs at Combs' direction and she sometimes procured illicit drugs on his behalf. Although she testified she was kidnapped twice by Combs or his bodyguards and subjected to multiple days of lie detector tests, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo entered into evidence an email Clark sent to Combs in September 2014, asking for his forgiveness. She did not specify what she wanted to be forgiven for. The email was sent two years after Combs fired her and about two years before she returned to work for him again. 'Mia' testified to sometimes feeling like Combs was a best friend and working partner, but other times treated her 'like I was a worthless piece of crap.' 'You do have these elements of extortion and coercion and fear and intimidation also at play, which you see in gangs and you see in the Mafia and other criminal organizations, and so I think that you don't necessarily have to have co-conspirators and accomplices that are completely voluntary in their commitment to the organization,' Chutkow said. Employees may have also realized the benefits of being in the powerful celebrity's inner circle and so may have been willing to go along, he added. 'That's why you hear the concept of a 'den of thieves,'' Chutkow said. 'They all have their own agendas at play, but they're still working together towards advancing other criminal objectives.' Chutkow said 'that's probably the way the prosecution will kind of categorize this for the jury, and say, 'Hey, we would love to be able to put on witnesses like firemen and nurses for you, but that's not the world that Combs worked in.'' Bad and illegal behavior does not necessarily guarantee a racketeering conviction, said Mark Zauderer, a veteran trial and appellate lawyer in New York. 'There is lots of evidence of violence and possible criminal activity,' he said of Combs' trial. 'But all of that still does not answer the question of whether the jury will find an enterprise and a conspiracy. 'There's no question that a jury can and will consider a so-called victim's own complicity in the matters that were violent and even illegal.' Attorney Rachel Maimin, a former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, said that while racketeering charges can be complex, prosecutors can sometimes prove the charge with only one witness or even circumstantial evidence. 'I don't know if they've met all of the elements of racketeering yet, but prosecutors are showing that Diddy used employees from his business and organization to carry out criminal activities,' Maimin said. 'They're linking the crimes to his business.' If you or someone you know is facing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence hotline for help at (800) 799-SAFE (7233), or go to for more. States often have domestic violence hotlines as well. This article was originally published on
The Independent
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Key moments from the third week of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial
Some of Sean 'Diddy' Combs ' ex-employees took a central role in the third week of his sex trafficking trial, including personal assistants who testified that the hip-hop mogul was capricious, controlling and violent. The week began with Capricorn Clark, a personal assistant who was later a global brand director for Combs' company. She recalled witnessing Combs beating his longtime girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, and said he raged about wanting to kill rapper and romantic rival Kid Cudi. It ended with another ex-assistant, testifying under the pseudonym 'Mia," who alleges Combs raped her during a torturous eight-year tenure working for the rap star. She is the second of three women expected to testify that he sexually assaulted them. Combs has pleaded not guilty. The trial resumes Monday in federal court in Manhattan. Here are key moments from Week 3: Ex-Combs aide says fear stopped her from calling police Former employees of Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment described repeatedly witnessing him beat Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, but said they didn't report the abuse to law enforcement because they feared Combs would harm them. Clark testified that the day she started as Combs' personal assistant in 2004, he threatened he would kill her if her previous work for rival rappers interfered with her work for him. Then, she testified, she watched in shock as Combs viciously assaulted Cassie, his on-again, off-again girlfriend for more than a decade, in 2011 after learning she was dating Cudi. Clark said her 'heart was breaking from seeing her get hit like that," and neither she nor Combs' bodyguard intervened. She said she called Cassie's mother and told her: 'Please help her. I can't call the police, but you can.' Weeks later, Clark said, she reported what happened to Cassie to the president of Bad Boy Records. She also