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CBS News
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Sean "Diddy" Combs' former personal assistant testifies, "When he was happy, I was safe"
Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial continued Monday with the cross examination of one of his former employees. An ex-personal assistant testifying under the pseudonym "Mia" kept her head down and avoided making eye contact as she took the stand for a third day. She alleges Combs, then her boss, physically, verbally and sexually abused her. Defense asks about texts, social media videos On cross, the defense brought up a text she sent Combs after she stopped working for him which said she had a nightmare that she was stuck in an elevator with R. Kelly but Combs had saved her. Referring to the text about the nightmare, the defense asked Mia, "He's your actual savior, the person who allegedly terrorized you and gave you PTSD?" As part of her job, she testified she had to take videos of Combs. The defense asked if she ever took any videos of Combs' alleged rage and she explained she did not because it would have broken confidentiality. The defense also continued to show jurors loving texts, social media posts, and a video Mia made for Combs' birthday. "When he was happy, I was safe" On re-direct, prosecutors asked her if posting on social media was part of her job, including posting to her personal account about Combs and his companies, to which she answered said, yes, because not doing so would have gotten her in trouble. When asked why she didn't post about the bad times, she explained that's not what social media was for, and that she would try and keep Combs happy because, "When he was happy, I was safe." Read more: Kid Cudi details Molotov cocktail incident in Sean "Diddy" Combs trial A woman who works at the Beverly Hills Hotel took the stand next and went through some of Combs' hotel bills, including fees for candles, oil damage, and deep cleaning. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Globe and Mail
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Sean (Diddy) Combs's ex-assistant says she was ‘brainwashed' when she sent loving texts years after rape
A former personal assistant to Sean (Diddy) Combs who says he raped her testified Monday that she continued sending him loving text messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was 'brainwashed.' The woman, testifying for a third day under the pseudonym 'Mia' at the music mogul's federal sex trafficking trial, used the word as defence lawyer Brian Steel confronted her with skepticism and even suggested she fabricated her claims. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his powerful position in the music industry to commit abuse. Steel had Mia read aloud for the jury numerous loving text messages she sent to Combs, including one in 2019 in which she said she had a nightmare that she was trapped in an elevator with the singer R. Kelly and Combs rescued her. 'And the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?' Steel asked incredulously. He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man 'who terrorized you and caused you PTSD?' Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it. It was one of many objections during a combative cross-examination of Mia at the trial, now in its fourth week, during which several government witnesses have been treated more gently by defence lawyers and have even spoken positively of Combs. Explainer: What to know about the Sean (Diddy) Combs sex-trafficking trial In an Aug. 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him – such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4 a.m. and rejecting Mick Jagger's offer to take her home – saying she remembered only 'the good times.' In the same message, Mia mentioned once feeling 'bamboozled' by a woman. Steel asked why she didn't say Combs had bamboozled her as well, given her accusations. 'Because I was still brainwashed,' Mia answered. Asked to explain, Mia said that in an environment where 'the highs were really high and the lows were really low,' she developed 'huge confusion in trusting my instincts.' When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: 'I have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true.' She said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward with allegations against Combs. 'It's been a long process. I'm untangling things. I'm in therapy,' Mia said. Mia remained composed days after testifying Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party soon after she started working for him in 2009, and months later raped her in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She testified last week that his subsequent sexual assaults were 'random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out where I would think they would never happen again.' Prosecutors criticized Steel's two-day cross-examination, which has relied heavily on Mia's social media history. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Comey accused him of yelling at and humiliating the witness, and argued that picking apart years of her social-media posts – including birthday greetings and praise for Combs's business successes – was excessive and largely irrelevant. 'We are crossing the threshold into prejudice and harassing this witness,' Comey told the judge during a break, while jurors were out of the courtroom. She warned that Steel's approach during the high-profile trial could deter victims from testifying in other cases in the future. Judge Arun Subramanian said: 'I have not heard any yelling from Mr. Steel and I have not heard anything that was sarcastic in the questions.' Still, he cautioned Steel about overusing questions about Mia's social media posts praising Combs.
