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Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diddy trial week 3 recap: Ex-assistant alleges rape, mistrial bid fails
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' federal sex trafficking trial wrapped its third week on Friday, following a failed mistrial bid and additional testimony detailing the rapper's alleged abuse, including that of a former assistant who accused him of raping her at his Los Angeles home. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges stemming from allegations that he used his fame — while also relying on fear and violence — to coerce women into having sex with male escorts while subjecting them to ongoing physical and mental abuse. At the center of the federal case is Combs' infamous 'freak-offs,' which allegedly involved degrading acts that were often recorded without consent. Prosecutors claim he covered up his crimes through a well-paid network that resorted to bribery, kidnapping and arson. Here's a recap of what happened during the trial this past week: Capricorn Clark, through tears, testified on Tuesday about alleged instances of kidnappings, blackmail and threats that she that was subjected to during the 14 years she worked on and off for Combs. She specifically recalled how Diddy flew into a rage one night in December 2011, after he learned R&B singer Cassie Ventura, his on-and-off girlfriend at the time, was in a relationship with fellow rapper Kid Cudi. Clark claimed an armed Combs 'kidnapped her' in the dead of night to help him 'kill Cudi,' describing how the rapper ordered her to get dressed despite her protests, then forced her into an Escalade driven by a security guard, who in turn took them to Cudi's home. 'I'd never seen anything like it,' she said of his rage. Clark grew increasingly emotional as she described how the rap mogul busted into Cudi's residence and her subsequent efforts to warn Ventura. When Ventura returned to Combs' Los Angeles mansion the following day, Clark said he immediately began kicking' her with '100% full force, in her legs to begin with.' It was one of several disturbing acts of abuse she witnessed the rapper inflict on Ventura. She said she later called Ventura's mother, telling her Combs had been 'beating the s–t' out of her daughter. She added: 'I can't call the police but you can.' Lance Jimenez, an arson investigator with the L.A. Fire Department, recalled for jurors an investigation into a 2012 explosion that saw Cudi's Porsche burst into flames. He said a subsequent search of the vehicle turned up a Molotov cocktail, fashioned out of a 40-ounce bottle of Old English malt liquor and a designer handkerchief. 'In my opinion, it was targeted,' Jimenez said of the fire, adding that the damage could have been significantly worse had the bottle shattered as intended. Instead, it remained intact, forcing the flames to flicker out rather than spread. Jimenez on Wednesday also alleged that evidence, specifically fingerprint cards, linked to the arson investigation were destroyed in 2012 by 'somebody in the LAPD.' It prompted Diddy's legal team to call for a mistrial, a request that was quickly denied by Judge Arun Subramanian. The defense argued the prosecution's line of questioning and Jimenez's answers unfairly implied Combs was somehow involved in the destruction of evidence. Subramanian disagreed, concluding 'there was absolutely no testimony from the witness that was prejudicial in any way, shape or form.' Kid Cudi testified last week that he believed Diddy was the one behind the Porsche fire. Federal prosecutors also contended Combs was responsible and included the incident among several acts of alleged wrongdoing supporting the racketeering charge against him Deonte Nash was hired by Combs as an intern in 2008 after responding to an ad he found on Craigslist. He went on serve as Ventura's stylist from 2009 to 2018, during which time he said they became close friends. On Wednesday, Nash corroborated Ventura's devastating testimony from the start of Diddy's trial, but noted that he didn't 'hate' Combs, despite the violence he witnessed. In one incident, on Ventura's 29th birthday, Nash said Diddy abruptly ended his then-girlfriend's karaoke party because he wanted to engage in one of his marathon sex romps. 'I don't want to freak-off,' she allegedly told Nash, but admitted she gave in because Combs had threatened to ruin her reputation and release the sex tapes if she didn't comply with his demands. The stylist said it was one of several conversations he had with Ventura during which she said she was being forced to participate in the freak-offs. An ex-assistant who used the pseudonym Mia said Combs sexually assaulted her at his 40th birthday party at The Plaza hotel in Manhattan in 2009, and then raped her at his L.A. home shortly thereafter. He also allegedly forced her to perform oral sex at another one of his California properties, and targeted her on other occasions that she said she struggled to recall. Seeking to cast doubt on Mia's accounts during cross examination on Friday, Combs' defense team pulled up several social media posts in which she had heaped praise on the rapper. Mia said the social media site was a place to make it appear as if her life was perfect, even if that was far from the truth. When asked why she continued to work for Diddy if she feared for her safety any time he was upset, as she claimed on the stand, she said the dynamic was complicated. 'He was vulnerable with me quite a bit, so I would feel responsible for helping him, and then I would feel bad for him,' she explained. 'I mean, I can describe it, but I'm not a psychologist or a therapist.' As the trial continues, the jury is expected to hear testimony from a third woman, using the pseudonym Jane, who was also allegedly coerced into the freak-offs and filmed against her will.