testified about her own run-ins with Combs, telling jurors that he kidnapped her at gunpoint and took her to Cudi's house as he fumed that he was going to kill the rapper. Cudi testified that he believed Cassie and Combs had broken up. He said his relationship with Cassie only lasted a few weeks. Clark said she stayed in Combs' SUV while he broke into the home. She said she was fired weeks later for what she contends was a trumped-up reason. Cassie delivers her third child after testifying for four days One of the week's biggest developments came outside the courtroom. Cassie, 38, delivered her third child less than two weeks after testifying for four days as the prosecution's prize witness. The news of her son's birth Tuesday reached the jury the next day when Cassie's longtime stylist, Deonte Nash, testified that he was still close to Cassie and had sent her well wishes after the birth. Cassie, known for the platinum-selling 2006 hit single 'Me & U,' married personal trainer Alex Fine in September 2019 — about a year after breaking up with Combs for good. Their first daughter, Frankie Stone Fine, was born in 2019. They welcomed a second daughter, Sunny Cinco Fine, in 2021. Attacks on Kid Cudi's property put law enforcement on the stand Jurors heard from a Los Angeles police officer who responded to the December 2011 break-in at Cudi's home and an arson investigator who spoke about his efforts to solve the firebombing of Cudi's Porsche 911 weeks later. Officer Chris Ignacio said he found Christmas gifts, some opened, with luxury watches and purses. Cudi has testified that his dog was traumatized after being locked in a bathroom by intruders. Ignacio said he saw a car with tinted windows registered to Bad Boy outside the house but didn't approach it because he had no proof a crime had occurred. Prosecutors are trying to prove that Combs was behind the break-in and the subsequent firebombing, which involved a Molotov cocktail dropped through a hole sliced in the convertible's fabric roof. Lance Jimenez, a Los Angeles Fire Department arson investigator, said the explosive was made from a 40-ounce Olde English 800 malt liquor bottle and a silky designer handkerchief. 'I personally felt it was targeted,' he said of the Jan. 9, 2012, attack. A stylist delivers answers from the witness stand like nobody else Celebrity stylist Deonte Nash was a witness like no other, adding flair and humor within seconds of taking the stand on Wednesday. Asked if he wanted to testify, he declared: 'Absolutely not!' Nash said he knew Combs as 'Puff' and Cassie as 'Cass.' He said he responded to a Craigslist ad and started working at Bad Boy Entertainment as an intern and then a stylist from 2008 to 2018. Prosecutor Maurene Comey put a picture of Nash in front of him and asked, "Is it a glamour shot of you?' 'Yes. I look amazing,' Nash responded, drawing laughs. Asked what he had heard Combs call Cassie over the years, Nash answered 'Um, Baby Girl, CC, Cass' and then listed a number of slurs against women. Asked how often Combs used one particular slur, Nash said: 'Um, quite a bit. That was his fave.' Nash later testified that Cassie had confided in him that she didn't always want to go along with Combs' demands that she have sex with other men during his drug-fueled 'freak-off' marathons. A second woman testifies she was raped by Combs Mia testified that Combs sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions: forcibly kissing her and putting his hand up her dress at his 40th birthday party, forcing her to perform oral sex as they packed for a trip, and raping her after he climbed into her bed at his Los Angeles home. Mia said she thought her sexual abuse was sporadic enough that each time it occurred, she thought it would never happen again. She said she put on a brave face and continued to work for Combs, in part because she felt shame, blamed herself and feared what would happen if she reported him to authorities. Cassie testified previously that Combs raped her after she broke up with him in 2018. Mia said she witnessed Combs physically attacking Cassie 'all the time' at his houses, her apartments, hotels, events and while traveling. She said Combs also turned his wrath on her, throwing her into a swimming pool, dumping a bucket of ice on her and hurling a bowl of spaghetti in her direction. As prosecution's case shrinks, defense's may expand Prosecutors insisted all week that they are ahead of schedule in presenting their case and said they could be done calling witnesses by mid-June. But Combs lawyer Marc Agnifilo said the defense's presentation might take longer than expected — particularly after prosecutors revealed they were making 'fairly substantial changes' to their plan. 'It may be that because of witnesses the government is not calling, we might have more on the defense case,' he said. As a result, he added, the trial might run to the start of July.
