Latest news with #DanielPhillip
The Sun
15-05-2025
- The Sun
Diddy's ‘Freak Off' mansion on man-made island where he ‘abused victims in sex rooms' is seen lying empty in new footage
NEW aerial pictures show disgraced hip-hop star Sean Combs' sprawling Miami Beach mega-mansion lying empty as he stands trial on sex-trafficking charges. The plush Star Island home was raided by the feds in March 2024 - months before his arrest - and cops recovered supplies linked to alleged freak offs. 10 10 10 10 Disgraced Combs bought one mansion for $14.5 million in 2003 before buying a second in 2021. But inside the complex, the shamed hip-hop star allegedly orchestrated drug fueled sex parties. Combs allegedly threatened females to have sex with male escorts. The sordid freak offs lasted days and the alleged victims received IV drips to aid with their recovery, according to court documents. It comes as... Cassie Ventura, Combs' ex-partner, shared disturbing revelations about alleged freak-offs Unedited clip showing Combs' 2016 attack on Ventura has been released Ventura claimed Combs forced her into sick sex sessions with escorts Ex-hotel security guard Israel Florez, testified about working when Combs attacked Cassie in 2016. Male escort Daniel Phillip took the stand to speak about how he was paid to have sex with Ventura in front of Combs Combs turned down plea deal days before jury selection got underway Combs was hit with fresh prostitution and sex trafficking charges just months before his trial started The twisted orgies allegedly took place in secret sex rooms and hidden cameras recorded the acts, according to a Department of Homeland Security agent. Combs has also been accused of using the recordings from the freak offs to keep the alleged victims silent and compliant. In the two raids that were conducted on the Star Island mansion, and Combs' Los Angeles property, cops recovered guns, ammunition and 1,000 bottles of lubricant. More than a year later, the mansion lies empty. Combs' Star Island mega-mansion is an idyllic oasis. The properties are surrounded by crystal clear waters. The home that Combs bought for $14.5 million has nine bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. And, the second sprawling property spans 1.3 acres and features six bedrooms and 10 bathrooms. Star Island is a secluded community that can only be accessed by boat or a bridge. What happened during Sean Combs' 'freak offs'? Sean Combs' infamous drug-fueled freak offs, first revealed by his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura's lawsuit in November 2023, have become a central narrative of the indictment, which alleges: The music mogul "manipulated women to participate in highly orchestrated performances of sexual activity with male commercial sex workers." Freak offs "occurred regularly, sometimes lasted multiple days, and often involved multiple commercial sex workers." Combs "distributed a variety of controlled substances to victims, in part to keep the victims obedient and compliant." He and the victims "typically received IV fluids to recover from the physical exertion and drug use" after the freak offs. Cops "seized various Freak Off supplies, including narcotics and more than 1,000 bottles of baby oil and lubricant" from his homes in Los Angeles and Miami. Combs "hit, kicked, threw objects at, and dragged victims, at times, by their hair," during and separate from the freak offs, which "often resulted in injuries that took days or weeks to heal." He also used the "sensitive, embarrassing, and incriminating recordings" that he made during freak offs as "collateral to ensure the continued obedience and silence of the victims." 'It is comprised of the most beautiful homes, and the surrounding area is manicured to perfection,' Realtor Ivan Chorney told Fox Business. The home is almost shielded by greenery, but the complex has features such as swimming pools and outdoor entertaining spaces. Fed agents spent more than eight hours combing the home on March 25 2024, and were seen holding boxes of evidence before loading it onto vehicles. Cops showed up to the complex at around 3:30pm local time and didn't leave until after midnight. 10 10 10 Combs was arrested and charged in September last year. But, before he was taken into custody he paid off an $18.8 million mortgage on the home, per The New York Post. He was initially hit with charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. "Sean Combs used the business empire he controlled to sexually abuse and exploit women, as well as to commit other acts of violence and obstruction of justice," Damian Williams, The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said. Combs was hit with two extra charges just weeks before the trial got underway. During the defense's opening arguments, Combs team admitted his conduct could be "kinky." They claimed his relationships were part of a so-called swingers lifestyle. Teny Geragos stressed that the so-called freak offs were consensual. 'Sean Combs is a complicated man but this is not a complicated case," she told the court. 