Latest news with #CasandraVentura
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Judge threatens to remove Sean ‘Diddy' Combs from court over facial gestures
The judge in the federal sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs threatened to remove the music mogul from court for looking and nodding at the jury during testimony on Thursday. During a lunch break after the jury left the room on Thursday, Judge Arun Subramanian said that he saw Combs looking at the jury and 'nodding vigorously' during the cross-examination of Bryana Bongolan, a former graphic designer for Combs and a longtime friend of Combs's former girlfriend, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura. The judge warned Combs's lawyers that if he saw it again, it 'could result in the exclusion of your client from the courtroom'. 'There should be no efforts whatsoever to have an interaction with this jury,' the judge added. Combs's lawyer said that it would not happen again. Earlier on Thursday, Bongolan resumed the testimony she began on Wednesday. Bongolan previously testified about her friendship with Ventura and described an alleged incident from 2016 in which she says that Combs dangled her from the balcony of Ventura's 17th-floor apartment in Los Angeles for 10 to 15 seconds, before throwing her on to some balcony furniture. She testified that the incident left her bruised and emotionally scarred and that she experiences nightmares and paranoia. During cross-examination, Combs's lawyers challenged Bongolan's credibility, citing inconsistencies between her current testimony and prior statements she gave regarding the alleged balcony incident. On Thursday morning, Combs's lawyers pressed her on the timeline. They claimed that the alleged balcony incident could not have occurred when she alleged because Combs was performing on the east coast for much of September 2016. Before concluding the cross-examination, Combs's lawyer suggested that Bongolan was lying about the balcony incident and the injuries. 'I can't agree with you,' Bongolan responded, adding that she could not recall the exact date of the alleged incident, but she 'will never forget him holding me on that balcony'. Another former girlfriend of Combs, who alleges she was abused and made to participate in drug-fueled sex sessions known as 'freak-offs', is also expected to be called to the stand on Thursday. Testifying under the pseudonym 'Jane', the woman has been described by prosecutors as a single mother who began dating Combs in 2020. Her testimony is expected to be similar to that of Ventura, Combs's former longtime girlfriend, who testified during the first week of the trial. Ventura, who dated Combs on and off from 2007 to 2018, told jurors last month that she was subjected to years of physical and emotional abuse during the relationship. She alleged she was coerced, through violence, and blackmail, into taking part in the so-called freak-offs which she said were orchestrated and directed by Combs and involved drugs and male sex workers. During cross-examination, Combs's attorneys sought to portray Ventura as a willing participant in the freak-offs, framing the encounters as part of a 'swingers lifestyle'. Now in its fourth week, the trial has featured graphic and emotional testimony from several witnesses. To date, more than 16 witnesses have testified, including the singer Dawn Richard, three of Combs's former assistants, Ventura's mother, and rapper Scott Mescudi, also known as 'Kid Cudi'. Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and faces federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Prosecutors allege that Combs ran a criminal enterprise since at least 2004 that engaged in or attempted to engage in crimes including sex trafficking, kidnapping, forced labor, arson, bribery, enticement to engage in prostitution and obstruction of justice, with the help of his associates and employees. While Combs's lawyers have acknowledged his history of domestic violence, they argue that the women participated in the freak-offs consensually and they maintain that Combs is not guilty of sex trafficking or racketeering, or of operating a criminal enterprise. Prosecutors have said that they may rest their case next week, with the defense expected to begin calling its own witnesses soon after. However, Combs's lawyers have signaled that their presentation may take longer than anticipated, potentially extending the trial into early July. If convicted on all counts, Combs could face life in prison. The Associated Press contributed reporting In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women's Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyer accuses witness of lying about balcony attack
NEW YORK, June 5 (Reuters) - A lawyer for Sean "Diddy" Combs accused a witness at his sex trafficking trial on Thursday of falsely testifying that the hip-hop mogul held her over the balcony of a Los Angeles apartment, and suggested Combs was on the East Coast at the time of the alleged attack. Bryana Bongolan, a friend of Combs' former girlfriend Casandra Ventura, opens new tab, testified on Wednesday that Combs in September 2016 held her over the rail of the balcony at Ventura's apartment and then threw her onto the balcony's furniture, causing her bruises. Prosecutors say the incident was among several violent acts that Combs, 55, took against Ventura and people close to her during the decade he was coercing Ventura to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "Freak Offs." Combs has to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. He could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Bongolan