Associated Press
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-aide says she was 'brainwashed' when she sent loving texts years after rape
NEW YORK (AP) — A former personal assistant to Sean 'Diddy' Combs who says he raped her testified Monday that she continued sending him loving text messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was 'brainwashed.' The woman, testifying for a third day under the pseudonym 'Mia' at the music mogul's federal sex trafficking trial, used the word as defense attorney Brian Steel confronted her with skepticism and even suggested she fabricated her claims. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges. His lawyers concede he could be violent, but he denies using threats or his powerful position in the music industry to commit abuse. Steel had Mia read aloud for the jury numerous loving text messages she sent to Combs, including one in 2019 in which she said she had a nightmare that she was trapped in an elevator with the singer R. Kelly and Combs rescued her. 'And the person who sexually assaulted you came to your rescue?' Steel asked incredulously. He rephrased, asking if she really dreamed of being saved by a man 'who terrorized you and caused you PTSD?' Prosecutors objected and the judge sustained it. It was one of many objections during a combative cross-examination of Mia at the trial, now in its fourth week, during which several government witnesses have been treated more gently by defense lawyers and have even spoken positively of Combs. In an Aug. 29, 2020, message to Combs, Mia recalled happy highlights from her eight years working for him — such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4 a.m. and rejecting Mick Jagger's offer to take her home — saying she remembered only 'the good times.' In the same message, Mia mentioned once feeling 'bamboozled' by a woman. Steel asked why she didn't say Combs had bamboozled her as well, given her accusations. 'Because I was still brainwashed,' Mia answered. Asked to explain, Mia said that in an environment where 'the highs were really high and the lows were really low,' she developed 'huge confusion in trusting my instincts.' When Steel suggested her assault claims were made up, Mia responded: 'I have never lied in this courtroom and I never will lie in this courtroom. Everything I said is true.' She said she felt a moral obligation to speak out after others came forward with allegations against Combs. 'It's been a long process. I'm untangling things. I'm in therapy,' Mia said. Mia remained composed days after testifying Combs forcibly kissed her and molested her at his 40th birthday party soon after she started working for him in 2009, and months later raped her in a guest room at his Los Angeles home. She testified last week that his subsequent sexual assaults were 'random, sporadic, so oddly spaced out where I would think they would never happen again.' Prosecutors criticized Steel's two-day cross-examination, which has relied heavily on Mia's social media history. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Comey accused him of yelling at and humiliating the witness, and argued that picking apart years of her social media posts — including birthday greetings and praise for Combs's business successes — was excessive and largely irrelevant. 'We are crossing the threshold into prejudice and harassing this witness,' Comey told the judge during a break, while jurors were out of the courtroom. She warned that Steel's approach during the high-profile trial could deter victims from testifying in other cases in the future. Judge Arun Subramanian said: 'I have not heard any yelling from Mr. Steel and I have not heard anything that was sarcastic in the questions.' Still, he cautioned Steel about overusing questions about Mia's social media posts praising Combs.
