Latest news with #MannAct
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cassie Ventura's mom and exotic dancer nicknamed 'The Punisher' take the stand in Diddy's trial
This is a free article for newsletter subscribers. Sign up to get exclusive reporting and analysis throughout Sean Combs' federal trial. Prosecutors called four witnesses to the stand today in an effort to paint a wider portrait of Diddy's alleged abusive behavior and his complex relationship with his ex-girlfriend Cassie, who spent four grueling days answering questions last week. The key moments from today's testimony: David James, Diddy's former personal assistant, returned to the stand and testified that he quit his job after he saw the rapper arm himself with three handguns to possibly confront rival hip-hop mogul Suge Knight at a Los Angeles dinner in 2008. James said that he was 'shook up' by the episode and that he began to feel his life was in danger. Regina Ventura, the mother of Diddy's ex-girlfriend, said she felt 'physically sick' after her daughter told her he had threatened to release explicit videos because Cassie was dating rapper Kid Cudi. Diddy wanted $20,000 in exchange, Cassie's mom testified. She also told jurors she took photos of bruises on her daughter. Sharay Hayes, a male stripper nicknamed 'The Punisher,' testified about being hired for as many as 12 choreographed 'freak offs' with Diddy and Cassie. Hayes, facing cross-examination from defense lawyer Xavier Donaldson, agreed that Cassie did not appear to be in any 'discomfort' during the marathon sexual encounters. Gerard Gannon, a federal agent who planned the search at Diddy's Miami home last year, walked jurors through photos of evidence seized at the property, including AR-15 rifles, baby oil, lubricant and sex toys. The serial numbers on the guns were scratched out, making it harder for people to trace them, Gannon said. Diddy, wearing a blue sweater over a white shirt, sat back in his seat and occasionally passed notes to his attorneys as witness after witness took the stand today to describe his alleged pattern of abuse and propensity for violence. In one notable moment, Diddy started laughing as James recounted taking ecstasy. Regina Ventura came across as subdued in her relatively brief time on the stand, answering questions matter-of-factly without any obvious displays of emotion. Diddy's defense team passed on the chance to cross-examine her, and shortly after she left the courthouse with her husband, Rodrick Ventura. In other news: The day's testimony brought a moment of levity to a courtroom that has lately been defined by graphic testimony and tense legal arguments. Marc Agnifilo, one of Diddy's attorneys, told James he had a few 'mundane questions' during cross-examination. 'I like mundane questions,' James replied, drawing laughter from the gallery. Hayes, the exotic dancer, told jurors that he never saw any violence during his sexual experiences with Ventura and Diddy. As far as drugs, he said he saw only marijuana — and he testified that he never saw Ventura intoxicated by illicit substances. Escorts are the key to the government's Mann Act prosecution (Counts 3 and 5), although the testimony above has little to do with the elements the prosecution must prove. The Mann Act makes it illegal to knowingly transport 'any individual in interstate or foreign commerce ... with intent that such individual engage in ... any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a criminal offense.' All the government needs to prove intent is establish that a dominant purpose — not the only purpose — of the travel was to engage the individual in prostitution. In other words, all the government really needs for a Mann Act conviction is an escort to testify (1) 'I'm a sex worker'; (2) 'Combs had me come in from another state'; and (3) 'He paid me for sex.' That's it. The prosecution doesn't need drugs, baby oil or even violence for a Mann Act conviction. In fact, none of the charged crimes have baby oil as an element at all — it's just that the government is very, very good at finding evidence that jurors can't possibly forget. It has introduced a lot of that kind of evidence so far. Tomorrow: Gannon is expected to return to the stand for more testimony about the search at Diddy's property in Miami. Also expected this week: Scott Mescudi, better known as Kid Cudi. PSA: Every night during Diddy's trial, NBC's 'Dateline' will drop special episodes of the 'True Crime Weekly' podcast to get you up to speed. 'Dateline' correspondent Andrea Canning chats with NBC News' Chloe Melas and special guests — right in front of the courthouse. Listen here. This article was originally published on
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Today in Chicago History: Monty the piping plover — partner to Rose — dies
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 13, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) High temperature: 89 degrees (2022) Low temperature: 34 degrees (1996) Precipitation: 1.49 inches (2010) Snowfall: Trace (1953) 1913: An all-white jury in Chicago convicted Black heavyweight champion Jack Johnson of traveling with his white girlfriend, Lucille Cameron, in violation of the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for 'immoral' purposes. The case would later be held up as a deplorable example of institutional racism in early 20th century America. He was sentenced to a year and a day in prison in June 1913, but fled to Canada with Cameron, whom he married while free on bond. He remained a fugitive for seven years, traveling from Europe to Mexico, where he fought bulls and ran a bar called the Main Event. How many presidential pardons or sentence commutations have been granted to people from Illinois? Johnson returned to the United States in 1920 and turned himself in. He served about a year in federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, and was released in July 1921 — arriving back in Chicago a few days later to 35,000 people cheering him on. Johnson died on June 10, 1946, in an auto crash in North Carolina, after storming out of a diner where he'd been asked to sit in a rear section reserved for Blacks. He is buried in Graceland Cemetery. Johnson was posthumously pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2018. 