South Wales Guardian
3 days ago
- South Wales Guardian
US judge rejects mistrial request from Combs' lawyers
The music mogul's lawyers said prosecutors tried to imply to a jury that he interfered with the investigation into rapper Kid Cudi's firebombed Porsche in 2012. Although such mistrial requests are common during lengthy federal trials involving hundreds of pieces of evidence and dozens of witnesses, this was the first request at Combs' trial, which is in its third week of testimony in Manhattan. Combs has been active in his defence, regularly writing notes to his lawyers, and they have consulted with him as they questioned witnesses. Judge Arun Subramanian instructed the jury to disregard testimony about the destruction of fingerprint cards that occurred months after Cudi's car was set ablaze. Weeks before that firebombing, Combs became enraged when he learned that Cudi was dating Cassie, the singer who had a nearly 11-year relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. The Molotov cocktail used to burn Cudi's car in his Hollywood Hills driveway was fashioned out of a 40-ounce Old English 800 malt liquor bottle and a designer handkerchief, according to Lance Jimenez, an arson investigator for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and photographs shown in court. The defence's mistrial request came after Mr Jimenez testified that fingerprints taken from Cudi's burned Porsche 911 were destroyed in August 2012, about eight months after the fire. Mr Jimenez said someone in the Los Angeles Police Department who was not involved in the investigation ordered the fingerprint cards destroyed. He said that was not normal protocol. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he led a racketeering conspiracy for 20 years that relied on fear and violence to get what he wanted. If convicted, he could face 15 years to life in prison. Cassie and other witnesses have testified that she was repeatedly beaten by Combs, and she said she was frequently coerced to engage in unwanted sex acts. Defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro asked for the mistrial during a morning break with the jury out of the room. She told Judge Subramanian that 'prosecutorial misconduct' had occurred and said 'there's no way to unring this bell'. She said prosecutors were on notice during jury selection that some prospective jurors had to be eliminated from consideration for the jury because they believed Combs could buy his way out of the racketeering conspiracy he is charged with. 'These questions were designed to play right into that,' she said. Defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo called the prosecution's conduct 'outrageous'. Combs' lawyers argued that the prosecution's questions and Mr Jimenez's resulting testimony was highly prejudicial because prosecutors were suggesting that Combs had something to do with the destruction of the records. Assistant US attorney Christy Slavik said 'a mistrial is absolutely unwarranted here'. She said the subject of fingerprints was raised to counter defence suggestions through questions posed to other witnesses that the car firebombing was poorly investigated and that the area was not canvassed for fingerprints. Later, a friend of Cassie gave evidence that the singer was content celebrating her 29th birthday with drinks, drugs and karaoke with friends but her boyfriend, Combs, had a different idea. The hip-hop mogul insisted on taking Cassie to a Los Angeles hotel for another of his 'freak-off' sex marathons, her friend and former stylist said. Deonte Nash told jurors that he saw the temperamental Combs berating Cassie as she pleaded for him to let her enjoy her birthday on her own terms. Later that night, Mr Nash said that Cassie told the stylist, 'I don't want to freak-off,' but that she had to because Combs was making her. Mr Nash testified that the 2015 conversation was one of several times Cassie confided to him that she did not want to engage in Combs' drug-fuelled hotel encounters. Earlier in the trial, Cassie testified that these often involved Combs watching, directing and sometimes filming her as she had sex with a male sex worker. She said she engaged in hundreds of such encounters during her nearly 11-year relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. Mr Nash said he remains close with Cassie, even advising her on her trial wardrobe. He said he contacted her on Tuesday to congratulate her on the birth of her third child. Along with shedding light on Cassie's feelings about freak-offs, M Nash also corroborated her testimony that Combs frequently beat and tormented her. Combs would threaten to hinder Cassie's fledgling music career and said he would ruin her reputation by releasing recordings of their sexual encounters, Mr Nash said. The stylist said he was at Cassie's apartment, helping her pack for a music festival, when Combs stormed in, grabbed her by the hair, pulled her off a couch and hit her repeatedly. Mr Nash said he jumped on Combs' back in an attempt to get him to stop but Combs bucked and threw him to the ground. Combs resumed attacking Cassie, who fled to a bedroom with Mr Nash and another friend, knocking her head into the edge of the bed frame and causing a large, bloody gash above her eye, the witness said. 'Look what y'all made me do,' Combs said, according to Mr Nash.