'This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money. 'The case is about voluntary adult choices made by capable adults in consensual relationships." Sordid details emerged from prosecutors as they made their opening arguments. GRAPHIC TESTIMONY On Monday, prosecutors claimed Combs made a male escort perform disgusting sex acts with his ex-partner Cassie Ventura. Daniel Phillip, a male escort, claimed he was paid thousands of dollars to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched and pleasured himself. He said he was paid anywhere from $700 to a whopping $6,000 for the sessions and said they could last for up to 10 hours. While on the stand, Phillip also claimed that he saw Combs violently attack Ventura. The escort claimed the mogul hurled a liquor bottle and was physically violent - grabbing her by the hair and dragging her. While on the stand, Phillip claimed he never reported Combs to the cops. "I tried to explain to her that she's in real danger if she stays with him," he told the jury. STAR WITNESS Heavily-pregnant Ventura, the prosecution's star witness, took the stand on Tuesday and Wednesday. She will now be cross-examined. She filed a lawsuit in 2023, alleging that she had been subject to a decade-long cycle of abuse and sex trafficking. During her testimony, she claimed that she was humiliated during the so-called freak offs. She also shared details of the drugs involved during the marathon sex sessions, and claimed the longest freak-off lasted four days. Ventura told the court she used drugs to numb herself and divulged how Combs allegedly controlled her. "Sean controlled a lot of my life," she said. "Whether it was career, the way I dressed, everything, everything." Four alleged victims are expected to testify during the trial. Combs faces life in prison if he's convicted of racketeering. 10 10 Diddy locked eyes with us as he entered the courtroom - inside the trial of the decade By Israel S-Rodriguez, Senior News Reporter at The U.S. Sun: The federal sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs began with jury selection on May 5. Combs is standing trial at the Southern District of New York Courthouse in Lower Manhattan - an intimidating federal courthouse where the cases of Ghislaine Maxwell, Donald Trump, and Bernard Madoff, among others, were tried. Once a powerful founder of a music and business empire, Combs has been reduced to a defendant, inmate 37452-054, stripped of his mogul status, and now standing trial on five federal charges with the full wrath of the United States government against him. When I attended Day 3 of jury selection at the federal courthouse on May 7, the buzz around the start of the trial was palpable. Hours before the courthouse opened its doors, more than a dozen reporters and members of the public stood in line in hopes of securing a seat in the gallery for the high-profile trial. As you walk through the glass door entrance of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse, you are met by bulletproof vest-clad court officers. All visitors must separate their electronic devices from their personal belongings, which are passed through a metal detector. Visitors walk through a metal detector before a court officer hands them a poker chip. The courthouse uses a poker chip system to sort the number of electronic devices visitors are in possession of. Electronic devices, such as Bluetooth-powered headphones, voice recorders, laptops, cellphones, and smart watches, are confiscated before you're allowed to enter the courthouse's main hallway. As about a half-dozen reporters and I waited in the gallery for jury selection, we witnessed how Combs entered the courtroom shackle-free. Combs entered with his hands pressed together, greeted his defense team before he examined the gallery, and locked eyes with reporters and potential jurors. The 55-year-old disgraced Bad Boy Records executive was attentive and engaged with his counsel as they grilled dozens of potential jurors. As jury selection wrapped up for the day, Combs embraced each of his female defense attorneys before he mouthed "thank you" to a handful of supporters in the gallery. I attended trial again as opening statements got underway on May 12 and the world media waited anxiously outside the federal courthouse before the sun rose in Lower Manhattan. A line stretched down the block from the federal courthouse as some members of the media and from the public camped out overnight to try to obtain a coveted seat inside the gallery. At least three overflow rooms were made available for reporters and the public, who are eager to witness the prosecutions case against the music mogul. At least half a dozen members of Combs' family arrived at the courthouse as spectators filed in single order to enter the federal building to turn over all their electronic devices. Combs' trial is being held on the 26th floor in Judge Arun Subramanian's courtroom and is expected to last for eight weeks. We'll bring it all to you on The U.S. Sun.