had not stated the exact date of the alleged balcony attack during her testimony on Wednesday. Jurors on Wednesday saw a picture Bongolan took of a bruise on her leg taken on September 26, 2016. A civil lawsuit Bongolan filed against Combs last year said the incident took place "on or about September 26, 2016." On Thursday, Combs' lawyer Nicole Westmoreland asked Bongolan if she was aware that Combs performed at a concert in New Jersey on September 25, 2016 and attended an event in New York with Ventura the following day. Westmoreland also showed jurors a document from the Trump International hotel in New York indicating that someone named "Frank Black" stayed there from September 24, 2016 through September 29, 2016. Previous witnesses at the trial have testified that Combs, like other celebrities, frequently used aliases when staying at hotels. "You came in here and you lied to the ladies and gentlemen of this jury, didn't you?" Westmoreland asked. "I can't agree with you," Bongolan replied. Under further questioning from prosecutor Madison Smyser, Bongolan said she did not know the exact date of the incident because it happened "a while ago," but said she had no doubt it took place. "I will never forget him holding me on that balcony," Bongolan said.
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Witness testifies that Diddy dangled her over a balcony
Graphic designer Bryana Bongolan testified that Sean "Diddy" Combs once dangled her off a 17th floor apartment balcony, and that she saw him throw a knife at her friend Casandra Wednesday, prosecutors displayed photos taken by Ms Bongolan and her then-girlfriend of Ms Bongolan's bruises, which she claimed she sustained during the alleged 2016 attorneys worked to cast doubt on Ms Bongolan's credibility before the jury under intense cross-examination, during which she responded that she could not recall past statements she gave the faces charges of racketeering, conspiracy and sex trafficking. He has pleaded not guilty. The federal case, now in its fourth week of testimony, followed dozens of civil lawsuits filed against him by men and women accusing him of abuse, including both Ms Ventura, who is Combs' ex-girlfriend, and Ms Bongolan said she met Ms Ventura in 2014 when she worked for the brand, Young and Reckless. Later, as the head women's designer at Diamond Supply Co., she was assigned to work with Ms Ventura on creating a collection and the two became Bongolan testified they often took drugs like cocaine, ketamine and marijuana together. She later alleged that she procured drugs for Ms Ventura, and that the R&B singer paid her for them. She also acknowledged that she and Ms Ventura had a "problem" with drug use, but that she was currently Bongolan testified that during the friendship, she saw signs of Combs' alleged violence. She said once saw Ms Ventura on FaceTime with a black eye, and that the rapper would often pound on Ms Ventura's apartment door at September 2016, Ms Bongolan testified that she heard banging on Ms Ventura's front door when she and her girlfriend were sleeping on the couch. She hid her girlfriend in a bathroom and went to the balcony, then Mr Combs entered the apartment, and allegedly picked her up and lifted her onto the ledge, she told the said he repeatedly yelled, "You know what the (expletive) you did", and then threw her into the balcony showed the jury photos of a puncture and bruise on Ms Bongolan's leg, along with accompanying metadata displaying the date they were taken. She also testified she suffered night terrors and paranoia as a result of the another incident she described, Combs burst into Ms Ventura's apartment and allegedly threw a knife at the R&B singer. Ms Bongolan said Ms Ventura picked the knife up and threw it back. Neither of them was injured, she during a photoshoot in Malibu with Ms Ventura, Ms Bongolan alleged that Mr Combs got in her face and told her, "I'm the devil and I could kill you"."I was terrified," she told the court. A relentless cross-examination During cross examination, Mr Combs' defence attorney sought to undercut Ms Bongolan, who struggled to answer questions about her statements in previous meetings with Westmoreland repeatedly asked Ms Bongolan about what she told government prosecutors when she first met with them in January 2024. Several times, she asked her about the alleged balcony incident, but the witness struggled to recall details she described at the initial meeting. During her testimony two weeks ago, Ms Ventura, the prosecution's key witness told the court, "I saw him bring her back over the railing of the balcony and then throw her onto the patio furniture." Ms Westmoreland also asked Ms Bongolan about her initial account of the incident in Malibu. The defence attorney said Ms Bongolan originally told government prosecutors that Combs made that threat at a party, and Ms Bongolan testified she could not recall that the afternoon wore on, Ms Bongolan increasingly repeated that she could not recall details of previous conversations with prosecutors. At one point, Ms Westmoreland asked Ms Bongolan to recall her conversations with prosecutors two days prior. Asked about specifics, Ms Bongolan answered that she could not court also heard on Wednesday from forensic video editor Frank Piazza, who took the jury through recordings of the "Cassie video", which shows Mr Combs beating Ms Ventura in a hotel hallway in 2016. He explained that the recordings were untampered with and were an accurate Bongolan is expected to return to the stand Thursday. She will likely be followed by "Jane", whose testimony under a pseudonym could take several days.