'I took a seat.' Scottie Pippen stayed on the bench with 1.8 seconds left in a crucial 1994 playoff game for the Chicago Bulls. Here are 3 things that could have influenced his decision. 1994: Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson chose Toni Kukoč — instead of Scottie Pippen — to take the final shot in Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. Feeling like a moment was stripped away, Pippen 'took a seat.' He refused to leave the bench with 1.8 seconds left and the game tied at 102. The Bulls played the final moments without him, and Kukoč famously made a tough contested shot, cementing a win and creating a career-defining moment for Pippen. Sears timeline: Rise, fall and restructuring of a Chicago icon over 130 years 2002: Sears acquired Lands' End for $2 billion. Under the deal, Lands' End clothing would begin appearing in Sears stores as early as fall 2002. Sears had struggled for years to bring nationally known brands to its apparel mix. The Lands' End brand, which started in Chicago in 1963 as a sailboat equipment catalog, was spun off in 2014. 2022: Monty, one half of a pair of beloved piping plovers that spent several summers along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Chicago, died at Montrose Beach, officials said. A necropsy performed at Lincoln Park Zoo showed he died of a respiratory infection. Piping plovers in Chicago: How the 'love story' between Monty and Rose unfolded at Montrose Beach His remains were provided to the Field Museum's avian department for future studies that contribute to the recovery of the Great Lakes piping plovers, the zoo said. Monty's son, Imani, and his partner Searocket recently returned to Montrose Beach for their second nesting season. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@ and mmather@
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Today in Chicago History: Monty the piping plover — partner to Rose — dies
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on May 13, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) 1913: An all-white jury in Chicago convicted Black heavyweight champion Jack Johnson of traveling with his white girlfriend, Lucille Cameron, in violation of the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for 'immoral' purposes. The case would later be held up as a deplorable example of institutional racism in early 20th century America. He was sentenced to a year and a day in prison in June 1913, but fled to Canada with Cameron, whom he married while free on bond. He remained a fugitive for seven years, traveling from Europe to Mexico, where he fought bulls and ran a bar called the Main Event. How many presidential pardons or sentence commutations have been granted to people from Illinois?Johnson returned to the United States in 1920 and turned himself in. He served about a year in federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, and was released in July 1921 — arriving back in Chicago a few days later to 35,000 people cheering him on. Johnson died on June 10, 1946, in an auto crash in North Carolina, after storming out of a diner where he'd been asked to sit in a rear section reserved for Blacks. He is buried in Graceland Cemetery. Johnson was posthumously pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2018. 'I took a seat.' Scottie Pippen stayed on the bench with 1.8 seconds left in a crucial 1994 playoff game for the Chicago Bulls. Here are 3 things that could have influenced his decision.1994: Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson chose Toni Kukoč — instead of Scottie Pippen — to take the final shot in Game 3 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks. Feeling like a moment was stripped away, Pippen 'took a seat.' He refused to leave the bench with 1.8 seconds left and the game tied at 102. The Bulls played the final moments without him, and Kukoč famously made a tough contested shot, cementing a win and creating a career-defining moment for Pippen. Sears timeline: Rise, fall and restructuring of a Chicago icon over 130 years2002: Sears acquired Lands' End for $2 billion. Under the deal, Lands' End clothing would begin appearing in Sears stores as early as fall 2002. Sears had struggled for years to bring nationally known brands to its apparel mix. The Lands' End brand, which started in Chicago in 1963 as a sailboat equipment catalog, was spun off in 2014. 2022: Monty, one half of a pair of beloved piping plovers that spent several summers along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Chicago, died at Montrose Beach, officials said. A necropsy performed at Lincoln Park Zoo showed he died of a respiratory infection. Piping plovers in Chicago: How the 'love story' between Monty and Rose unfolded at Montrose BeachHis remains were provided to the Field Museum's avian department for future studies that contribute to the recovery of the Great Lakes piping plovers, the zoo said. Monty's son, Imani, and his partner Searocket recently returned to Montrose Beach for their second nesting season. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past.
