From shocking testimony by Dawn Richard and Kid Cudi to disturbing revelations from former assistants, the federal trial against Sean "Diddy" Combs has unveiled numerous allegations of violence, threats, and misconduct. Join us as we break down the most significant revelations from this high-profile case.
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00:00Prosecutors say Combs was so upset about that relationship, he had Cuddy's convertible blown up by a firebomb.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're detailing all the shocking revelations and occurrences from the second week of Sean Diddy Combs' ongoing trafficking trial.
00:15Warning, certain information contains distressing details.
00:19Four witnesses took the stand yesterday, including a male escort who said he participated in Combs' so-called freak-offs.
00:26Don Richards' testimony.
00:28Richard spoke about different times that she witnessed Combs allegedly attacking his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura over the years.
00:35During the second week of the federal trial against Sean Diddy Combs, former Dan Diddy Cain member Don Richards returned to the witness stand
00:41and provided further testimony regarding an alleged 2009 incident where she says she witnessed Combs attacking his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura
00:49and attempted to strike her with a skillet containing eggs.
00:52Richard described Combs as being, quote, frequently violent toward Cassie and testified that she feared for her own safety.
00:59I was scared for her. I was scared to do anything.
01:02She purports Combs carried a handgun but never saw him brandish or shoot it.
01:07The defense challenged her memory of the 2009 skillet incident, with Richard replying that she was recounting events to the best of her recollection.
01:14Said, you've met with government prosecutors eight times over the last year and a half.
01:21And over the course of those eight meetings, you've changed your story at least four times when it comes to multiple incidents.
01:29When asked about the motivation behind her own personal lawsuit against Diddy, she denied pursuing financial gain, rather compensation for her work.
01:37It's unfortunate that Ms. Richard has cast their 20-year friendship aside to try to get money from him.
01:43But Mr. Combs is confidently standing on truth.
01:45Cassie's former friend takes the stand.
01:48One witness who testified today was Carrie Morgan, Ventura's best friend of 17 years.
01:53She was friends with Ventura before she started dating Combs and throughout most of their relationships.
01:59Cassie Ventura's former friend Carrie Morgan detailed a long history of alleged abuse from Diddy that she claims to have witnessed firsthand.
02:06Morgan testified to witnessing several violent incidents, one in Los Angeles, where she said she saw Combs push and possibly hit Cassie, and another in Jamaica.
02:15It's there that Morgan says she heard, quote, guttural, terrifying screams before seeing Diddy dragging Ventura.
02:21Morgan alleges that she and Combs chased after Cassie in golf carts when she fled.
02:26Morgan says she found Ventura first, and the two hid in a ditch.
02:29Ventura got up and ran into the woods, and she, Morgan, eventually found Ventura, and they were hiding in a ditch while Combs and another friend was looking for them.
02:37She further testified about being assaulted by Diddy herself, alleging the music mogul struck her with a coat hanger during a confrontation.
02:44Well, there's also evidence that he beat both of them, one of them, with a coat hanger.
02:49This is certainly not useful evidence for a defendant who is attempting to undermine these questions of whether he used force, fraud, or coercion to get people to go along with his behavior.
02:58She states that Combs later paid her $30,000 to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
03:03Morgan also revealed that Combs was jealous of Cassie spending time with actor Michael B. Jordan, and often accused her of cheating.
03:10On Redirect, Morgan clarified that the alleged attack in Jamaica was not jealousy-related, but instead a dispute over how long Ventura was taking in the bathroom.
03:19On cross-examination, the defense didn't even try to challenge her account, instead focused on times she witnessed Combs being loving with Cassie Ventura.
03:29Diddy's former assistant talks.
03:31They need employees. They need people that work for Combs that were allegedly carrying out illegal activity at his behest.
03:38David James, a former assistant to Sean Diddy Combs, testified about his experiences while working for the music mogul between 2007 and 2009.
03:47James delivered compelling and at times emotional testimony yesterday, giving jurors an inside look at Combs' luxurious lifestyle with ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and their rocky relationship.
03:59James recalled an early conversation with Cassie Ventura where he suggested she leave him, and she responded, quote,
04:05I can't. I can't get out.
04:07James confirmed he was regularly tasked with setting up hotel rooms for the couple's freak-offs,
04:11which involved a bag containing pill bottles and personal items like lubricant and baby oil.
04:16He says he used cash from Combs', quote,
04:19personal bag, rather than seeking company reimbursement.
04:22Remember, the government says that Combs was running his businesses and carrying out illegal activity.
