This article contains references to domestic violence and sexual assault.
A male stripper testified overnight on the first day of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial, alleging he had sex with the hip-hop mogul’s then-girlfriend, Casandra Ventura, for money multiple times in 2012 and 2013 while Combs watched and masturbated.
Stripper Daniel Phillip, the prosecution’s second witness, also described an incident in a New York City hotel, where Combs allegedly threw a liquor bottle in Ventura’s direction, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her screaming into another room.
Phillip said he allegedly heard Combs shouting and slapping Ventura, and that she was visibly shaken after the incident.
“She literally jumped into my lap and she was shaking, like literally her whole entire body was shaking. She was terrified,” Phillip told jurors in Manhattan federal court.
Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted on all counts, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and could face life in prison.
Prosecutors allege women forced to participate in ‘freak offs’
Prosecutors say Combs lured women into romantic relationships, forced them to take part in days of drug-fuelled sex parties — referred to as “freak offs” — and then blackmailed them with videos he recorded of the encounters. When women resisted, he allegedly turned violent and “viciously attacked” them.
Before Phillip’s testimony, jurors viewed a 2016 video in which Combs assaulted Ventura, threw her to the ground in the hallway of a Los Angeles area hotel and kicked her as she tried to enter an elevator.
In the footage, Combs, wearing only a towel, is then seen grabbing Ventura’s belongings and dragging her into the hallway, before leaving her behind.
The footage showed her lying motionless on the ground for a moment before getting up and walking to a hotel phone mounted on the wall.
Israel Florez, a former security guard and the prosecution’s first witness, testified that Ventura looked “scared” during the incident and that Combs offered him a stack of cash to keep quiet. He declined the offer.
‘Most painful experiences of their lives’
Prosecutor Emily Johnson told jurors they would hear testimony from victims who said Combs routinely beat them and exploded with rage at the smallest slights. “They will tell you about some of the most painful experiences of their lives,” Johnson said.
“The days they spent in hotel rooms, high on drugs, dressed in costumes to perform the defendant’s sexual fantasies.”
Johnson described Combs as a violent offender who had set a man’s car ablaze and dangled a woman from a balcony, as well as making impossible demands of his lovers.
Assistant US attorney Emily Johnson, right, gestures to Sean “Diddy” Combs, far left, while giving her opening statement on the first day of trial at Manhattan federal court. Source: AP / Elizabeth Williams
“Let me be clear … this case is not about a celebrity’s private sexual preferences,” Johnson said. “It’s coercive and criminal” in nature, she said as Combs watched intently.
The trial, expected to run eight to ten weeks, has drawn widespread media attention due to Combs’ celebrity status and long career shaping hip-hop stars like The Notorious BIG and Mary J Blige.
The 12 jurors and six alternates will remain anonymous but not sequestered.
Defence suggests money as a motivator
Defence lawyer Teny Geragos told jurors prosecutors were trying to twist Combs’ romantic relationships into a racketeering and sex trafficking case.
“Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case. This case is about voluntary choices made by capable adults in consensual relationships,” Geragos said.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ family and supporters, including his mother Janice Combs (left), attended the first day of the trial. Source: AP / Seth Wenig
“Ask yourself why are they making this allegation now? What is their motive? For many of them, the answer is simple: money,” Geragos said.
Combs stood and faced the jury when Geragos introduced him. He smiled and blew kisses at his family, including his mother and six of his children seated in the front row.
He has faced at least 50 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse, including one from Ventura whose lawsuit was settled for undisclosed terms.
With additional reporting by Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
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