USA Today
12-05-2025
- USA Today
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyers accuse prosecution of bias against Black jurors
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyers accuse prosecution of bias against Black jurors Show Caption Hide Caption What we know about the case against Sean 'Diddy' Combs The trial against Sean 'Diddy' Combs is kicking off. How strong is the case against him? Here's what we know now. A jury has been finalized in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal sex-crimes trial, but not without some pushback. Combs' defense team expressed concern that prosecutors were unfairly excluding Black jurors ahead of the final juror selection on May 12. "Your honor, the government has struck seven Black people out of nine strikes, which we believe amounts to a pattern," Combs' lead defense attorney Marc Agnifilo told Judge Arun Subramanian. "We have not demonstrated any sort of bias whatsoever," lead prosecutor Maurene Ryan Comey responded, calling prosecutors' selections "very diverse" with "many non-white" jurors. Diddy on trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges. Comey ran through neutral reasons as to why they made the strikes the way they did: One juror said he had a lack of candor with past incidents with police; another juror had "meandering and inconsistent answers"; and another juror "tried to walk back" her statement that Combs is likely guilty of domestic violence in her jury questionnaire by later saying that victims can jump on a "bandwagon." The judge denied the defense's applications about the jury strikes, with Subramanian saying the defense had "failed to show purposeful discrimination." Diddy trial updates: Jury that could decide Combs' fate is set; opening statements next Combs' team has pointed out what it sees as discriminatory conduct previously. The defense has argued that his transportation to engage in prostitution charge should be dismissed as "no white person has ever been the target of a remotely similar prosecution." Among the federal charges against Combs is a violation of the Mann Act, officially known as the White-Slave Traffic Act, which makes it illegal to transport people across state or international lines for the purpose of prostitution. Combs' lawyers have argued the law has a history of racial bias that rarely results in prosecution. Sean 'Diddy' Combs' lawyers slam feds for using 'racist' law 'used to target Black men' His team has also accused prosecutors of leaking damaging material "to humiliate" him. On May 9, Subramanian rejected the defense's request to dismiss the charge. "Combs doesn't point to any evidence that racial bias played a role in the government's actions, that the prosecution team was responsible for any leaks to the press, or that the way Combs's homes were searched bespeaks a discriminatory purpose," Subramanian said. Contributing: Aysha Bagchi This story has been updated to include additional information.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy Faces Trial Amid Abuse Claims and Years of Industry Silence
The video begins with a barefoot woman walking fast toward the elevator lobby of a Los Angeles hotel. Within seconds, she is yanked violently by a man with a bath towel around his waist, who grabs her by the back of her neck and throws her to the ground before kicking and dragging her. Hip-hop impresario Sean 'Diddy' Combs had long denied he had ever assaulted his former girlfriend. The March 2016 tape made it clear — vocalist Cassie Ventura was the woman on the floor and Combs was the man in the towel. And within days of the video first being broadcast by CNN last May, Combs issued an apology in which he said, 'I was disgusted then when I did it. I'm disgusted now.' The tape isn't just revolting, federal prosecutors say — it is also a crucial piece of evidence that Combs led a 'criminal enterprise' in which he 'abused, threatened, and coerced women and others around him to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct' for years. Combs' conduct and how he wielded his power is the focal point of a trial that began Monday in federal court in New York, where he faces sex trafficking, racketeering, and other charges in connection with a series of elaborate parties known as 'freak-offs' in which the authorities say women were coerced into participating in sexual encounters with Combs and others. Combs has vehemently denied the charges, saying that any sexual encounters were consensual, and his lawyers have characterized the 'freak-offs' as simply part of his non-monogamous lifestyle. While a jury has yet to render a verdict in Combs' case, the closely watched trial follows advocacy efforts that made it easier for survivors of sexual violence to be heard in court. Advocates said they want the music industry to foster safer work environments by ending their efforts to silence accusers and conceal accusations, a practice that prosecutors accused Combs of engaging in. For decades, prosecutors say, 'Combs relied on the employees, resources and influence of the multi-faceted business empire that he led and controlled — creating a criminal enterprise whose members and associates engaged in, and attempted to engage in, among other crimes, sex trafficking, forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, and obstruction of justice.' 'I think everyone was waiting to see when hip-hop was going to have its #MeToo moment,' said Mark Anthony Neal, the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African & African American Studies and Chair of the Department of African & African American Studies at Duke University, who has extensively researched the history of the genre. Combs' legal team has alleged racial bias in the government's decision to charge him with violating the Mann Act for transporting sex workers across state lines as part of the 'freak-offs.' The law, originally titled the White Slave Traffic Act when it was passed in 1910, has a racist history and Combs' defense has argued that it's been disproportionately leveled at Black men. Historically, Neal said, law enforcement has 'criminalized the sexual identity of Black men,' but he added that doesn't mean that predatory behavior by Black men should be excused. 