CNN
23-05-2025
- CNN
This ‘Diddy' expert witness also testified in the R. Kelly and Keith Raniere trials and in the Johnny Depp defamation case. Here's why she took the stand
On cross-examination of psychologist Dawn Hughes in the federal racketeering and sex-trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, the defense highlighted that she has been retained hundreds of times as an expert in court cases since 1998. 'Now, over all of those years and all of those retentions as an expert, isn't it a fact that you have never come into court, taken the witness stand, and testified in the defense of a man accused of a sex crime?' defense attorney Jonathan Bach asked. 'That's correct,' Hughes said. 'I don't evaluate offenders.' At another point, Bach tried to chip away at her credibility, asking … 'today most of your income comes from working on court-related matters as an expert, correct?' 'Today meaning Wednesday?' Hughes said. The clinical and forensic psychologist then responded that 60% of her income derives from courtroom testimony. Hughes testified earlier that she was being paid $600 an hour for her work and $6,000 for a day of testimony. She said there was no additional payment based on the outcome of the trial. Hughes' testimony has been instrumental in multiple racketeering and sex-trafficking trials, including Nxivm founder Keith Raniere and singer R. Kelly. She also testified as an expert witness in the civil case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. 'Hughes has proven that she is unintimidated and unflappable in these high-profile cases,' Lisa Fontes, a professor and expert on intimate partner violence and coercive control, said via email. 'She holds her ground on the stand.' Mark Lesko, a former federal prosecutor who put Hughes on the stand in the Raniere trial, called her, 'the expert's expert.' 'Frankly, she's just the best out there,' Lesko said. Hughes coherently explains to jurors why the accusers did not give consent, which directly undercuts the typical core defense strategy, Lesko said. 'She does it, you know, in a way that communicates these complicated psychological issues in layperson terms that a jury can understand,' he said. 'She's particularly effective at withstanding very aggressive cross-examination by defense attorneys. I've seen her hold her own with the best criminal defense attorneys in the country.' The prosecution has argued Combs and some in his inner circle used threats, violence, drugs, bribery, arson, kidnapping and lies to coerce Cassie Ventura and another woman into participating in sex parties he called 'Freak Offs' and to protect the music mogul's reputation. Ventura testified that she did not want to participate in the 'Freak Offs' but did so out of fear of physical abuse, threats of blackmail and her love for Combs, her boyfriend at the time. The defense has acknowledged Combs was violent with romantic partners and during opening statements said he had 'a bit of a different sex life.' They also said that while Combs is 'a very flawed individual,' he has not committed the alleged federal crimes. He has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted of the most serious charges, he could face up to life in prison. On Wednesday, Hughes said she was providing witness testimony as a 'blind expert,' meaning she does not know anything about the players in the case but is testifying instead about domestic violence, rape, sexual assault and traumatic stress. She testified in general terms about the behavior of such victims as the prosecution sought to provide the jury with a broader understanding of last week's testimony from Ventura, the government's main witness. Hughes testified she has not assessed any accusers or witnesses in this case, nor has she interviewed anyone connected to the case. She said she had seen some press coverage but not what's been happening in court. She sought to contextualize Ventura's behavior during her long relationship with Combs. Hughes told jurors it's common for victims to stay in abusive relationships and testified that perpetrators often use several abusive methods besides physical violence to make victims feel trapped. 'It's about the power and control that the abuser has over the victim,' she said. A victim's financial dependence on an abuser plays an important role in an accuser staying in an abusive situation, she said. 'If you don't have access to tangible resources, money or an apartment, you are left with a feeling of, 'Where am I going to go? Am I stuck here?' And that makes it very difficult to leave,' she said. In addition, sexual abuse can make it difficult for a victim to seek help to leave an abusive relationship, she testified. 'They experience a tremendous amount of shame, humiliation, degradation,' Hughes said. 'They don't want to talk about it. They don't even want to think about it in their own brain.' Fontes said Hughes' testimony is crucial in helping jurors understand, 'Why would someone stick around or return to someone who has abused them so cruelly? Why would Ventura send loving notes to her abuser?' 'Those of us who work in this field know the answers to those questions,' Fontes said. 'Hughes will explain how pleasing and appeasing an abuser is part of the abuse dynamic. These are efforts to de-escalate situations. To try to get on or stay on his good side.' In previous high-profile cases, Fontes said, Hughes was able to show jurors 'how an abuser could use their fame, power, and money to influence a victim and make her feel trapped.' 'She described emotional manipulation. She explained why there is often a delay in a victim's disclosure of abuse,' Fontes said. 