NEW YORK (TNND) — R&B singer Cassie could testify as soon as Tuesday, as the sex trafficking trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs resumes in a New York courtroom and he faces charges accusing him of kidnapping, arson, sex crimes, bribery and obstruction.
On Monday, a 12-person jury was selected, followed by opening statements and testimony. Prosecutors claimed that for years, Combs used his status as a powerful executive to coerce women into abusive sexual encounters and became violent if they refused.
His lawyers argued he could be violent but never participated in sex trafficking and racketeering, telling jurors that the sexual acts were consensual.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to a five-count indictment, including sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, transportation for purposes of prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy. He faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on all charges.
Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, is expected to be a key witness.
The alleged abuse came to light when Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against Combs in November 2023, accusing the artist of rape and repeated physical abuse over roughly a decade. The lawsuit was settled privately without Combs commenting on the allegations or admitting wrongdoing.
In 2024, a surveillance video made public by CNN showed Combs beating her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
The judge in the case ruled that the video can be shown as evidence during the trial despite Combs’ lawyer’s attempts to get it excluded, arguing in part that it is “wholly inaccurate” and altered. CNN has strongly denied any claims altering the footage. After the video was aired, Combs posted a video to Instagram apologizing and said he was “disgusted” by his actions. He did not name Ventura during his apology.
Prosecutors immediately showed the CNN video as proof of violence when calling the trial’s first witness to the stand.
Israel Florez, a former security guard at the Intercontinental Hotel in Century City, testified Monday that he was called to the floor where the couple was staying and found Combs sitting in a chair with a “devilish state.” Florez mentioned Combs offered him a bribe and said, “Don’t tell nobody.”
Florez said he refused the cash and told Combs, “I don’t want your money. Just go back into your room.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson told the Manhattan jury at the beginning of the trial that they would “hear about 20 years of the defendant’s crimes.”
Johnson said Combs would beat Cassie over the smallest slight, such as leaving a “freak off” without permission or taking too long in the bathroom. He also allegedly threatened to ruin Cassie’s singing career by releasing public videos of her engaging in sex with male escorts.
Prosecutors added that Combs allegedly beat another woman last year, identified only as Jane, when she confronted him about enduring years of “freak offs.”
An attorney for Combs, Teny Geragos, told the jury Combs’ accusers were after his money, adding that jurors might think he’s a “jerk” and might not condone his “kinky sex,” but that “he’s not charged with being a jerk.”
The embattled music mogul was arrested in September 2024, about roughly six months after federal authorities raided his homes in Los Angeles and Miami. He has been jailed in Brooklyn since his arrest.
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Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.