04:28James also described an incident that made him feel personally endangered.
04:32After picking up food from a diner and spotting Suge Knight, James said Combs demanded that he be driven to the diner.
04:38With Diddy sitting in the back seat with, quote,
04:40three handguns in his lap, James testified that the moment left him, quote,
04:44shook up. But when they arrived, Knight had left.
04:48The assistant says he turns around, looks in the back seat, and Diddy has three handguns on his lap.
04:52That is what he testified today. They go back to the diner. Suge Knight is no longer there.
04:58Under cross-examination, James acknowledged a past incident where he grabbed the wrists of a female chef
05:03in an argument at Combs' Star Island home. When he told Diddy what had happened, he said Combs responded,
05:08quote, you can't be putting your hands on women. Cassie's mother speaks.
05:13We also heard from Cassie's mother, who testified about a payment that she wired to Diddy
05:18after Cassie told her that he was threatening to release two sex tapes.
05:23Regina Ventura, mother of Cassie Ventura, testified that in December 2011,
05:28she received a phone call from her daughter, who said Diddy was threatening to release explicit tapes
05:32and have her and her then-boyfriend, Kid Cudi, physically harmed.
05:36Regina also testified that Combs contacted her around the same time,
05:40demanding $20,000 to, quote, recoup money he claimed to have invested in Cassie.
05:45She said that Diddy demanded that she pay $20,000, as you said,
05:50because he was upset that Cassie was with another man that would be Kid Cudi,
05:54and he said, I spent $20,000 on your daughter, so you better pay it back.
05:58Regina said he appeared angry about Cassie's relationship with Cudi
06:01when she and her husband took out a home equity loan to raise the money and sent it to Combs.
06:05The funds were returned without explanation just five days later.
06:10But she talked about taking photos of her daughter in 2011 when she came home to Connecticut
06:14for the Christmas holidays, and that she was shocked to see the bruises on her daughter's body,
06:18that she hadn't been aware that her daughter's relationship with Combs had been violent at this point.
06:23Exotic dancer Punisher testifies.
06:25Mr. Hayes told the jury that he got his nickname playing basketball,
06:29but his photos, they seem to tell a different story for why he may be using that name today.
06:36Sheree Hayes, a former exotic dancer known as The Punisher,
06:40testified that he was hired by Cassie Ventura in the fall of 2012
06:43for what he believed would be a birthday striptease.
06:47Upon arriving, Hayes said he was told that the couple instead preferred creating a, quote,
06:51sexy scene involving baby oil.
06:53He was given a stack of cash and instructed to follow Ventura's lead,
06:57while hearing directions from her, quote, husband.
07:00This was his first foray as an escort,
07:02but says he would never participate in the so-called freak-offs
07:05had he thought Cassie was being coerced.
07:08Hayes stated he was hired between 8 and 12 more times,
07:11with some occurring on consecutive days.
07:14During these encounters, Hayes said Cassie never refused a direction from Combs,
07:18and he observed no signs of discomfort, violence, filming, or intoxication from either party.
07:24He said it didn't seem as though Cassie was there against her will.
07:27He did, however, mention feeling, quote, pressure himself,
07:30recalling that in 2016 he was unable to perform,
07:33after which he was never contacted again.
07:36When questioned about developing feelings for Ventura,
07:39Hayes denied having any emotional connection or relationship with her.
07:43Was it intimidating sitting in front of him telling the story?
07:46Um, it was not, because, uh, you know, the story is honestly what happened.
07:52Special Agent testifies on Diddy's home raid.
07:54Special Agent Gerard Gannon showed the jury items he testified
07:58were seized from Combs' Miami Beach home,
08:01including lubricant lingerie and loaded assault rifles.
08:05Special Agent Gerard Gannon of Homeland Security Investigations
08:08testified about leading the March 25, 2024 raid
08:12on Sean Diddy Combs' Miami Beach home.
08:14He explained that the search was delayed until 3 p.m.
08:17because agents waited for Diddy to leave for a planned family trip.
08:21A vehicle was then used to breach the front gate,
08:24something the defense questioned the need for.
08:26So they showed images of the broken gate.
08:28They talked a lot about how maybe some of the evidence wasn't properly photographed.
08:33And so that was, they were trying to poke holes in how the evidence was collected.
08:38During the search, agents discovered various personal items,
08:41including high heels, adult toys, baby oil, lubricant, and lingerie.
08:46What the prosecutors called freak-off supplies, including baby oil, lubricant, and rubber ducks.
08:52They also recovered various firearms, some loaded, some not, and ammunition.