1News
3 days ago
- 1News
Judge quickly rejects mistrial request at Sean 'Diddy' Combs trial
A federal judge immediately rejected a defence request for a mistrial on Thursday at the sex trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, after his attorneys said prosecutors tried to imply to a jury that the music mogul interfered with the investigation into rapper Kid Cudi's firebombed Porsche in 2012. Although such mistrial requests are common during lengthy federal trials involving hundreds of pieces of evidence and dozens of witnesses, this was the first request at Combs' trial, which is in its third week of testimony in Manhattan. Combs has been active in his defence, regularly writing notes to his lawyers, and they have consulted with him as they questioned witnesses. Judge Arun Subramanian instructed the jury to disregard testimony about the destruction of fingerprint cards that occurred months after Cudi's car was set ablaze. Weeks before that firebombing, Combs became enraged when he learned that Cudi was dating Cassie, the singer who had a nearly 11-year relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. The Molotov cocktail used to burn Cudi's car in his Hollywood Hills driveway was fashioned out of a 40-ounce Old English 800 malt liquor bottle and a designer handkerchief, according to Lance Jimenez, an arson investigator for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and photographs shown in court. The defence's mistrial request came after Jimenez testified that fingerprints taken from Cudi's burned-up Porsche 911 were destroyed in August 2012, about eight months after the fire. Jimenez said someone in the Los Angeles Police Department who was not involved in the investigation ordered the fingerprint cards destroyed. He said that was not normal protocol. ADVERTISEMENT Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he led a racketeering conspiracy for 20 years that relied on fear and violence to get what he wanted. If convicted, he could face 15 years to life in prison. Cassie and other witnesses have testified that she was repeatedly beaten by Combs, and she said she was frequently coerced to engage in unwanted sex acts. Defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro asked for a mistrial during a morning break with the jury out of the room. She told Subramanian that 'prosecutorial misconduct' had occurred and said 'there's no way to un-ring this bell.' She said prosecutors were on notice during jury selection that some prospective jurors had to be eliminated from consideration for the jury because they believed Combs could buy his way out of the racketeering conspiracy he's charged with. 'These questions were designed to play right into that,' she said. Defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo called the prosecution's conduct 'outrageous.' Combs' lawyers argued that the prosecution's questions and Jimenez's resulting testimony were highly prejudicial because prosecutors were suggesting that Combs had something to do with the destruction of the records. Assistant US Attorney Christy Slavik said 'a mistrial is absolutely unwarranted here'. She said the subject of fingerprints was raised to counter defence suggestions through questions posed to other witnesses that the car firebombing was poorly investigated and that the area was not canvassed for fingerprints.