CBC
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
R&B singer Cassie testifies on 2nd day of Sean (Diddy) Combs sex trafficking trial
WARNING: This story may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it. Sean (Diddy) Combs's former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, took the witness stand in his sex trafficking trial on Tuesday, a day after prosecutors showed jurors video of the music mogul beating her in a hotel in 2016. Testimony from Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, is central to prosecutors' attempts to portray Combs as someone who used his status as a powerful executive to orchestrate a deviant empire of exploitation, coercing women into abusive sex parties he called "freak-offs" and becoming violent if they refused. Lawyers for three-time Grammy winner argue that, though he could be violent, Combs never veered into sex trafficking and racketeering, telling jurors the sexual acts were consensual. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. Testimony in the trial began Monday. The trial resumed Tuesday with Combs's lawyer questioning Daniel Phillip, a male stripper who says he was paid to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched. Phillip testified on Monday that he stopped seeing the couple after witnessing Combs assault Cassie and then drag her by her hair into a bedroom as she screamed. Defence lawyer Xavier Donaldson pointed to Phillip's past statements to federal prosecutors as he attempted to show inconsistencies in his recollection of events. Donaldson finished his cross-examination after suggesting that Phillip had developed a crush on Cassie and wanted to isolate her from Combs so he could be with her romantically. Phillip denied that, but admitted: "I was attracted to her. If she ever gave me the chance to date her, I absolutely would have." Cassie sued Combs in 2023, alleging years of abuse. A surveillance video made public last year showed Combs beating her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. CNN aired the video last year, leading Combs to apologize. The video, which was played for jurors, shows Combs wearing only a white towel, punching, kicking and dragging Cassie in a hotel hallway. Israel Florez, a former security officer at the hotel, testified Monday that he came across Combs while responding to a call about a woman in distress, and found Combs sitting in a chair with "a devilish stare." Florez said Combs offered him a stack of money and said: "Don't tell nobody." Florez said he refused the cash and told Combs, "I don't want your money. Just go back into your room." Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson said Combs beat Cassie often and with little provocation, and threatened to ruin her music career by releasing videos of her engaging in sexual acts with male escorts during encounters he arranged. Prosecution described pattern of abuse Johnson said Combs sexually exploited and beat other women, including a woman identified only as Jane, who Combs is accused of attacking after she confronted him about the "freak-offs" — which were recorded by Combs and used as blackmail against the women to keep them in line, according to the prosecution. Cassie's lawsuit against Combs was settled within hours, but it was followed by dozens of similar legal claims and touched off a criminal investigation. An attorney for Combs, Teny Geragos, told the jury on Monday that Combs's accusers were after his money, adding that jurors might think he's a "jerk" and might not condone his "kinky sex," but that "he's not charged with being a jerk." The Associated Press doesn't generally identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has done. Judge Arun Subramanian says he's inclined to grant a request by media organizations to view what a defence lawyer described as pornographic videos that will be shown to the jury as evidence in the case. But he's giving the parties another day to make submissions on the matter. Combs has been jailed in Brooklyn since his arrest in September. If convicted, he could get at least 15 years and up to life in prison.
The Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Diddy's 8-month pregnant ex-Cassie Ventura who he ‘forced into drug-fueled freak offs' set to testify on day 2 of trial
SEAN "Diddy" Combs' eight-month pregnant ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura is set to take the stand and testify on day two of the blockbuster trial. Her bombshell testimony comes after the video of Combs beating her in a hotel hallway in 2016 kicked off the downfall of the disgraced rapper and music mogul. 3 3 3 Combs, 55, faces five criminal counts, including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, and transportation to engage in prostitution. The first day of Combs' trial at the US Courthouse in Manhattan ended on Monday with testimony from male escort Daniel Phillip. Phillip said he was paid up to $6,000 per session to have sex with Cassie using baby oil while Combs watched from the corner of the room. After several meet-ups in New York City starting in 2012, Phillip told the court he stopped agreeing to the encounters after he saw Combs beat up Cassie twice and realized she was in "real danger." The chilling 2016 video was shown to the court on Monday as a security guard also recalled his experience coming face to face with Combs, who he said had a "devilish stare" after beating up Cassie. It comes as... Combs turned down plea deal days before jury selection got underway Potential jurors were given a list of 190 celebrities they recognized The reason Michael B. Jordan was named during the jury selection process revealed Combs was hit with fresh prostitution and sex trafficking charges just months before his trial started The music sensation was arrested in September 2024 at a New York City hotel hours after he was seen relaxing in Central Park In March 2024, two of Combs' mansions were raided by federal investigators, who seized three AR-15s, drugs, and 1,000 bottles of lube which were part of his 'freak-off' supplies The arrest came after Combs' ex Cassie Ventura accused him in a lawsuit of physically and sexually abusing her for years Prosecutors allege Combs orchestrated drug-fuelled sex parties he called freak-offs, where he is said to have forced women, including Cassie and another alleged victim called Jane Doe, to participate in sexual activity with male escorts. He has pleaded not guilty and appeared stone-faced as the trial began with prosecutors painting him as the ringleader of a criminal enterprise during explosive opening statements. Prosecutors warned jurors to brace themselves to hear disturbing details of the alleged freak-offs throughout the trial during opening statements. Combs has denied all allegations against him and argued through his lawyers that he has only participated in consensual sex between adults. If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. 12th May 2025, 19:15 By Charlotte Maracina Florez claims Diddy said not to tell anyone Florez claimed that Sean 'Diddy' Combs told him not to tell anyone about the 2016 incident as he offered him a stack of cash with a $100 bill on top. The offer happened after Florez, a former security guard at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, approached Combs about a fight between the music producer and his girlfriend, Cassie Venutra. "Hey take care of this," Florez recalled Combs saying, after Ventura had left. "Don't tell nobody." 12th May 2025, 19:07 By Charlotte Maracina Florez rejects offer Florez said he rejected the offer by Combs. "I said, I don't want your money, the damage is going to be charged to your room." The witness said Cassie left the hotel in a black SUV. "We went up to Mr. Combs' room to remind him of hotel rules," the former security guard told jurors. "He opens the door and grabs the phone and says, Are you recording me? I pinned him to the wall." 12th May 2025, 19:04 By Carsen Holaday Florez recalls 'devilish stare' Witness Israel Florez testified that Sean "Diddy" Combs had a "devilish stare" after he violently attacked his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura in 2016. 'He was on the chair, slouched down and he was at a blank stare," Florez, a security guard at the time, told jurors. "As soon as I walked out, the best way I can describe it is a devilish stare." Florez added that he was looking at him with "no movement." He said Cassie had her hoodie on at the time and was hiding her face.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial live updates: Cassie Ventura expected to testify in federal sex trafficking case
