NEW YORK – Testimony in the sex trafficking trial of hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs began this week, opening a window into what prosecutors say was the sordid world of group sex, drugs and violence beneath the glittering, jet set persona cultivated by the Bad Boy Records founder.
Much of the testimony was hard to watch. Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie, recounted being beaten and pressured into degrading sexual performances with strangers.
Here are five key moments from the trial, which resumes Monday:
Defense: Combs is a violent jerk and a swinger, but not a sex trafficker
Lawyer Teny Geragos took a novel approach to defending Combs in her opening statement.
She conceded the hip-hop impresario has a “bad temper” and is prone to violent outbursts that are often fueled by alcohol, jealousy and drugs.
But she maintained that while his actions might have warranted domestic violence charges, they aren’t proof he engaged in sex trafficking and racketeering — the charges he faces.
Geragos argued that Combs’ sexual habits were part of a swinger lifestyle involving consenting adults and reminded jurors that “kinky” sexual predilections don’t equate to sex trafficking.
“Sean Combs is a complicated man. But this is not a complicated case,” she said. “This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money.”
Jurors sees video and photos of infamous LA hotel attack on Cassie
The packed courtroom fell silent when jurors were shown security camera video of Combs assaulting Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016.
The video depicts Cassie, an R&B singer, headed down a hallway toward the hotel’s elevators just before Combs rounds a corner, strikes her and throws her to the ground before kicking her and then dragging her back toward their hotel room.
Jurors also viewed photographs of damage in the hotel hallway, including flowers strewn on the floor and soil spattered against a wall. Later, as Cassie testified about the attack, they were shown photos of the musician’s swollen lip.
The trial’s first witness was a former security guard at the hotel. Israel Florez testified Combs attempted to bribe him, holding out a stack of money with a $100 on top, telling him: “Don’t tell nobody.”
Florez said he responded: “I don’t want your money. Just go back into your room.”
Cassie describes ‘freak-offs’ in disturbing detail
The “Me & U” singer, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, testified that Combs was into voyeurism and dictated every aspect of sex events he dubbed “freak-offs.”
The highly orchestrated affairs, which Combs also called “wild king nights” or “hotel nights,” involved male sex workers, heavy drug use and copious lubrication.
“It was his fantasy,” Cassie said.
Cassie said each “freak-off” involved about 10 large bottles of baby oil — heated up.
“It was such a mess,” she said. “It was like, ‘What are we doing?’”
She said Combs also asked her to perform degrading and painful sex acts with male sex workers.
Cassie said eventually she was doing “freak-offs” weekly for a decade, with the final one in 2017 or 2018.
“The freak-offs became a job,” Cassie recounted.
She said she felt she couldn’t refuse because she feared the videos would be made public.
Jurors also heard from Daniel Phillip, who said he was a professional stripper paid to have sex with Cassie while Combs gave instructions. He testified that he once saw Combs drag Cassie by her hair as she screamed.
Messages between Combs and Cassie show a complicated relationship
Defense lawyers, during their cross examination of Cassie, sought to cast the musician as an enthusiastic participant in the sex marathons.
“I’m always ready to freak off,” she wrote in one 2009 message read in court.
Later that year, however, Cassie expressed frustration with the state of their relationship and told Combs she needed something more from him than sex.
In a 2017 text message, Cassie told Combs: “I love our FOs when we both want it,” using the initials of freak-off. On the stand, Cassie explained: “I would say loving FOs were just words at that point.”
Singer Dawn Richard recalled Combs beating Cassie
The former cast member on Combs’ MTV reality show “Making the Band” testified that she saw Combs physically attack Cassie on multiple occasions.
During a 2009 incident in his home, Richard said Combs tried to strike Cassie in the head with a black skillet before he put his arm around her neck and dragged her up the stairs.
“I was scared for her and scared to do anything,” she said. “I had never seen anything like that before.”
Richard, who was later a member of the Combs’ band Diddy — Dirty Money, sued the producer last year, accusing him of physical abuse, groping, and psychological abuse during the years they worked together. His representative denied the claims at the time.
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