'Interpersonal dynamics are complex. It's easy for juries to be confused by the arguments. It's also easy for juries to be swayed by their emotions,' she added. 'An expert witness can provide a framework for jurors to think about the case and not simply react emotionally. An expert witness helps jurors move from simply feeling to understanding. An effective expert witness may also help shape how jurors feel.' Most jurors are unfamiliar with the tactics of control, manipulation and abuse that abusers consistently use, Fontes said. 'Jurors also may think that a victim of domestic and sexual violence should look a certain way. For instance, that she should always be crying and depressed,' she said. 'Cassie Ventura is a beautiful and glamorous woman. She may not fit jurors' expectations for a victim of domestic violence. Hughes can help jurors see that domestic violence victims can come from all walks of life.' On the stand, Hughes testified about the 'trauma bond' that can develop between abusers and their victims. 'We know that in these types of relationships there is almost always love and attention and attraction and companionship, and it's those positive feelings that when they get paired with the violence and the abuse make it very difficult for the victim to see their way out,' Hughes told the jury. 'It creates an intense psychological bond, an attachment with their abuser that makes it difficult for them to leave.' Hughes, who has an independent practice in New York, specializes in the assessment and treatment of interpersonal violence, traumatic stress and the anxiety disorders, according to her website. She is also a clinical assistant professor of psychology at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical College. CNN has reached out to Hughes for comment. Attorney Elaine Charlson Bredehoft said testimony from experts like Hughes is necessary because 'there are so many myths that continue to be perpetuated about victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.' 'An expert in this field can help explain the complex dynamics and the psychological hold the perpetrator has on his victim, and how the love and the ups and downs actually create unusual bonds,' she said. 'The cycle of violence is difficult to understand if someone has never experienced it.' Perpetrators are often popular, charming, well-liked and on best behavior in public, Bredehoft said. 'So it is difficult to believe they are capable of such horrific behavior behind closed doors. Where there is a celebrity or sports figure who has an adoring fan base, those fans do not want to believe their first instinct to adore this person was wrong. They do not want to believe that person would really have a violent side, especially against a woman or someone they love.' CNN's Lauren del Valle, Nicki Brown, Eric Levenson and Kara Scannell contributed to this report.
CNN
23-05-2025
- CNN
This ‘Diddy' expert witness also testified in the R. Kelly and Keith Raniere trials and in the Johnny Depp defamation case. Here's why she took the stand
On cross-examination of psychologist Dawn Hughes in the federal racketeering and sex-trafficking trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, the defense highlighted that she has been retained hundreds of times as an expert in court cases since 1998. 'Now, over all of those years and all of those retentions as an expert, isn't it a fact that you have never come into court, taken the witness stand, and testified in the defense of a man accused of a sex crime?' defense attorney Jonathan Bach asked. 'That's correct,' Hughes said. 'I don't evaluate offenders.' At another point, Bach tried to chip away at her credibility, asking … 'today most of your income comes from working on court-related matters as an expert, correct?' 'Today meaning Wednesday?' Hughes said. The clinical and forensic psychologist then responded that 60% of her income derives from courtroom testimony. Hughes testified earlier that she was being paid $600 an hour for her work and $6,000 for a day of testimony. She said there was no additional payment based on the outcome of the trial. Hughes' testimony has been instrumental in multiple racketeering and sex-trafficking trials, including Nxivm founder Keith Raniere and singer R. Kelly. She also testified as an expert witness in the civil case between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. 'Hughes has proven that she is unintimidated and unflappable in these high-profile cases,' Lisa Fontes, a professor and expert on intimate partner violence and coercive control, said via email. 'She holds her ground on the stand.' Mark Lesko, a former federal prosecutor who put Hughes on the stand in the Raniere trial, called her, 'the expert's expert.' 'Frankly, she's just the best out there,' Lesko said. Hughes coherently explains to jurors why the accusers did not give consent, which directly undercuts the typical core defense strategy, Lesko said. 'She does it, you know, in a way that communicates these complicated psychological issues in layperson terms that a jury can understand,' he said. 