Witness testimony in the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continues in federal court in Manhattan, where the 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. Cassie Ventura, Combs' former girlfriend, is expected to take the stand Tuesday, a day after prosecutors showed jurors surveillance video of her being assaulted by him in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Two of the prosecution's witnesses were called to testify on Monday: Israel Florez, a police officer and former security guard who responded to Ventura's distress call at the hotel; and Daniel Phillip, a male revue manager who said he was paid by Ventura to have sex with her while Combs watched. Federal prosecutors say that for decades, Combs abused, threatened and coerced women to participate in drug-fueled sex performances called "freak offs," and used his business empire, along with guns, kidnapping and arson, to conceal his crimes. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, Combs could face life in prison. He is being held without bail in a Brooklyn jail. A jury of 12 New Yorkers and six alternates will decide his fate. The trial is expected to last at least eight weeks. Follow the live blog below for the latest updates on the trial, culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom. The first day of Combs's criminal trial wrapped for the day as scheduled at 5 p.m. ET. Judge Arun Subramanian instructed jurors not to discuss or read about the case after being dismissed. Court will resume at 9:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, and Daniel Phillip will take the stand again to continue testifying under cross-examination. Phillip is the prosecution's second witness. He has testified that he was paid by Cassie Ventura to have sex with her while Combs watched. The court is back after a short break, and Combs's defense attorney Xavier Donaldson has begun cross-examination of Daniel Phillip, the prosecution's second witness. The court is taking a quick break now that the prosecution has finished its direct examination of its second witness, Daniel Phillip, who testified that he was paid to have sex with Cassie Ventura while Sean Combs watched the encounters. The defense will begin its cross-examination of Phillip after the break. Daniel Phillip, a male revue manager who said he was paid to have sex with Cassie Ventura in the presence of Sean Combs, testified that Combs would direct the sexual acts between the two. Phillip said that on one or two occasions, Combs recorded them having sex on a phone and a camcorder device. Phillip also testified that Combs took a picture of his driver's license for insurance purposes, which Phillip said he took as a threat. The prosecution has called its second witness: Daniel Phillip, a former male stripper who says he was paid by Cassie Ventura to have sex with her in the presence of Sean "Diddy" Combs. Under direct questioning, Phillip testified that in 2012 he was invited into a suite at the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan by Ventura for what he thought would be a striptease for a bachelorette party. But when he got there, Ventura was alone and said her "husband" wanted to do "something special" for her. Combs was in the suite wearing a white robe and baseball cap with a bandana from his nose down, Phillip said. He said he immediately recognized Combs's voice. Phillip said that Ventura paid him a few thousand dollars to have sex with her while Combs sat in the corner masturbating. He said Ventura subsequently texted him to return for several similar encounters with the couple over the next two years at hotels and as well as in their homes, and was paid between $700 and $6,000 each time. Sean Combs's defense attorney Brian Steel wrapped up his cross-examination of the prosecution's first witness. During direct questioning by the prosecution, Israel Florez, the former security guard, testified that Combs had a "devilish stare" when he first encountered the hip-hop mogul in the hallway of the hotel. During cross-examination, defense attorney Brian Steel asked Florez why that detail was not included in the incident report he filed at the time. Florez said he felt it wasn't relevant to include in the report, but maintained, "It was my opinion then and now.' Steel also pressed Florez on his testimony that Combs had offered him a wad of cash to keep quiet about the incident. Steel pointed out that Florez had told Combs that he would have to pay for any damages to the hotel, and asked Florez again if he believed Combs was offering him the money as a bribe. 'Definitely,' Florez said. The prosecution has finished with its questioning, and now the defense is cross-examining Israel Florez, the former security guard who responded to Cassie Ventura's distress call at the hotel. Israel Florez, who was a security guard at the InterContinental Hotel at the time of the March 2016 incident, said Cassie Ventura didn't respond to any of his questions after Combs assaulted her. "She just said, 'I want to leave, I just want to leave,'" he testified. Florez said he didn't call the police after the incident because "there was no victim there, obviously nobody was pressing charges." The prosecution is now showing the jury footage from a 2016 surveillance video showing Combs assaulting Cassie Ventura in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Calif. The video shows Ventura with a bag by the hotel's elevators before Combs appears in a