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CNN
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Takeaways from ‘Diddy' trial: Woman accuses Sean Combs of dangling her over a balcony
A forensic video expert and a woman who said Sean 'Diddy' Combs dangled her over a balcony took the stand Wednesday in the Hip-hop mogul's federal criminal trial. The testimony came as the prosecution has sought to prove Combs and some in his inner circle constituted a criminal enterprise that used threats, violence, kidnapping and other means to coerce women into 'Freak Offs' with male escorts and to protect his image. Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. His defense has acknowledged Combs was violent but has questioned the motives of those testifying and has said the accusations fall short of the charges. Bryana Bongolan is set to return to the stand for more cross-examination on Thursday at 11 a.m. The prosecution has indicated the court will soon hear testimony from a key accuser who has been referred to in court by the pseudonym 'Jane' and in the indictment as 'Victim-2.' Her testimony is expected to last into next week. Here's what we learned in testimony Wednesday. A forensic video expert testified Wednesday that the March 2016 surveillance video showing Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a hotel in Los Angeles was not manually altered. Frank Piazza, the expert, said he examined the surveillance video from the InterContinental Hotel, cell phone video and 'sex videos' in preparation for his expert testimony but did not have knowledge of the case. At the government's request, Piazza said he created a video compilation of clips from inside the hotel showing the actions of Combs, Ventura and the security officer who responded to the scene, Israel Florez. He testified that he slowed the InterContinental surveillance footage to real-time because a technical file-converting process had inadvertently sped it up. Surveillance footage of the assault has been the central piece of evidence in the trial so far, and the jury has watched the video at least eight times. CNN first published surveillance video of the assault last year. Piazza also testified that he enhanced 10 'sex videos' originally recorded in 2012 and 2014 that were recovered from a laptop Ventura gave the government under the user profile Frank Black, an alias used by Combs. The videos were entered into evidence Wednesday under seal. On cross-examination, when defense attorney Teny Geragos noted the time codes on the hotel surveillance footage jump rather than advance second-by-second, Piazza explained that the hotel camera system is motion activated so motion triggers a time stamp change and that the hotel's cameras were not synchronized to the same internal clock. He testified he was able to sync the footage based on overlapping events. Bryana Bongolan, the second witness of the day, testified Combs held her over a 17-story balcony and threw her onto the balcony furniture in September 2016. The incident was previously mentioned in a civil suit filed by Bongolan against Combs in November 2024. Attorneys for Combs previously denied Bongolan's allegations in a statement to CNN. On Wednesday, Bongolan testified that the incident occurred after Combs began banging on the door of Ventura's apartment in Los Angeles. Bongolan said she hid her now ex-girlfriend, who was with her and Ventura in the apartment, in the bathroom because she 'didn't want to expose her to things that I see.' She then went to the balcony to appear 'casual,' she testified, and was facing away from the door when Combs came up behind her, grabbed her chest and then held her by her armpits over the balcony railing. Combs repeatedly yelled, 'Do you know what the f**k you did?' according to Bongolan. She recalled responding something like 'I don't know what the f**k I did,' and added that she still doesn't know what Combs was angry about. After about 15 seconds, Combs threw her on the balcony furniture, she testified. Bongolan said as she was falling, she heard Ventura ask something similar to 'Did you just hang her over the balcony?' and it sounded like she was in disbelief. Afterward, she had a bruise on her leg and had back and neck pain, she testified. The jury saw photos of the bruise and bandages on her back and neck. 'I have night terrors and paranoia and scream in my sleep at times,' she added. She said she didn't experience those things before the incident. A day or two afterward, Combs or someone on his team FaceTimed her, Bongolan said. 'I remember saying a couple times, 'I don't want any problems with you,'' she testified. She said she didn't report the balcony incident to police because she was scared. Bongolan said she's seeking $10 million in her lawsuit against Combs but said she's not expecting any money to come from her testimony at this trial. Bongolan said she filed the lawsuit against Combs, 'because I wanted to seek justice for what happened to me.' A hearing on her civil case is set to take place in July, according to court records. Bongolan also testified about other threatening incidents involving Combs and about her frequent drug use with Ventura. Bongolan testified under an immunity order after she invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. She is the third witness to testify under immunity. She testified she frequently stayed at Ventura's apartment, and Combs regularly came over in the middle of the night banging on the door. On one occasion, Combs threw a knife in Ventura's direction, and Ventura threw the knife back but didn't hit him, Bongolan said. She said she didn't call the police about the incident. 