The third week of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ racketeering and sex trafficking trial has kicked off, which is also the second full week of testimony after one week of jury selection. There have been several major revelations throughout the trial that have been disturbing and hard to hear. The main focus of this week’s testimony (May 19-23) has been the prosecution’s continued buildup for the racketeering charges, as well as the accusations of extreme violence levied against Combs by multiple witnesses. The defense once again has mainly focused on the idea that circumstances do not prove guilt, though they struggled more this week amid the onslaught of witnesses.
Diddy Faces A Barrage of Witness Statements
Sean “Diddy” Combs, facing five felony counts including sex trafficking and racketeering, is looking at a potential life sentence if convicted, thus making this trial massive for the future of the former hip-hop mogul. It was always assumed that he would face a major challenge in this trial, and that establishing his innocence would be an uphill battle. This past week has not done much to assuage those concerns, as the horrifying and disturbing details of Combs’ life and relationships continue to be revealed on the stand.
Much of the witness statements centered once again around Diddy’s former girlfriend, Cassie. One witness, Cassie’s mother, Regina Ventura, spoke about incidents when Cassie briefly split from Diddy to date Kid Cudi. She testified that Cassie had received an email from Combs stating that retaliation would be coming in the form of leaked sex tapes. Venturz also used her home equity to pay him $20,000, a demand Combs claimed was payment back for the money he had spent on growing Cassie’s career. She did ultimately receive the money back.
Dawn Richards was the first witness this week, and continued upon the accusations she had previously mentioned. Richards rose to fame on Combs’ reality show Making the Band. She testified she repeatedly saw him beat Cassie. One incident she recalled had Combs attempting to hit Cassie with a skillet. Diddy threatened her life, saying he could make her disappear if she told anyone. Richards also alleged that “He would punch her, choke her, drag her, slap her in the mouth,” regarding Cassie.
Multiple Witnesses Attest To Violent Encounters With Diddy
One witness was Cassie’s former friend, Kerry Morgan, but she painted a bit different picture about Cassie. The two friends split after Morgan was attacked by Diddy, who was allegedly trying to find out who Cassie was cheating on him with. He ultimately attacked her with a hanger and also attempted to choke her out, causing multiple injuries. According to Morgan, Cassie made her sign a $30,000 non-disclosure agreement, and she “told me she thought I was milking it, that I was overexaggerating.” That meeting was the end of the friendship.
Kid Cudi was also called to the stand for the prosecution. According to Cudi, he was under the impression that Combs and Cassie were split up when they started dating. He claimed Cassie sounded terrified when she found out Combs knew about them. Later, Combs and his aide had broken into his home while he was out, opening Christmas presents and locking his dog in the bathroom. In another incident, Cudi’s car was set on fire, though Diddy’s involvement there has not been proven.
Frédéric Zemmour, the general manager of L’Ermitage Beverly Hills in California, wrapped up the week of testimony. Although he never had a violent encounter with Diddy, he shared about the excessive damage that was always done in rooms that the hip-hop mogul used. Candle wax and copious amounts of baby oil would cause massive damage to the room, requiring deep cleaning and pre-arranged deposits to cover damage costs.
Prosecution Attempts To Build Racketeering Charges
The protection plans to use former employees of Diddy as a way to build up the racketeering charges levied against him. According to the legal team, they will show that he “used his businesses and employees to carry out, facilitate, and cover up his acts of violence, abuse, and commercial sex.”
These testimonies began this week, when they called several former employees to the stand to speak out about his business ventures. George Kaplan told jurors he was constantly cleaning up alcohol, drugs, and baby oil from hotel rooms while he was Combs’ assistant from 2013-2015. He also admitted he never contacted authorities despite seeing Cassie get beaten repeatedly. David James, another former Diddy assistant, was ordered to stock condoms, baby oil, and other sex related products. James also alleged that Combs was armed with multiple guns in an incident where he was attempting to drive by Suge Knight, a hip-hop rival.
As the trial continues into the fourth week, the prosecution will continue to call witnesses to the stand, painting additional horrifying and unsettling details about Diddy and his violent and disturbing history. Many of those witnesses are likely to be former employees who have seen the inner workings of his business and can help the prosecution secure a guilty verdict on the racketeering charges they have brought. The trial will resume after the long weekend, on Tuesday, May 27. As the trial progresses, more updates will be provided.