towel, throwing her to the ground, kicking and dragging her toward their hotel room. Ventura then returns to the hallway where she is seen using a phone connected to the wall. Combs is then seen pacing in the hallway before throwing a vase that shatters. CNN aired clips of the same footage last year. Defense lawyers had argued that the clips were altered and edited by the network and should not be shown. Prosecutors said they would play the hotel's footage for the jury, not the clips shown on CNN. Florez said he filed a report following the March 2016 incident involving Combs and Ventura. Florez sent the detailed report at 3 p.m. local time that day describing what happened "from start to finish." At the time, another man was in Combs's hotel room but did not engage with Combs or Ventura during the incident. Florez said he did not include that detail in the report because he felt it wasn't relevant. Prosecutors have entered the report into evidence. Israel Florez, the former security guard at the InterContinental Hotel, testified that when he arrived at the scene, Ventura was sitting on the floor with a hoodie pulled up, and Combs was sitting, wearing only a towel, and had a "devilish stare." Shards of a broken vase were scattered on the floor. Florez said that he escorted them back to their hotel room and Combs offered him a stack of cash, which he understood to be a bribe. "He was telling me, 'Don't tell nobody,'" Florez told the court. He said he did not take the cash. "I don't want your money," Florez recalled telling Combs. "Just go back into your room." The former security guard also testified that he approached Ventura as she was leaving the hotel with a "purple eye," and asked her if she wanted to call the police. She repeated that she wanted to leave. The prosecution's first witness, Israel Florez, testified that on March 5, 2016, he received a "woman in distress" call from the sixth floor of the Intercontinental Hotel, where he was the assistant director of security at the time. Florez said that when he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Combs and a woman in the elevator lobby. The witness identified Combs in the courtroom as wearing a gray sweater. Court has resumed after an hourlong lunch break, with the prosecution calling the first witness to testify in the trial: Israel Florez, an officer with the LAPD who formerly worked as a security guard at the Los Angeles hotel where Combs was seen assaulting Cassie Ventura in a 2016 surveillance video. Courtroom sketches of Combs's criminal trial are the only images the public will see over the course of the next several weeks because the trial is not allowed to be televised. Below are the first sketches released from Monday morning's proceedings, which include opening statements from the prosecution and the defense and a thumbs-up from Diddy to his family. The jury was excused for lunch after the prosecution and defense delivered their opening statements. Court is in recess until 1:15 p.m. ET. Combs's defense attorney wrapped up her opening statement by telling the jury that the accusers weren't forced into sexual relationships and were willing participants who could have left at any time. Teny Geragos also suggested to the jury that those who will testify against Combs have a motive. "For many of them the answer is simple — money," she said. In her opening statement, Geragos informed the jury that Combs and Ventura have not seen each other since the 2018 funeral of Kim Porter, the mother of several of Combs's children. Ventura is expected to take the stand as a witness for the prosecution this week. When she does, Geragos said, "We are all going to witness their closure." Teny Geragos, Combs's defense attorney, talked about the hotel surveillance video from 2016 in which her client appears to violently assault his then girlfriend Cassie Ventura. "What Combs did to Cassie on this videotape is indefensible. It's horrible. It's dehumanizing. It's violent," Geragos admitted during opening statements. However, she went on to say that while the video may be evidence of domestic violence, it is not evidence of sex trafficking, which is what Combs is charged with in this case. Combs's defense attorney addressed the extensive amount of baby oil seized by law enforcement during a search of his home last year. "You may know of his love for baby oil," Geragos said during her opening statement. "Is that a federal crime? No." She also told the jury that there might be times when they think Combs is a jerk or is being mean but reminded them that that's not what he's being charged with. "He is charged with running a racketeering enterprise," Geragos said.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial live updates: Cassie Ventura expected to testify in federal sex trafficking case