Leader Live
3 days ago
- Leader Live
US judge rejects mistrial request from Combs' lawyers
The music mogul's lawyers said prosecutors tried to imply to a jury that he interfered with the investigation into rapper Kid Cudi's firebombed Porsche in 2012. Although such mistrial requests are common during lengthy federal trials involving hundreds of pieces of evidence and dozens of witnesses, this was the first request at Combs' trial, which is in its third week of testimony in Manhattan. Combs has been active in his defence, regularly writing notes to his lawyers, and they have consulted with him as they questioned witnesses. Judge Arun Subramanian instructed the jury to disregard testimony about the destruction of fingerprint cards that occurred months after Cudi's car was set ablaze. Weeks before that firebombing, Combs became enraged when he learned that Cudi was dating Cassie, the singer who had a nearly 11-year relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. The Molotov cocktail used to burn Cudi's car in his Hollywood Hills driveway was fashioned out of a 40-ounce Old English 800 malt liquor bottle and a designer handkerchief, according to Lance Jimenez, an arson investigator for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and photographs shown in court. The defence's mistrial request came after Mr Jimenez testified that fingerprints taken from Cudi's burned Porsche 911 were destroyed in August 2012, about eight months after the fire. Mr Jimenez said someone in the Los Angeles Police Department who was not involved in the investigation ordered the fingerprint cards destroyed. He said that was not normal protocol. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he led a racketeering conspiracy for 20 years that relied on fear and violence to get what he wanted. If convicted, he could face 15 years to life in prison. Cassie and other witnesses have testified that she was repeatedly beaten by Combs, and she said she was frequently coerced to engage in unwanted sex acts. Defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro asked for the mistrial during a morning break with the jury out of the room. She told Judge Subramanian that 'prosecutorial misconduct' had occurred and said 'there's no way to unring this bell'. She said prosecutors were on notice during jury selection that some prospective jurors had to be eliminated from consideration for the jury because they believed Combs could buy his way out of the racketeering conspiracy he is charged with. 'These questions were designed to play right into that,' she said. Defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo called the prosecution's conduct 'outrageous'. Combs' lawyers argued that the prosecution's questions and Mr Jimenez's resulting testimony was highly prejudicial because prosecutors were suggesting that Combs had something to do with the destruction of the records. Assistant US attorney Christy Slavik said 'a mistrial is absolutely unwarranted here'. She said the subject of fingerprints was raised to counter defence suggestions through questions posed to other witnesses that the car firebombing was poorly investigated and that the area was not canvassed for fingerprints. Later, a friend of Cassie gave evidence that the singer was content celebrating her 29th birthday with drinks, drugs and karaoke with friends but her boyfriend, Combs, had a different idea. The hip-hop mogul insisted on taking Cassie to a Los Angeles hotel for another of his 'freak-off' sex marathons, her friend and former stylist said. Deonte Nash told jurors that he saw the temperamental Combs berating Cassie as she pleaded for him to let her enjoy her birthday on her own terms. Later that night, Mr Nash said that Cassie told the stylist, 'I don't want to freak-off,' but that she had to because Combs was making her. Mr Nash testified that the 2015 conversation was one of several times Cassie confided to him that she did not want to engage in Combs' drug-fuelled hotel encounters. Earlier in the trial, Cassie testified that these often involved Combs watching, directing and sometimes filming her as she had sex with a male sex worker. She said she engaged in hundreds of such encounters during her nearly 11-year relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. Mr Nash said he remains close with Cassie, even advising her on her trial wardrobe. He said he contacted her on Tuesday to congratulate her on the birth of her third child. Along with shedding light on Cassie's feelings about freak-offs, M Nash also corroborated her testimony that Combs frequently beat and tormented her. Combs would threaten to hinder Cassie's fledgling music career and said he would ruin her reputation by releasing recordings of their sexual encounters, Mr Nash said. The stylist said he was at Cassie's apartment, helping her pack for a music festival, when Combs stormed in, grabbed her by the hair, pulled her off a couch and hit her repeatedly. Mr Nash said he jumped on Combs' back in an attempt to get him to stop but Combs bucked and threw him to the ground. Combs resumed attacking Cassie, who fled to a bedroom with Mr Nash and another friend, knocking her head into the edge of the bed frame and causing a large, bloody gash above her eye, the witness said. 'Look what y'all made me do,' Combs said, according to Mr Nash.