Reuters
a day ago
- General
- Reuters
Sean 'Diddy' Combs dangled Cassie's friend off balcony, jury hears
NEW YORK, June 4 (Reuters) - Hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs dangled a friend of his former girlfriend Casandra Ventura off the balcony of a high-rise apartment in September 2016, the friend testified on Wednesday at Combs' sex trafficking trial. "I was held over a 17-story balcony," Bryana Bongolan, Ventura's friend, told jurors in Manhattan federal court. Bongolan, 33, said Combs later threw her onto the balcony furniture. She said she suffered bruises as a result of the incident and had night terrors and paranoia. The judge called a lunch break in the trial before prosecutors could ask Bongolan for additional details about the incident. Her testimony was expected to resume shortly after 1 p.m. EDT (1700 GMT). Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say Combs over two decades coerced women, including Ventura, to take part in drug-fueled sexual performances with male sex workers known as "Freak Offs." The trial is in its fourth week. Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known as Cassie, told jurors last month she took part in Combs' Freak Offs for about a decade, at first to please him and later because he blackmailed her with videos of the encounters. She said Combs frequently beat her. Prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office say Combs and his associates used force and the threat of force to coerce women to take part in the Freak Offs and to make sure witnesses to his abuse remained quiet. Combs' lawyers have acknowledged he was at times abusive in domestic relationships, but argue that women who took part in Freak Offs did so consensually. Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Prosecutors have said they may finish presenting their case next week, allowing the defense to put on its case.
Khaleej Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Sean 'Diddy' Combs paid hotel security officer to hand over video, jury hears
Sean "Diddy" Combs paid a hotel security officer to hand over surveillance footage that showed the hip-hop mogul violently attacking his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura in a hallway, the officer testified at Combs' sex trafficking trial. Eddy Garcia, who had worked at an Intercontinental hotel, told jurors that Combs contacted him shortly after the incident and asked for the footage. Combs said he would "take care" of Garcia if he gave him the video, Garcia said. "He was concerned that this video would get out and that it would ruin his career," said Garcia, who was granted immunity from prosecution to testify. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts, including racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan say Combs over two decades coerced women, including Ventura, to take part in contraband-fuelled performances known as Freak Offs. The trial is in its fourth week. Jurors had previously been shown a March 2016 surveillance video from the hallway of the Intercontinental hotel in Los Angeles where Combs, wearing only a towel, threw Ventura to the ground, kicked her and dragged her away. Ventura said the incident occurred after Combs had given her a black eye during a Freak Off. Garcia said he relayed Combs' message about the video to his boss, who told him he would give Combs the video in exchange for $50,000 (Dh183,642). The next day, Garcia testified he saw his boss enter the room that hosted servers for the surveillance cameras. He said the boss gave him a USB drive, which he gave to Combs, who later returned with a brown bag and a money counter. Garcia said Combs ran cash from the bag through the counter, which displayed $100,000, returned the money to the bag, and handed the bag to him. Combs' lawyers have acknowledged he was at times abusive in domestic relationships, but argue that women who took part in Freak Offs did so consensually. Prosecutors say bribery is among the racketeering acts that Combs or his employees undertook in order to facilitate Freak Offs and prevent word of his abuse from getting out. Combs could face life in prison if convicted on all counts. Prosecutors have said they may finish presenting their case next week, allowing the defense to put on its case.
