Latest news with #Won'tStop:ABadBoyStory
American Press
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- American Press
Diddy convicted of prostitution offenses, not guilty of sex trafficking and racketeering
Sean 'Diddy' Combs appears at the premiere of 'Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story' on June 21, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Associated Press Archives) Sean 'Diddy' Combs dropped to his knees and prayed in the courtroom after he was acquitted Wednesday of sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could have put one of hip-hop's most celebrated figures behind bars for life. The rapper was convicted of lesser prostitution-related offenses and still faces prison time but might be released on bail. The mixed result capped a sordid legal odyssey that shattered Combs' affable 'Puff Daddy' image and derailed his career as a Grammy-winning artist and music executive, fashion entrepreneur, brand ambassador and reality TV star. As the jury foreman spoke and the 'not guilty' verdicts piled up, Combs pumped his fist. As each juror affirmed agreement with the verdict, Combs looked toward the jury and held his hands up in a prayer motion, and he hugged defense lawyer Teny Geragos. Combs' relatives and supporters in the audience could barely contain their relief, despite the judge's admonition to avoid outbursts: When the first 'not guilty' was read aloud, someone shouted, 'Yeah!' Combs, 55, later continued to pump his right fist subtly, seemingly satisfied that he was acquitted on the most serious charges. Combs was convicted of flying people around the country, including his girlfriends and paid male sex workers, to engage in sexual encounters, a felony violation of the federal Mann Act. But the jury of eight men and four women acquitted Combs of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking charges, related to allegations that he used his money, power and frightening physical force to manipulate his girlfriends into hundreds of drug-fueled sex marathons with the men. Combs' defense team argued that the women were willing participants and that none of his violence justified the severity of the charges. Marc Agnifilo, a lawyer for Combs, asked that his client be immediately released because the federal Mann Act crimes were of a 'vastly different nature' than sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Combs has been behind bars since his September arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey said he should remain incarcerated as a danger to the community and a threat to flee. She cited evidence of physical abuse and 'prolific use and distribution of drugs' that emerged during the trial. 'I do believe we'll be seeking a substantial period of incarceration,' Comey said. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said he wouldn't decide whether to free Combs on bail until later in the day after lawyers submit written arguments. Combs appeared overwhelmed as court adjourned for a few hours. He wiped his face, turning and kneeling at his chair, his head bowed in prayer. In the audience, his relatives stood and applauded as he faced them. 'I'll be home soon,' he said, and 'I love you, baby.' 'I love you, Mom,' he added. His relatives applauded him and his lawyers, some of whom had tears in their eyes, as he was led out of court. There's no date yet for sentencing, when the judge will decide on Combs' punishment for the prostitution conviction. Verdict follows weeks of harrowing testimony Federal officials involved in the case responded to the outcome by noting that sex crimes 'are all too present in many aspects of our society.' 'New Yorkers and all Americans want this scourge stopped and perpetrators brought to justice,' Manhattan-based U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton and Ricky J. Patel, who heads federal Homeland Security Investigations' New York office, said in a statement. Jurors deliberated for about 13 hours over three days before announcing their verdict. It came after they said late Tuesday that they had decided on four counts but were stuck on the racketeering one. At that point, the judge told them to keep deliberating and keep the partial verdict under wraps. Combs did not testify at his trial, which featured 34 witnesses as well as video of the rapper attacking his former girlfriend Cassie, the R&B singer born Casandra Ventura. Her lawyer, Douglas Wigdor, said in a statement after the verdict that 'by coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice.' Cassie testified for four days about her turbulent 11-year relationship with Combs, which began after she signed with his Bad Boy record label. Cassie said Combs became obsessed with voyeuristic encounters, arranged with the help of his staff, that involved sex workers and copious amounts of baby oil. During the sex events, called 'freak-offs' or 'hotel nights,' Combs would order Cassie to do things with other men that she found humiliating, she testified. When things didn't go Combs' way, he would beat her, she said. 'I'm not a rag doll. I'm somebody's child,' Cassie told Combs after he dragged her down a hotel hallway in 2016. Another ex-girlfriend, testifying under the pseudonym 'Jane,' told the jury she repeatedly told Combs she didn't want to have sex with the men hired for their trysts. 'I'm not an animal. I need a break,' she told him. Nevertheless, she said she felt 'obligated' to comply with his demands, in part because he paid her rent. The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has. Defense calls case an invasion of privacy The trial's most famous witness, rapper Kid Cudi, said Combs broke into his home in late 2011 after learning he and Cassie were dating. After his car was firebombed a few weeks later, Cudi — whose real name is Scott Mescudi — said he knew Combs 'had something to do' with it. Combs denied it. Combs' defense team acknowledged that he could be violent but argued that prosecutors were intruding in his personal life. In his closing remarks to the jury, Agnifilo said it wasn't illegal for Combs to make 'homemade porn' with his girlfriends. 'They go into the man's bedroom. They go into the man's most private life. Where is the crime scene?' Agnifilo said.
American Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- American Press
Jury reaches verdict on 4 of 5 counts in Diddy trial, judge indicates they'll keep deliberating
Sean 'Diddy' Combs appears at the premiere of 'Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story' on June 21, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Associated Press Archives) The jury in Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial said Tuesday that it has reached a verdict on four of five counts against the hip-hop mogul and was unable to reach a decision on the top charge, racketeering conspiracy. The judge indicated that he would instruct the jury to continue weighing the charge, echoing the sentiments of prosecutors and Combs' defense team that just two days into deliberations was too soon to give up on reaching a verdict on all counts. Judge Arun Subramanian said he received a note at 4:05 p.m. Tuesday indicated that the jury had reached a partial verdict. The note said the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on the racketeering conspiracy charge because there were jurors with 'unpersuadable views' on both sides. Subramanian didn't appear keen on having jurors announce their partial verdict without first trying to decide the remaining count. He said that juries have a right to deliver a partial verdict, but indicated that's more of a last resort and that given the short amount of time the panel has been deliberated, he'd rather give them more time and wait to have a full verdict. Combs' lawyers surrounded him at the defense table soon after the note was sent to the court. The hip-hop mogul appeared morose as they explained to him what was happening. At one point, lead defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo stepped away from the huddle, returned with a piece of paper and handed it to Combs, who read it solemnly. Combs' mother and several of his children returned to the courtroom after the judge announced that the jury had reached a partial verdict. Prosecutors, meanwhile, were at their table glued to their phones and laptop computers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey suggested the judge give the jury a modified version of what's known as an Allen charge — instructions encouraging them to keep deliberating after reaching an impasse. Defense attorney Agnifilo, however, said the jury doesn't need help moving expeditiously and he doesn't want them to get any form of the Allen charge. 'I'm not asking the court to say much because I don't think this jury needs much,' Agnifilo said, arguing that this situation is different from ones where a jury has gone a while without reaching a verdict on any counts. Racketeering conspiracy — count 1 on the jury's verdict sheet — is the most complicated of the charges against Combs because it requires the jury to decide not only whether he ran a 'racketeering enterprise,' but also whether he was involved in committing some or all of various types of offenses, such as kidnapping and arson. The charge falls under RICO — the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act — which is best known for being used in organized crime and drug cartel cases. The jury has been deliberating since Monday. Earlier Tuesday they asked to review critical testimony from one of the prosecution's most important witnesses: the hip-hop mogul's former longtime girlfriend Cassie. Jurors requested the testimony about 75 minutes into their second day of weighing charges that Combs used his fame, wealth and violence to force two girlfriends into drug-fueled sex marathons with male sex workers known as 'freak-offs' or 'hotel nights.' The panel of eight men and four women asked for Cassie's account of Combs beating, kicking and dragging her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 — an assault captured on now-infamous security camera footage. They also asked to see Cassie's testimony about an incident in which she said Combs accused her of taking drugs from him and kicked her off of their yacht at the Cannes Film Festival in France in 2013. On their way back to the U.S., she said, he threatened to release explicit videos of her having sex. In addition, the jury asked for Cassie and stripper Daniel Phillip's testimony about her jumping into his lap at a New York City hotel after, as Phillip testified, he suspected Combs had been slapping and slamming her around an adjacent room. 'Her whole entire body was shaking, like she was terrified,' said Phillip, who was at the hotel for a sexual encounter with Cassie sometime between 2012 and 2014. Phillip testified that he asked Cassie, the R&B singer whose real name is Casandra Ventura, why she was with Combs if he was hitting her and beating her. He said he told her she was in real danger. Cassie, he said, 'basically tried to convince me that it was OK, it's OK. I'm fine, I'll be OK.' Phillip and Cassie were among the first witnesses who testified when the trial began last month.