North Wales Chronicle
3 days ago
- North Wales Chronicle
US judge rejects mistrial request from Combs' lawyers
The music mogul's lawyers said prosecutors tried to imply to a jury that he interfered with the investigation into rapper Kid Cudi's firebombed Porsche in 2012. Although such mistrial requests are common during lengthy federal trials involving hundreds of pieces of evidence and dozens of witnesses, this was the first request at Combs' trial, which is in its third week of testimony in Manhattan. Combs has been active in his defence, regularly writing notes to his lawyers, and they have consulted with him as they questioned witnesses. Judge Arun Subramanian instructed the jury to disregard testimony about the destruction of fingerprint cards that occurred months after Cudi's car was set ablaze. Weeks before that firebombing, Combs became enraged when he learned that Cudi was dating Cassie, the singer who had a nearly 11-year relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. The Molotov cocktail used to burn Cudi's car in his Hollywood Hills driveway was fashioned out of a 40-ounce Old English 800 malt liquor bottle and a designer handkerchief, according to Lance Jimenez, an arson investigator for the Los Angeles Fire Department, and photographs shown in court. The defence's mistrial request came after Mr Jimenez testified that fingerprints taken from Cudi's burned Porsche 911 were destroyed in August 2012, about eight months after the fire. Mr Jimenez said someone in the Los Angeles Police Department who was not involved in the investigation ordered the fingerprint cards destroyed. He said that was not normal protocol. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to charges that he led a racketeering conspiracy for 20 years that relied on fear and violence to get what he wanted. If convicted, he could face 15 years to life in prison. Cassie and other witnesses have testified that she was repeatedly beaten by Combs, and she said she was frequently coerced to engage in unwanted sex acts. Defence attorney Alexandra Shapiro asked for the mistrial during a morning break with the jury out of the room. She told Judge Subramanian that 'prosecutorial misconduct' had occurred and said 'there's no way to unring this bell'. She said prosecutors were on notice during jury selection that some prospective jurors had to be eliminated from consideration for the jury because they believed Combs could buy his way out of the racketeering conspiracy he is charged with. 'These questions were designed to play right into that,' she said. Defence lawyer Marc Agnifilo called the prosecution's conduct 'outrageous'. Combs' lawyers argued that the prosecution's questions and Mr Jimenez's resulting testimony was highly prejudicial because prosecutors were suggesting that Combs had something to do with the destruction of the records. Assistant US attorney Christy Slavik said 'a mistrial is absolutely unwarranted here'. She said the subject of fingerprints was raised to counter defence suggestions through questions posed to other witnesses that the car firebombing was poorly investigated and that the area was not canvassed for fingerprints. Later, a friend of Cassie gave evidence that the singer was content celebrating her 29th birthday with drinks, drugs and karaoke with friends but her boyfriend, Combs, had a different idea. The hip-hop mogul insisted on taking Cassie to a Los Angeles hotel for another of his 'freak-off' sex marathons, her friend and former stylist said. Deonte Nash told jurors that he saw the temperamental Combs berating Cassie as she pleaded for him to let her enjoy her birthday on her own terms. Later that night, Mr Nash said that Cassie told the stylist, 'I don't want to freak-off,' but that she had to because Combs was making her. Mr Nash testified that the 2015 conversation was one of several times Cassie confided to him that she did not want to engage in Combs' drug-fuelled hotel encounters. Earlier in the trial, Cassie testified that these often involved Combs watching, directing and sometimes filming her as she had sex with a male sex worker. She said she engaged in hundreds of such encounters during her nearly 11-year relationship with Combs from 2007 to 2018. Mr Nash said he remains close with Cassie, even advising her on her trial wardrobe. He said he contacted her on Tuesday to congratulate her on the birth of her third child. Along with shedding light on Cassie's feelings about freak-offs, M Nash also corroborated her testimony that Combs frequently beat and tormented her. Combs would threaten to hinder Cassie's fledgling music career and said he would ruin her reputation by releasing recordings of their sexual encounters, Mr Nash said. The stylist said he was at Cassie's apartment, helping her pack for a music festival, when Combs stormed in, grabbed her by the hair, pulled her off a couch and hit her repeatedly. Mr Nash said he jumped on Combs' back in an attempt to get him to stop but Combs bucked and threw him to the ground. Combs resumed attacking Cassie, who fled to a bedroom with Mr Nash and another friend, knocking her head into the edge of the bed frame and causing a large, bloody gash above her eye, the witness said. 'Look what y'all made me do,' Combs said, according to Mr Nash.