Witness testimony in the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs continues in federal court in Manhattan, where the 55-year-old hip-hop mogul is facing charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. Cassie Ventura, Combs' former girlfriend, is expected to take the stand Tuesday, a day after prosecutors showed jurors surveillance video of her being assaulted by him in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. Two of the prosecution's witnesses were called to testify on Monday: Israel Florez, a police officer and former security guard who responded to Ventura's distress call at the hotel; and Daniel Phillip, a male revue manager who said he was paid by Ventura to have sex with her while Combs watched. Federal prosecutors say that for decades, Combs abused, threatened and coerced women to participate in drug-fueled sex performances called "freak offs," and used his business empire, along with guns, kidnapping and arson, to conceal his crimes. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, Combs could face life in prison. He is being held without bail in a Brooklyn jail. A jury of 12 New Yorkers and six alternates will decide his fate. The trial is expected to last at least eight weeks. Follow the live blog below for the latest updates on the trial, culled from various reporters and news organizations in the courtroom. The first day of Combs's criminal trial wrapped for the day as scheduled at 5 p.m. ET. Judge Arun Subramanian instructed jurors not to discuss or read about the case after being dismissed. Court will resume at 9:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, and Daniel Phillip will take the stand again to continue testifying under cross-examination. Phillip is the prosecution's second witness. He has testified that he was paid by Cassie Ventura to have sex with her while Combs watched. The court is back after a short break, and Combs's defense attorney Xavier Donaldson has begun cross-examination of Daniel Phillip, the prosecution's second witness. The court is taking a quick break now that the prosecution has finished its direct examination of its second witness, Daniel Phillip, who testified that he was paid to have sex with Cassie Ventura while Sean Combs watched the encounters. The defense will begin its cross-examination of Phillip after the break. Daniel Phillip, a male revue manager who said he was paid to have sex with Cassie Ventura in the presence of Sean Combs, testified that Combs would direct the sexual acts between the two. Phillip said that on one or two occasions, Combs recorded them having sex on a phone and a camcorder device. Phillip also testified that Combs took a picture of his driver's license for insurance purposes, which Phillip said he took as a threat. The prosecution has called its second witness: Daniel Phillip, a former male stripper who says he was paid by Cassie Ventura to have sex with her in the presence of Sean "Diddy" Combs. Under direct questioning, Phillip testified that in 2012 he was invited into a suite at the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan by Ventura for what he thought would be a striptease for a bachelorette party. But when he got there, Ventura was alone and said her "husband" wanted to do "something special" for her. Combs was in the suite wearing a white robe and baseball cap with a bandana from his nose down, Phillip said. He said he immediately recognized Combs's voice. Phillip said that Ventura paid him a few thousand dollars to have sex with her while Combs sat in the corner masturbating. He said Ventura subsequently texted him to return for several similar encounters with the couple over the next two years at hotels and as well as in their homes, and was paid between $700 and $6,000 each time. Sean Combs's defense attorney Brian Steel wrapped up his cross-examination of the prosecution's first witness. During direct questioning by the prosecution, Israel Florez, the former security guard, testified that Combs had a "devilish stare" when he first encountered the hip-hop mogul in the hallway of the hotel. During cross-examination, defense attorney Brian Steel asked Florez why that detail was not included in the incident report he filed at the time. Florez said he felt it wasn't relevant to include in the report, but maintained, "It was my opinion then and now.' Steel also pressed Florez on his testimony that Combs had offered him a wad of cash to keep quiet about the incident. Steel pointed out that Florez had told Combs that he would have to pay for any damages to the hotel, and asked Florez again if he believed Combs was offering him the money as a bribe. 