'I was just scared of Puff,' she said, referring to Combs' nickname. Bongolan testified she saw Ventura with bruises or injuries on some occasions. She said she saw Ventura had a black eye during a FaceTime call with her around the time of Ventura's premiere of the Perfect Match, which was in March 2016. 'I was a little quiet and I remember saying I'm sorry,' Bongolan said. Bongolan also testified about a time Combs threatened her while she and Ventura were doing a photoshoot on the beach in early 2016. 'He came up really close to my face and said something around the lines of 'I'm the devil and I could kill you,'' Bongolan said. She said she was likely using cocaine at the time, which gave her confidence to brush it off. Bongolan said she and Ventura did drugs together and the drug use 'definitely created like a habit.' She sold drugs to Ventura often, including oxycodone pills, cocaine and ketamine, she testified. She said Combs gave her drugs a few times and said she's seen Combs use drugs. On cross-examination, the defense challenged Bongolan's memory of the balcony incident and noted Ventura described it differently in her lawsuit against Combs. Bongolan confirmed she had conversations with Ventura about the balcony incident before and after Ventura filed her lawsuit, including about the location and who was present. She confirmed that Ventura had said it was at a hotel with a different person present. The defense suggested that Bongolan's testimony did not match what she told prosecutors in meetings prior to trial. Bongolan repeatedly said she didn't remember exactly what she told prosecutors or at what meeting. 'Isn't it true that just two days ago you told the prosecution you just don't recall the details of the balcony allegation?' Westmoreland asked. 'I don't remember,' Bongolan said.
CBC
5 days ago
- CBC
Islander loses $6,500 in another grandparent scam incident, Summerside police say
Another Prince Edward Island grandparent has fallen victim to a scam that targets people by scaring them about their young relatives. Summerside Police Services said the latest incident was reported Monday. A news release issued Wednesday said police "received a call from a victim of the scam reporting that they provided $6,500 to the scammers after receiving communication that their grandchild had been in a collision and needed the funds for a lawyer and bail." There had been no such incident and the grandchild was not in any trouble. "Police urge anyone who receives similar calls to check the authenticity of the information before sending any money and to report these types of incidents to their nearest police agency," the police force said. Chilean man sentenced for his role as money collector in scams across P.E.I. and New Brunswick 4 months ago Duration 1:40 Luis Luciano David Cortez has been sentenced on two counts of fraud for his role in a so-called 'grandparent scam.' He will spend another few weeks in jail, where he's been since August, before being deported. CBC's Nicola MacLeod explains. There were no more details released about the Summerside case, but this kind of scam is becoming increasingly sophisticated with the arrival of artificial intelligence that can mimic the voice patterns of someone's relative based on videos posted to social media. Earlier this year, two people from Chile who were associated with what police called a "criminal enterprise" were sentenced for their parts in scams carried out across Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. One of them, Luis Luciano David Cortez, acted as a "bail bondsman" who went to victims' houses to pick up the cash. His girlfriend, Genesis Carvajal Tapia, was later found at a nearby motel holding passports for her and Cortez, along with several thousand dollars in cash. Both were to be deported as soon as their jail sentences were finished.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspects impersonating FBI agents in elder scam arrested
MARIN COUNTY, Calif. - Authorities in Marin County have arrested two people whom they said impersonated FBI agents to scam senior citizens out of thousands in cash. The backstory The Marin County Sheriff's Office first learned about the scam on Feb. 18 when an elderly resident told deputies they were the victim of fraud by suspects alleging to be FBI agents. The suspects called the victim and said there was an active fraud investigation into their bank account, and that the only way to protect their money was to withdraw it and deposit it into a "safe federal bank account" through a courier. The victim only became suspicious when the fake FBI agents later tried to convince them to buy gold and give it to a courier. The victim complied. The victim then contacted a real FBI agent, who told them he was being scammed and to