'If we're talking about predatory behavior by Black men in Black communities, amongst Black people, we have to have a higher standard of accountability than to just say, 'Well, you didn't go after that white guy,'' Neal said. While any potential long-term effects of the Combs case remain to be seen, Neal said that it is unlikely he would even be in a courtroom without the prosecutions of singer R. Kelly, who was convicted of sex trafficking and racketeering in a closely watched 2021 trial, and Bill Cosby, who stood trial in 2018 amid allegations from more than 60 women that he drugged and sexually assaulted them. Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault in the case, which revolved around one woman's allegations, but the conviction was overturned on a legal technicality nearly three years later by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Combs' trial 'doesn't occur without Bill Cosby and R. Kelly being taken to task before him,' said Neal. The mogul's legal team did not respond to Capital B's requests for comment. Combs' attorneys told CNN, 'These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships. This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion.' With regard to the Mann Act, historians say the law originally was meant to discourage interracial relationships by penalizing Black men for interstate travel with white women. 'The Mann Act absolutely has those racist roots,' said Emma M. Hetherington, a clinical associate professor at the University of Georgia. The law was used to prosecute Black men — most infamously boxer Jack Johnson — in interracial relationships. Combs' legal team has also asserted that powerful white men like Eliot Spitzer — who resigned in 2008 as governor of New York amid a prostitution scandal but was never criminally charged — have avoided similar prosecution. 'White women are more likely to be believed than Black women, unfortunately. That's not how it should be, but it's bias within our system,' Hetherington added. 'And Black men are more likely to be arrested and alleged to be criminals than white men.' But, she added, 'that's not a legal defense to a trafficking charge.' In November 2023, Ventura — Combs' former girlfriend — filed a lawsuit that said that he was abusive for more than a decade. She said Combs raped and beat her and forced her to have sex with male sex workers, while 'introducing her to a drug-fueled lifestyle that kept her complacent and compliant.' Ventura was able to file her lawsuit because of a temporary window — also known as a lookback law — that allowed people in New York state to file sex abuse lawsuits after the statute of limitations had passed. #MeToo founder Tarana Burke told the Associated Press last year that the legislation 'was a direct result of survivors organizing as part of' #MeToo. 'Survivors pushed hard that we need this law. This is directly related to the power of the movement.' Combs now faces dozens of civil lawsuits alleging sexual assault that span nearly the entirety of his decades-long music career. Jimanekia Eborn, a trauma specialist who founded an advocacy group for sexual assault survivors from marginalized communities, said Ventura's lawsuit prompted 'a lot of tears and a lot of feelings' within the survivor advocate community. 'Her story is so many people's stories in different forms.' Eborn has been an advocate for longer statute of limitations because she knows how difficult it can be for survivors of sexual assault to process trauma. 'Those that don't understand trauma, they go, 'Well, it just happened to you. Why don't you remember it?' Or 'It happened to you five years ago? Why are you finally coming forward?,' she said. 'Not understanding the ways that people process, the ways that trauma can stunt us, the way that it emotionally affects us, it physically affects us.' These lookback windows, which have been implemented in various states, are an acknowledgement by state legislatures that 'maybe our old statute of limitations wasn't sufficient,' said Hetherington, the law professor. 'We've found a lot of healing effects for survivors and a lot of increased ability for survivors to find justice under this type of legislation,' Hetherington said. Such legislation has also generated controversy — specifically around whether it's fair for defendants to face civil lawsuits for decades-old allegations. But, Hetherington said, 'in the majority of these cases, we're talking about defendants who hold all of the power.' Advocates for survivors of sexual misconduct have also pushed for changes around nondisclosure agreements, rampant in the music industry and other entertainment spaces. In 2022, then-President Joe Biden signed a law that bars companies from forcing employees to enter arbitration in sexual assault and sexual harassment claims. The change gives victims a choice in how they pursue justice, allowing them to take their claims to court, where the outcome will be public. As head of Bad Boy Records, Combs found a way to appeal to both traditional R&B audiences and harder-edge hip-hop fans. At the height of his fame in the late '90s and early aughts, he began expanding his empire to include a fashion line, a vodka brand, and exclusive, celebrity-studded parties in the Hamptons. By then, 'everybody wanted to be close to him because he was bringing money and cultural validation to hip-hop,' Neal said. Now, Combs faces his day in court. As for Ventura, after CNN published a video of Combs attacking her last May, the singer wrote on Instagram that domestic violence 'broke me down to someone I never thought I would become.' 'My only ask is that EVERYONE open your heart to believing victims the first time,' she wrote. 'It takes a lot of heart to tell the truth out of a situation that you were powerless in. I offer my hand to those that are still living in fear.' She added: 'This healing journey is never ending.' The post Diddy Faces Trial Amid Abuse Claims and Years of Industry Silence appeared first on Capital B News.