Toronto Sun
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Diddy's ex says he was violent, forced sex encounter before 2024 public apology
Published Jun 09, 2025 • 4 minute read FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs appears at the premiere of "Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story" on June 21, 2017, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Photo by Chris Pizzello / Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account NEW YORK — Sean 'Diddy' Combs forced his ex-girlfriend to have a 'freak-off'-style sexual encounter with a male sex worker last year after chasing her around her California home, putting her in a chokehold, punching her in the face and kicking down doors, the woman testified Monday. Testifying for a third day under the pseudonym 'Jane,' the woman said Combs erupted after she accused him of cheating on her. After beating her, Jane said, Combs invited a sex worker over, gave her an ecstasy pill and told her: 'You're not going to ruin my night like this.' Jane, whose injuries included a black eye and welts on her forehead, said she'd planned June 18, 2024, as as a romantic night with Combs, but now remembers it 'a very terrible day.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It's also one of the more recent examples of Combs acting violently toward a woman while seeking to fulfil his sexual desires – happening amid the federal investigation that led to his arrest last September. Combs has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and racketeering charges that could put him in prison for life. As Jane left the witness stand Monday, she told jurors: 'I just pray for his continued healing.' The couple broke up after Combs' arrest, but she said he still pays her rent. Read More Just a few weeks after Jane alleges Combs beat her, he publicly stated that he was 'committed to being a better man every day' after video leaked of him attacking his former longtime girlfriend Cassie, the R&B singer whose real name is Casandra Ventura, at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Associated Press doesn't name alleged victims of sexual abuse without their consent unless they have shared their identities publicly, as Cassie has. Jane's testimony is expected to fill the bulk of the trial's fifth week, as prosecutors move closer to the end of their presentation before the defence gets its turn. Jane, who faces questioning Tuesday from Combs' lawyers, said the rapper and entrepreneur followed her to a bathroom and kicked the door 'literally off the hinges' after she shoved his head into a countertop, hurled glasses and candles at him and screamed, 'I hate you.' After moving to a locked closet, Jane said she tried to run away, but Combs kicked her in the thigh and knocked her to the ground. He then lifted her up by the neck and put her in a chokehold, she said, telling jurors: 'I couldn't breathe.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Jane said she then ran about six blocks and hid behind a wall for what she estimated was about two hours. When she figured things had calmed down, she said, she walked back to the home — but Combs was still around, walking toward her in the street. Jane said she retreated to a guest bedroom and then ran into the backyard, curling into a ball on the ground as she implored Combs to leave. He refused, she said, and 'started punching my head, he started kicking me.' Eventually, she said, 'he grabs me by my arm or my hair and starts dragging me back to the house.' RECOMMENDED VIDEO Combs then followed her to the shower, she said, and smacked her in the face so hard she lost her balance and fell to the floor. Jane said she was exhausted, but Combs insisted on inviting over a male sex worker and told her to put some makeup on and adjust her hair to hide her injuries. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I don't want to, I don't want to,' Jane recalled saying, to which she said Combs forcefully replied: 'Then is this coercion?' Also Monday, Jane said she told Combs that she cried for three days and felt nauseated after reading Cassie's November 2023 lawsuit against him, which described having hundreds of drug-fueled 'freak-off' sex marathons with Combs and male sex workers. Jane, who referred to similar encounters with Combs as 'debauchery' and 'hotel nights,' said she felt like she was 'reading my own sexual trauma' as she read the lawsuit, which Combs settled within a day for $20 million. She said it followed her experience with the Bad Boy Records founder 'word for word, exactly my experience.' Cassie dated Combs for more than a decade and testified that she engaged in weekly 'freak-offs,' many lasting several for days. She said Combs often watched or filmed the sessions. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Jane read aloud for the jury hundreds of text messages, including some in which she complained that Combs seemed to be forcing her into sex marathons by threatening to take away her home. She pleaded with him to recognize the damage the encounters were doing, writing: 'I am not an animal.' EDITOR'S NOTE: This story includes discussion of sexual violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call 1-800-656-4673 in the U.S. Love concerts, but can't make it to the venue? Stream live shows and events from your couch with VEEPS, a music-first streaming service now operating in Canada. Click here for an introductory offer of 30% off. Explore upcoming concerts and the extensive archive of past performances! Toronto Blue Jays Olympics Columnists Ontario Canada
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First Post
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- First Post
Beatings, disgusting sex marathons: The horrific revelations made by singer Cassie in Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial
Rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs' former girlfriend Cassandra Cassie Ventura testified against him in court on May 13 in connection to his sex trafficking trial. The singer, who is 17 years junior to the music mogul, stated that she was subjected to marathon group sex sessions during her on-and-off relation with him read more Cassie Ventura, left, and Sean "Diddy" Combs appear at the premiere of "Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story" on June 21, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. File image/AP It was an explosive day in court as the trial against music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs' gets underway. He faces five counts, including one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted, he could face life in prison. On Tuesday, 'victim 1' — Casandra Ventura, also known as Cassie in the music world — was called to the stand. She was on the stand for about four-and-a-half hours Tuesday and is set to return for further questioning. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In her lengthy testimony, Cassie, who was once the partner of Combs, revealed that she was often subjected to disgusting and humiliating drug-fuelled marathon group sex sessions. She also detailed beatings and abuse at the hands of Combs in her bombshell testimony that underpins much of the prosecution's case against the music industry figure, who is alleged to have used violence and blackmail to manipulate women over many years. During the revelation, Ventura pointed out that she was 'just in love and wanted to make (Combs) happy, to a point I didn't feel like I had much of a choice.' The singer, who is eight-and-a-half months pregnant, further disclosed that the music mogul would on occasion urinate on her or direct one of the numerous sex workers in his employ to do so. It is to be noted that the escorts, who were almost exclusively male, were compensated with cash payments of several thousand dollars or more after each interaction. Cassandra, who is 17 years junior to Diddy said, 'It was disgusting. It was too much. It was overwhelming.' The witness added that the hotel rooms utilised for the extended sexual encounters often incurred significant damage, leading to substantial cleaning and repair bills issued by the establishments, which included charges for linens soiled with blood and urine. Asked if she enjoyed anything about the curated encounters that Combs allegedly instructed her to coordinate, Ventura wept openly. 'I was just in love and wanted to make him happy,' she said of their on-and-off relationship that lasted more than a decade. Cassie Ventura takes an oath before testifying in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in New York. AP Combs's defence team indicated that during cross-examination, which is expected as early as Wednesday afternoon, they would seek to emphasise that Ventura took drugs of her own free will and behaved erratically. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ventura said that during the encounters she took drugs including ecstasy, ketamine or cocaine, and that the 'drugs honestly helped' her meet Combs's demands to stay awake for days on end. The drugs also had a 'dissociative and numbing' effect, she said, 'a way to not feel it for what it really was.' Let us take a look at who Cassie is and what she testified in court. Who is Cassie? Cassie, who has worked as a singer, actor, dancer, and model, initiated her professional aspirations during her teenage years, securing a contract with the leading talent and modelling agency Wilhelmina. Her music career began soon after she relocated from her home state of Connecticut to New York, where she signed with manager Tony Mottola and had her initial meeting with Combs. Cassie is perhaps best known for the 2006 hit single Me & U, which secured the number one spot on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100 all genres chart. It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song was the lead single of her only studio album, released by Combs' Bad Boy Records, and was self-titled. She left the label in 2019. As an actor, she appeared in several television and film projects including Fox's Empire, The Perfect Match and Spencer Confidential. She made her acting debut in 2008 in Step Up 2: The Streets and contributed the song Is It You to its soundtrack. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Cassie is also a wife and a mother. She married personal trainer Alex Fine in September 2019. Their first daughter, Frankie Stone Fine, was born that same year and they welcomed their second daughter, Sunny Cinco Fine, in 2021. She is currently pregnant with their third child, a son. How did Cassie meet Combs? Cassie met Combs in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, within a few years, they started dating. In her 2023 civil lawsuit, Cassie alleges Combs trapped her in a 'cycle of abuse, violence and sex trafficking' for more than a decade, including raping her and forcing her to engage in sex acts with male sex workers. Combs settled the lawsuit the next day. Later, Combs apologised for the assault on Cassie in his first real acknowledgement of wrongdoing since the stream of allegations began. Rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs arrives at the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York. File image/AP What has Cassie said about Combs? Speaking about Combs, she said, 'Sean controlled a lot of my life whether it was (my) career, the way I dressed.' She asserted that Combs would often turn violent when trying to control her. 'He would mash me in my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me on the head if I was down,' Ventura said. Jurors were shown hotel surveillance footage from March 2016 on Monday and again on Tuesday, which visually documented Combs brutally beating and dragging her down a hallway. During Ventura's testimony, the prosecution presented excerpts from this video. When asked to explain her lack of physical response or attempt to rise, Ventura simply replied that being curled up on the ground 'felt like the safest place to be.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Former security officer at a Los Angeles InterContinental hotel, Israel Florez, told the court Monday that he was first on the scene after that incident and that Combs sought to pay him off. Florez's testimony provided the foundation for the prosecution to introduce the security footage that was published by CNN last year. The panel of 12 jurors and six alternates responsible for determining Combs's fate have started hearing of the famed artist's explosive outbursts, exploitation of his partners and an attempt to preserve his own reputation and celebrity through bribery. What did the defence state? The 55-year-old's music mogul's defence team insisted that while some of his behaviour was questionable, at times constituting domestic abuse, it did not meet the evidence needed to prove racketeering and sex trafficking charges. Combs has pleaded not guilty on all counts. Combs's defence lawyer Teny Geragos called Combs' accusers 'capable, strong adult women,' and said his situation with Cassie was a 'toxic relationship' but 'between two people who loved each other.' Florez's testimony was followed by a male dancer who engaged in a sexual relationship, often in exchange for money, with Combs and Ventura from 2012 to approximately the end of 2013. He concluded his testimony on Tuesday. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD If convicted, the one-time rap producer and global superstar, who is often credited for his role in bringing hip-hop into the mainstream, could spend the rest of his life in prison. The proceedings are expected to last eight to 10 weeks, and Combs was joined in the courthouse by family members as well as former lovers including Misa Hylton. With inputs from agencies
