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USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
The woman at the center of Diddy's inner circle may take the stand
The woman at the center of Diddy's inner circle may take the stand Show Caption Hide Caption Witness describes moment Diddy allegedly held her over a balcony A witness in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal sex-crimes trial testified that he dangled her over a 17-story balcony and threatened to kill her. For weeks, Sean "Diddy" Combs has watched from a courtroom table as witness after witness has taken the stand, unraveling a wide-ranging tale of alleged abuse and conspiracy. The common thread uniting many of the witnesses? They used to work for Combs. Ex-assistants, stylists and artists for his label Bad Boy Records have come forward – some willingly and some not – and testified about a man whose status as a public icon allegedly enabled him to be a private monster. On Thursday, June 5, a statement from prosecutors that they may have caught the big kahuna: Kristina "KK" Khorram, Combs' former chief of staff and right-hand woman. In an aside with the judge, lawyers for the government called Khorram "an agent and co-conspirator," marking the first time she has been referred to that way. The language implies Khorram has likely reached an agreement with the prosecution and will testify. Diddy Inc.: How Sean Combs' closest aides are unraveling his jet set empire in court Should she take the stand, she would likely be the closest person inside Combs' alleged criminal enterprise to do so. The government has accused the music mogul of leading a Promethean lifestyle powered by wealth and fame and propelled relentlessly forward by a combination of intimidation, manipulation, violence and even rape. To accomplish that, Combs enlisted an entourage of paid support staff and enablers who lived a life most mortals could only dream of – lavish, nonstop and, like Combs himself, at the white-hot center of fame, money and power atop the entertainment world, prosecutors say. And at the center of it was Khorram. In March, two months before Combs' trial began, she denied any involvement in the case or the flurry of civil lawsuits aimed at her "former boss," calling any allegations "untrue." "For months, horrific accusations have been made about me in various lawsuits regarding my former boss," Khorram's statement read. "These false allegations of my involvement are causing irreparable and incalculable damage to my reputation and the emotional well-being of myself and my family. I have never condoned or aided and abetted the sexual assault of anyone. Nor have I ever drugged anyone. "The idea that I could be accused of playing a role in – or even being a bystander to – the rape of anyone is beyond upsetting, disturbing, and unthinkable," the statement continued. "That is not who I am and my heart goes out to all victims of sexual assault." If Khorram testifies, she will join a growing cadre of ex-employees who allegedly helped Combs run his empire, and now may be the cause of its undoing. Diddy team admits to violence, but not sex trafficking. Will the jury see a difference? Some legal experts say their testimony, and that of more insiders to come, will bolster prosecutors' allegations that Combs oversaw a movable party operation that crossed the line into becoming a global criminal enterprise designed to "fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct." "It seems like each and every day, the testimony gets worse and worse for Sean Combs," said David Ring, a civil trial lawyer specializing in sexual assault cases who represented one of Harvey Weinstein's victims in a civil case, in a previous interview with USA TODAY. "And I think we're going to see more employees come forward who have to admit on the stand that they enabled these criminal actions because they felt like they were pressured into it." Contributing: Josh Meyer, Jay Stahl
USA Today
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Diddy Inc.: How Sean Combs' closest aides are unraveling his jet set empire in court
Diddy Inc.: How Sean Combs' closest aides are unraveling his jet set empire in court Show Caption Hide Caption Witness says she posted praise for Diddy because it was her job A witness named 'Mia' testified in Sean Combs' sex trafficking trial, saying she feared no one would believe her allegations of sexual assault. NEW YORK ― For years, Sean 'Diddy' Combs was the embodiment of untouchable celebrity — a near-billionaire mogul who crisscrossed the globe in private jets and chartered yachts, hosting drug- and sex-fueled parties from Cannes to St. Barts to Las Vegas. To accomplish that, Combs enlisted an entourage of paid support staff and enablers who lived a life most mortals could only dream of — lavish, nonstop and, like Combs himself, at the white-hot center of fame, money and power atop the entertainment world. Drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4 a.m. Snorting from a potpourri of drugs in a luxe party bus at Burning Man. Partying at Prince's house while The Purple One performed atop a table. Sunbathing off Turks and Caicos. Jetting off to Ibiza for a rave. Now, inside a hushed Manhattan federal courtroom, that fantasy world is crashing down with the testimony of some of the very same people who made it all happen. One by one, the people who once orbited Combs − assistants, stylists, gofers and security guards − are pulling back the curtain on his carefully erected empire. They describe a Promethean lifestyle powered by wealth and fame and propelled relentlessly forward by a combination of intimidation, manipulation, violence ― and even rape. Some are testifying under federal subpoena and against their will, as is the case of former stylist Deonte Nash and Derek Ferguson, former chief financial officer for Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment.. "Absolutely not," Nash said when asked if he was taking the stand of his own accord. More: Witnesses say Sean 'Diddy' Combs broke the law for decades. Why didn't they say anything? Some legal experts say their testimony, and that of more insiders to come, will bolster prosecutors' allegations that Combs oversaw a movable party operation that crossed the line into becoming a global criminal enterprise designed to 'fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.' 