'Definitely,' Florez said. The prosecution has finished with its questioning, and now the defense is cross-examining Israel Florez, the former security guard who responded to Cassie Ventura's distress call at the hotel. Israel Florez, who was a security guard at the InterContinental Hotel at the time of the March 2016 incident, said Cassie Ventura didn't respond to any of his questions after Combs assaulted her. "She just said, 'I want to leave, I just want to leave,'" he testified. Florez said he didn't call the police after the incident because "there was no victim there, obviously nobody was pressing charges." The prosecution is now showing the jury footage from a 2016 surveillance video showing Combs assaulting Cassie Ventura in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, Calif. The video shows Ventura with a bag by the hotel's elevators before Combs appears in a towel, throwing her to the ground, kicking and dragging her toward their hotel room. Ventura then returns to the hallway where she is seen using a phone connected to the wall. Combs is then seen pacing in the hallway before throwing a vase that shatters. CNN aired clips of the same footage last year. Defense lawyers had argued that the clips were altered and edited by the network and should not be shown. Prosecutors said they would play the hotel's footage for the jury, not the clips shown on CNN. Florez said he filed a report following the March 2016 incident involving Combs and Ventura. Florez sent the detailed report at 3 p.m. local time that day describing what happened "from start to finish." At the time, another man was in Combs's hotel room but did not engage with Combs or Ventura during the incident. Florez said he did not include that detail in the report because he felt it wasn't relevant. Prosecutors have entered the report into evidence. Israel Florez, the former security guard at the InterContinental Hotel, testified that when he arrived at the scene, Ventura was sitting on the floor with a hoodie pulled up, and Combs was sitting, wearing only a towel, and had a "devilish stare." Shards of a broken vase were scattered on the floor. Florez said that he escorted them back to their hotel room and Combs offered him a stack of cash, which he understood to be a bribe. "He was telling me, 'Don't tell nobody,'" Florez told the court. He said he did not take the cash. "I don't want your money," Florez recalled telling Combs. "Just go back into your room." The former security guard also testified that he approached Ventura as she was leaving the hotel with a "purple eye," and asked her if she wanted to call the police. She repeated that she wanted to leave. The prosecution's first witness, Israel Florez, testified that on March 5, 2016, he received a "woman in distress" call from the sixth floor of the Intercontinental Hotel, where he was the assistant director of security at the time. Florez said that when he stepped out of the elevator, he saw Combs and a woman in the elevator lobby. The witness identified Combs in the courtroom as wearing a gray sweater. Court has resumed after an hourlong lunch break, with the prosecution calling the first witness to testify in the trial: Israel Florez, an officer with the LAPD who formerly worked as a security guard at the Los Angeles hotel where Combs was seen assaulting Cassie Ventura in a 2016 surveillance video. Courtroom sketches of Combs's criminal trial are the only images the public will see over the course of the next several weeks because the trial is not allowed to be televised. Below are the first sketches released from Monday morning's proceedings, which include opening statements from the prosecution and the defense and a thumbs-up from Diddy to his family. The jury was excused for lunch after the prosecution and defense delivered their opening statements. Court is in recess until 1:15 p.m. ET. Combs's defense attorney wrapped up her opening statement by telling the jury that the accusers weren't forced into sexual relationships and were willing participants who could have left at any time. Teny Geragos also suggested to the jury that those who will testify against Combs have a motive. "For many of them the answer is simple — money," she said. In her opening statement, Geragos informed the jury that Combs and Ventura have not seen each other since the 2018 funeral of Kim Porter, the mother of several of Combs's children. Ventura is expected to take the stand as a witness for the prosecution this week. When she does, Geragos said, "We are all going to witness their closure." Teny Geragos, Combs's defense attorney, talked about the hotel surveillance video from 2016 in which her client appears to violently assault his then girlfriend Cassie Ventura. "What Combs did to Cassie on this videotape is indefensible. It's horrible. It's dehumanizing. It's violent," Geragos admitted during opening statements. However, she went on to say that while the video may be evidence of domestic violence, it is not evidence of sex trafficking, which is what Combs is charged with in this case. Combs's defense attorney addressed the extensive amount of baby oil seized by law enforcement during a search of his home last year. "You may know of his love for baby oil," Geragos said during her opening statement. "Is that a federal crime? No." She also told the jury that there might be times when they think Combs is a jerk or is being mean but reminded them that that's not what he's being charged with. "He is charged with running a racketeering enterprise," Geragos said.