'She's particularly effective at withstanding very aggressive cross-examination by defense attorneys. I've seen her hold her own with the best criminal defense attorneys in the country.' The prosecution has argued Combs and some in his inner circle used threats, violence, drugs, bribery, arson, kidnapping and lies to coerce Cassie Ventura and another woman into participating in sex parties he called 'Freak Offs' and to protect the music mogul's reputation. Ventura testified that she did not want to participate in the 'Freak Offs' but did so out of fear of physical abuse, threats of blackmail and her love for Combs, her boyfriend at the time. The defense has acknowledged Combs was violent with romantic partners and during opening statements said he had 'a bit of a different sex life.' They also said that while Combs is 'a very flawed individual,' he has not committed the alleged federal crimes. He has pleaded not guilty to racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted of the most serious charges, he could face up to life in prison. On Wednesday, Hughes said she was providing witness testimony as a 'blind expert,' meaning she does not know anything about the players in the case but is testifying instead about domestic violence, rape, sexual assault and traumatic stress. She testified in general terms about the behavior of such victims as the prosecution sought to provide the jury with a broader understanding of last week's testimony from Ventura, the government's main witness. Hughes testified she has not assessed any accusers or witnesses in this case, nor has she interviewed anyone connected to the case. She said she had seen some press coverage but not what's been happening in court. She sought to contextualize Ventura's behavior during her long relationship with Combs. Hughes told jurors it's common for victims to stay in abusive relationships and testified that perpetrators often use several abusive methods besides physical violence to make victims feel trapped. 'It's about the power and control that the abuser has over the victim,' she said. A victim's financial dependence on an abuser plays an important role in an accuser staying in an abusive situation, she said. 'If you don't have access to tangible resources, money or an apartment, you are left with a feeling of, 'Where am I going to go? Am I stuck here?' And that makes it very difficult to leave,' she said. In addition, sexual abuse can make it difficult for a victim to seek help to leave an abusive relationship, she testified. 'They experience a tremendous amount of shame, humiliation, degradation,' Hughes said. 'They don't want to talk about it. They don't even want to think about it in their own brain.' Fontes said Hughes' testimony is crucial in helping jurors understand, 'Why would someone stick around or return to someone who has abused them so cruelly? Why would Ventura send loving notes to her abuser?' 'Those of us who work in this field know the answers to those questions,' Fontes said. 'Hughes will explain how pleasing and appeasing an abuser is part of the abuse dynamic. These are efforts to de-escalate situations. To try to get on or stay on his good side.' In previous high-profile cases, Fontes said, Hughes was able to show jurors 'how an abuser could use their fame, power, and money to influence a victim and make her feel trapped.' 'She described emotional manipulation. She explained why there is often a delay in a victim's disclosure of abuse,' Fontes said. 'Interpersonal dynamics are complex. It's easy for juries to be confused by the arguments. It's also easy for juries to be swayed by their emotions,' she added. 'An expert witness can provide a framework for jurors to think about the case and not simply react emotionally. An expert witness helps jurors move from simply feeling to understanding. An effective expert witness may also help shape how jurors feel.' Most jurors are unfamiliar with the tactics of control, manipulation and abuse that abusers consistently use, Fontes said. 'Jurors also may think that a victim of domestic and sexual violence should look a certain way. For instance, that she should always be crying and depressed,' she said. 'Cassie Ventura is a beautiful and glamorous woman. She may not fit jurors' expectations for a victim of domestic violence. Hughes can help jurors see that domestic violence victims can come from all walks of life.' On the stand, Hughes testified about the 'trauma bond' that can develop between abusers and their victims. 'We know that in these types of relationships there is almost always love and attention and attraction and companionship, and it's those positive feelings that when they get paired with the violence and the abuse make it very difficult for the victim to see their way out,' Hughes told the jury. 'It creates an intense psychological bond, an attachment with their abuser that makes it difficult for them to leave.' Hughes, who has an independent practice in New York, specializes in the assessment and treatment of interpersonal violence, traumatic stress and the anxiety disorders, according to her website. She is also a clinical assistant professor of psychology at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical College. CNN has reached out to Hughes for comment. Attorney Elaine Charlson Bredehoft said testimony from experts like Hughes is necessary because 'there are so many myths that continue to be perpetuated about victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.' 'An expert in this field can help explain the complex dynamics and the psychological hold the perpetrator has on his victim, and how the love and the ups and downs actually create unusual bonds,' she said. 'The cycle of violence is difficult to understand if someone has never experienced it.' Perpetrators are often popular, charming, well-liked and on best behavior in public, Bredehoft said. 'So it is difficult to believe they are capable of such horrific behavior behind closed doors. Where there is a celebrity or sports figure who has an adoring fan base, those fans do not want to believe their first instinct to adore this person was wrong. They do not want to believe that person would really have a violent side, especially against a woman or someone they love.' CNN's Lauren del Valle, Nicki Brown, Eric Levenson and Kara Scannell contributed to this report.