'It seems like each and every day, the testimony gets worse and worse for Sean Combs,' said David Ring, a civil trial lawyer specializing in sexual assault cases who represented one of Harvey Weinstein's victims in a civil case. 'And I think we're going to see more employees come forward who have to admit on the stand that they enabled these criminal actions because they felt like they were pressured into it.' Combs is the only one publicly charged in the case, with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations of wrongdoing. His all-star team of lawyers accuses some of those now speaking out against him as joining 'the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs.' That's especially the case when it comes to Combs' treatment of his longtime girlfriend Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura Fine, who the mercurial rapper is accused of coercing into marathon sex acts known as "Freak Offs" and other degradations to satisfy his whims. But his prosecution, especially charges of violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act or RICO, hinges on the core accusation that Combs 'relied on the employees, resources, and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled' in his rise to the top. If convicted of that RICO charge, Combs could spend the rest of his life in prison. Exposing Combs' Inner Sanctum At least one former executive assistant, George Kaplan, has been granted immunity to testify against Combs – an indication that they too might have been facing charges. Justice Department prosecutors have broadly hinted that there are other unindicted co-conspirators who lived the high life with Combs while doing his bidding, either willingly or under duress. Several of Combs' former aides have testified that Combs demanded not only their absolute loyalty but also their silence. Several said they feared losing their jobs, and their employability in the entertainment world, if they spoke out, including about illegal activity. But they're talking now. To make their case, prosecutors have had at least seven people in Combs' employ walk the jury through how they answered to his every whim, anywhere in the world and at any hour. One of Combs' longest-serving aides, identified only as Mia to protect her privacy, testified that she worked for him from 2009 to 2017 even though he physically and emotionally terrorized and even raped her. She did so, in part, because of the professional opportunities he gave her, including founding and running a film production company. One of several yacht charters off the luxe Caribbean island of St. Barts was marred, Mia testified, by Combs screaming at her when she couldn't count the cash in his safe fast enough for him. "You better learn to walk on water like Jesus did, b*tch,' Combs screamed before ordering her out of his sight. Soon after, Mia said, Combs decided to jet off to Las Vegas and demanded she accompany him. "The highs were really high but the lows were really really low," Mia said during her three days of often-emotional testimony. Mia described "magical, hilarious" and "hysterical" experiences, like partying with Leonardo DiCaprio, and drinking champagne in Paris and fending off Mick Jagger's attempts to take her home. "Puff! Sometimes life goes by at catastrophic speeds where you never get to live in and enjoy 'now,'" Mia wrote Combs in a note for his 45th birthday in 2014. "I hope on this day you get to sit back and take it all in." Mia also said the ADHD medication she'd been taking since her late teens helped her keep up with the sleepless nights and jet lag. As the first rapper to combine the riches of a pop mega-star with the thug life ethos of rap and hip-hop music, Combs indeed did live life at 'catastrophic speeds' that often crossed the line into illegality, other former staff members have testified in recent weeks. To support his high-flying lifestyle, Combs had as many as five personal assistants, executive assistants, a large security detail and at least one private chef. Also on speed dial, a drug dealer nicknamed 'One Stop,' because he had everything from cocaine to Plan-B and birth control to the party drug ecstasy, Combs associate and singer Dawn Richard testified. Richard said she observed Combs using weed, ketamine, cocaine and the party drug Molly, stashing his drugs in a Louis Vuitton toiletry bag. David James told jurors part of his job was picking up drugs for Combs and his friends, from Percocet prescriptions at the pharmacy to an eighth of an ounce of cocaine from a yacht in St. Tropez. More: Sean 'Diddy' Combs could lose his freedom – and his vast empire of mansions, art and cars He also saw several different types of ecstasy pills in Combs' medical bag, including "one in the shape' of former President Barack Obama's face. Even more damaging to Combs, prosecutors suggest, could be the testimony of male former employees, especially security guards who may have been involved in recruiting and transporting women across state and national lines, key elements of the trafficking case. A former Combs' chief of staff Kristina "KK" Khorram, often described as his all-knowing 'right hand' could also testify. 'The fact that these employees are testifying is incredibly significant to the RICO charges, because it shows that this was an enterprise that was engaged in criminal activity,' Ring told USA TODAY. 'If it's just Sean Combs by himself, there wouldn't be any claim of a RICO violation.' If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at (4673) and and en Español Josh Meyer is a veteran correspondent focusing on domestic, national and global security issues, including transnational criminal organizations. Reach him atJMeyer@ Follow him on X at @JoshMeyerDC and Bluesky at @