08:57Gannon showed the jury photos of the weapons,
09:00noting that their serial numbers had been scratched off.
09:02Various types of illegal substances and pills were also recovered.
09:06Jurors are really getting an inside look here
09:08at what authorities say they seized from his home last year.
09:12Psychologist provides expert testimony.
09:15Psychologist Don Hughes, who previously testified in the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial,
09:20took the stand as an expert witness.
09:22Drawing from her personal experience,
09:24Hughes explained that abuse victims often stay with their abusers
09:27due to feelings of entrapment, shame, degradation, and financial dependence.
09:31She spoke directly to the jurors, really,
09:34almost as if she was speaking to them as if they were the only ones in the room.
09:38She noted that victims may have fragmented memories,
09:41downplay their experiences, and turn to substances to cope.
09:44And this really speaks to Cassie Ventura's testimony last week,
09:49when she talked about why she decided to come forward in November of 2023 with that civil lawsuit,
09:55which really sort of jump-started this criminal investigation.
09:58During cross-examination, Hughes was made to emphasize
10:01that her testimony was not based on the specifics of this case,
10:05as she clarified she had not personally evaluated anyone involved.
10:10Another ex-assistant testifies.
10:12A former employee of Combs who was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony.
10:17After receiving immunity for his testimony,
10:19another of Diddy's former assistants, George Kaplan, took the stand.
10:23He said his duties included running errands and preparing hotel rooms for Combs,
10:27which he stocked with candles, alcohol, baby oil, and lubricant.
10:31The first time he unpacked his bag, he said he found baby oil, Astroglide, candles, and liquor.
10:36The other times, he'd have to buy the items on his corporate card.
10:39He says he was also tasked with, quote,
10:42tidying up after the freak-off sessions.
10:44And often threw out empty baby oil bottles,
10:46and once threw out a powdery crystal substance.
10:49Kaplan recalled seeing Combs get violent with Cassie on a private jet in late 2015,
10:53though he didn't observe visible injuries.
10:56He also described an incident where Combs allegedly threw apples
10:59at another girlfriend at his Miami Beach home.
11:02He concluded that he, quote,
11:03desperately didn't want to testify and holds no ill will towards Combs,
11:07despite a, quote, complicated relationship.
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11:26Kid Cuddy's explosive testimony.
11:28Rapper Kid Cuddy testified today about two incidents that he alleges involved Sean Combs.
11:35Kid Cuddy, born Scott Mescady, testified about his brief relationship with Cassie Ventura,
11:40which began in 2011.
11:41He said Ventura confided in him about Combs' abusive behavior.
11:45He went on to say that after Diddy allegedly found out about their relationship,
11:49Ventura warned Cuddy that he was enraged.
11:51Cuddy and Cassie then talked with one of Combs' employees, who appeared shaken,
11:56and said he and his associates were inside Cuddy's home.
11:59Allegedly, Diddy later admitted he was there, claiming he just wanted to talk.
12:04When Cuddy returned home, he noticed his security cameras had been moved,
12:08gifts were unwrapped, and his dog was locked in a bathroom.
12:11He reported the incident to police.
12:13A month later, his car was set on fire in what he described as a, quote,
12:17Molotov cocktail attack.
12:19A babysitter for his dog called him and said,
12:21your car's on fire.
12:22And when he arrived, the police were there taking photos,
12:26taking evidence at the time,
12:27but no one has been charged in connection to that incident, Morgan.
12:31Though he suspected Combs,
12:33the defense countered that the only DNA recovered belonged to a woman.
12:37Cuddy said he never received a follow-up from investigators.
12:40He later confronted Combs at a hotel,
12:42describing him as a, quote,
12:44Marvel supervillain, as he denied involvement in the fire.
12:47They all met at the Soho house, made amends.
12:51Cuddy asked him about the car at the time,
12:53and Combs denied knowing anything about it.
12:56But Kid Cuddy did say that years later, Combs apologized to him.
13:01Cuddy and Ventura ended their relationship in late 2011 due to the, quote,
13:05drama and fears for their safety.
13:07He further admitted that he felt like Cassie, quote,
13:10played him.
13:11Have you been following the federal trial against Sean Diddy Combs?
13:14What do you make of the prosecution's case so far?
13:17Share your thoughts in the comments below.
13:19They really pushed Cuddy today on,
13:21what proof do you have that Combs entered your home?
13:24There weren't, your surveillance cameras didn't capture footage that day.
13:28When you arrived to the house, Combs wasn't there.