call the Marin County Sheriff's Office, their local law enforcement. Dig deeper The victim told deputies the courier who picked up $25,000 in cash was an Asian male, officials said. On May 8, San Francisco man Zian Hu was arrested at a home in Daly City on grand theft, elder abuse, and conspiracy charges. The 38-year-old suspect remains in the Marin County Jail on a $1 million bail, according to jail records. Officials said the bail enhancement was requested and granted because Marin County sheriff detectives believe Hu has a "connection with a larger criminal enterprise," and "access to illegally obtained cash." The second suspect, identified as 24-year-old Balraj Singh, was arrested Monday in San Rafael. Officials alleged the Torrance resident was involved in a similar "cash courier pick-up scam" and went to a home to pick up $50,000 in cash but was stopped by law enforcement before doing so. Singh is facing attempted grand theft charges, attempted elder abuse, and conspiracy. A bail enhancement was requested and granted for similar reasons to Hu's, and Singh was denied bail. He remains in the Marin County Jail, according to jail records. What we don't know Officials said it's unclear at this time if the pair were working together and said that at this time, there is no confirmed link between Hu and Singh. What you can do Officials are reminding residents that there is no legitimate situation where a company or law enforcement would request cash through a courier. "There is no reason to withdraw funds or purchase gift cards and provide them to unknown individuals," the Marin County Sheriff's Office said. "If you receive an email from a company that seems suspicious regarding a transaction, do not use the numbers provided on the email. Look up the company's phone number on their website." Fraud can occur from emails, texts, and phone calls, and if you are unsure if the messages from a business are real, ask a friend, family member, or call your local law enforcement agency, officials remind.
The Guardian
13-05-2025
- The Guardian
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs trial continues after court hears of domestic abuse
The high-profile federal trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs enters its second day on Tuesday in lower Manhattan, where the 55-year-old music mogul faces charges including racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs, who was arrested last September, has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations. On Monday, a jury of eight men and four women heard opening statements, and testimony from the first two witnesses called to the stand by the government. Prosecutors allege that Combs ran a 'criminal enterprise' through his business empire, aided by associates and employees, that engaged in crimes such as sex trafficking, kidnapping, arson, bribery, enticement to engage in prostitution and obstruction of justice – allegedly dating back to at least 2004. In opening remarks, prosecutors accused Combs of using threats, violence and coercion to force women into sex acts with male escorts at drug-fueled parties that he orchestrated – events known as 'freak-offs'. Combs's defense attorneys acknowledged that Combs perpetrated domestic violence in the past, but denied any involvement in sex trafficking or a racketeering conspiracy, and portrayed any group sex as consensual, describing it as part of a 'swinger's lifestyle'. Following opening statements, the prosecution called two witnesses. The first was Los Angeles police officer Israel Florez, who was working as a security guard at the InterContinental hotel in March 2016 when Combs was caught on surveillance video assaulting his then girlfriend, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura. Ventura is expected to testify. Florez testified that he responded to a woman in distress on the sixth floor, and found Combs seated in a towel, motionless and with what he described as 'a devilish stare'. Ventura, Florez testified, had a 'purple eye'. Combs offered him a wad of cash, which he understood to be a bribe, Florez told the court. Florez said: 'He [Combs] was telling me, 'Don't tell nobody.'' The second witness was Daniel Phillip, a former manager of a 'male revue show', which he described as a strip show for women. He testified that at some point in 2012, Ventura paid him to have sex with her in front of Combs, and that similar encounters took place multiple times over the following year or so. During more than an hour of graphic testimony, Phillip said he once witnessed Combs throw a liquor bottle at Ventura and, on another occasion, drag her by the hair into a bedroom. He testified that he then heard what sounded like slapping and her screaming coming from the bedroom. Combs's family, including his mother, Janice Combs, and his children, were seated in the courtroom's front row on Monday. During Phillip's testimony, Combs's three teenage daughters left the room. Phillip is expected to return to the stand for further cross-examination on Tuesday morning. In accordance with federal court rules, the trial is not being televised. If convicted, Combs, who has been jailed since his arrest last year, could spend the rest of his life in prison.
