Jurors heard from a dozen witnesses during a second week of testimony in the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial as prosecutors sought to prove sex trafficking and racketeering.
Rapper and actor Kid Cudi was on the witness stand. So was singer Dawn Richard, formerly of the group Danity Kane.
There was more testimony from witnesses who said they saw Combs beating his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie Ventura. Jurors also heard testimony about guns, extortion and a car being set on fire.
The trial resumes Tuesday after the Memorial Day holiday.
Here are key moments from Week 2:
Brick by brick, prosecutors seek to prove racketeering
Much of the case presented by prosecutors so far has revolved around accusations that Combs physically and sexually abused Ventura for years, and coerced her into sexual encounters called “freak-offs” with men who were paid thousands of dollars to have sex with her.
Yet Combs isn’t simply charged with sex crimes. He’s charged with racketeering. Prosecutors say they will prove that Combs used his businesses and employees “to carry out, facilitate, and cover up his acts of violence, abuse, and commercial sex.”
Some of those employees testified in Week 2.
George Kaplan, a personal assistant for Combs from 2013 to 2015, told jurors he’d toss out liquor bottles and drugs and clean up baby oil from Combs’ hotel rooms after the music producer finished freak-offs.
He said he never reported abuse to authorities, even after Combs beat up Ventura on a private jet.
Another personal assistant, David James, testified that Combs had him stock hotel rooms with Viagra, condoms, baby oil and lubricant, among other supplies.
He also recounted how Combs had three handguns on his lap as they drove to a Los Angeles diner looking for his record industry rival, Death Row Records co-founder Suge Knight.
Ventura’s mom tells jury that a jealous Combs demanded $20,000
Ventura briefly dated Kid Cudi during a period of time when it looked like she might split with Combs.
Ventura’s mother, Regina Ventura, testified that she felt “physically sick” after her daughter sent her an email saying Combs had learned about the relationship with Cudi and planned to retaliate by releasing tapes of Ventura having sex.
Then, Ventura said, Combs contacted her and angrily demanded $20,000, saying he was owed it because he’d spent money on her career.
Ventura tapped home equity to wire the money to Combs’ business. Several days later, the money was returned.
Cassie Ventura took the stand for the fourth and final day on May 16 to testify in ex-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial. NBC News entertainment correspondent Chloe Melas, who was inside the courtroom, shares with Access Hollywood how the jury heard a different side of Ventura as the defense presented audio evidence of the singer screaming at a male acquaintance who she thought had a video of her participating in a “freak-off” with Combs.
Kid Cudi testifies about a break-in and a firebombed car
Kid Cudi testified Thursday that Ventura sounded “very stressed, nervous, just scared” when she phoned him in December 2011 to say that Combs had learned they were dating.
Cudi said he was confused because he thought Combs and Ventura had broken up.
Then, he said, one of Combs’ assistants called.
She said Combs and an aide were in Cudi’s home, waiting to speak with him. She also said she had been forced into a car to join them.
Cudi said he raced to his house, but Combs was gone. Inside, he testified, he found Christmas gifts had been opened and his dog was locked in the bathroom. After the break-in, his dog was “very jittery and kind of on edge all the time,” he said.
Then, someone set fire to Cudi’s car, destroying it.
Cudi set he met with Combs to squash their beef the next day at a Los Angeles hotel. When he walked in, he said Combs was staring out the window standing with hands behind his back “like a Marvel supervillain.”
Combs denied having anything to do with the burned car, but Cudi said he didn’t believe him.
Singer Dawn Richard tells of death threats
The first witness of the week, Dawn Richard, got her big break in the music business as a cast member on Combs’ reality TV show, “Making the Band.” She performed with two Combs-backed acts, Danity Kane and Diddy — Dirty Money.
But Richard said Combs threatened her life after she saw him beat Ventura and try to hit her with a skillet in 2009. She said Combs told her and another woman that they “could go missing” if they didn’t stay quiet.
She said she saw Combs beat Ventura frequently. “He would punch her, choke her, drag her, slap her in the mouth,” she said.
Former Danity Kane and Diddy – Dirty Money singer Dawn Richard continued her testimony, after claiming she was threatened after witnessing the hip-hop mogul allegedly attack his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura with a skillet. Trial attorney and legal expert Misty Marris, who was inside the courtroom, explains to Access Hollywood how the defense reacted to Richard’s disturbing allegations and why they believe her story has inconsistencies. And, Ventura’s former friend Kerry Morgan also took the stand to testify about the alleged violence she saw Combs inflict upon Cassie.
A longtime friend of Ventura’s explained why she’s a friend no more
Kerry Morgan said she had a falling out with Ventura, her friend of 17 years, after Combs attacked her in a rage in 2018 demanding to know who Ventura was cheating on him with.
Morgan said he slung a hanger at her head and tried to choke her, leaving her dizzy, vomiting and concussed, with finger imprints on her neck.
As Morgan contemplated a lawsuit a month later, she met Ventura at a pizza parlor, where Ventura had her sign a nondisclosure agreement in return for $30,000, she said. But then, she said, Ventura “told me she thought I was milking it, that I was overexaggerating.” They haven’t spoken since.
Hotel manager says Combs always left a costly mess
One of the last witnesses of the week was Frédéric Zemmour, the general manager of L’Ermitage Beverly Hills in California.
He revealed that Combs’ guest profile noted that he “Always spills candle wax on everything and uses excessive amounts of oil.” The profile instructed staff to “place the room out of order upon departure for deep cleaning.”
“Please authorize an extra $1000 when guest stays with us to cover any room damages,” Combs’ guest profile said.
Witnesses have testified that Combs liked to use candles and baby oil during freak-offs.
Levity finds a place in a trial about violence
Despite the trial’s serious subject matter, there have been a few light moments.
On Thursday, Combs’ former personal assistant, , shared that his ex-boss “loves applesauce.”
Combs nodded and smiled as Kaplan recounted that he “eats it on the side or on top of a lot of things.”
“Cheeseburgers?” defense attorney Marc Agnifilo asked.
“Cheeseburgers being one of them,” Kaplan said as laughter broke out across the courtroom.
Justin Bieber is clearing up rumors that he was victimized by Sean “Diddy” Combs in a statement from his rep, acquired by Access Hollywood. “Although Justin is not among Sean Combs’ victims, there are individuals who were genuinely harmed by him,” a spokesperson said on May 15. “Shifting focus away from this reality detracts from the justice these victims rightfully deserve.”
