Diddy told Cassie's friend 'I'm the devil and I could kill you,' she testifies
Diddy told Cassie's friend 'I'm the devil and I could kill you,' she testifies
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Security guard says Sean Combs offered cash for hotel video
Eddy Garcia testified Sean Combs paid $100K for hotel footage showing him kick, hit and drag Cassie Ventura Fine, according to court testimony.
Among the disturbing allegations emerging from Sean "Diddy" Combs' ongoing criminal trial is a statement the hip-hop mogul supposedly said to one of Cassie Ventura Fine's friends years ago.
Bryana "Bana" Bongolan testified June 4 that she was doing an impromptu beach photoshoot with Ventura Fine and a photographer friend one day when Combs went up to her and issued a threat.
"He came really close to my face and said, 'I'm the devil and I could kill you,'" she told the court.
She admitted she was likely high on cocaine at the time. Regardless, she "was terrified" and unsure why Combs said that to her.
Bongolan's remarks came on the 20th day of Combs' trial, which kicked off with jury selection on May 5. During her time on the stand, which will continue into a second day of cross-examination, Bongolan also detailed a 2016 incident in which Combs allegedly held her up on Ventura Fine's 17th-floor balcony and balanced her on the railing, making her think that she might fall.
The event was first described in Ventura Fine's 2023 lawsuit, and Bongolan filed her own suit seeking $10 million in damages from Combs a year later.
Who is Bryana 'Bana' Bongolan?
Bongolan told the court she'd first met Ventura Fine in the mid-2010s while working at a streetwear company called Diamond Supply Company, where the latter had been tapped to design a clothing line.
She didn't meet Combs until about a year into their friendship, Bongolan said, but she knew she "wasn't fond of what I was seeing" in his relationship with Ventura Fine. She didn't really want to meet him, she testified.
Bongolan also said that during a FaceTime before "The Perfect Match" premiere, she witnessed the black eye Ventura Fine allegedly suffered from Combs assaulting her in the hallway of the InterContinental Hotel in May 2016.
"I was pretty quiet. I remember saying, 'I'm sorry.' She was also pretty quiet," Bongolan testified.
Federal prosecutors claim Combs led a "criminal enterprise" that operated on sex trafficking, kidnapping, drug offenses and forced labor, among other crimes. Combs leveraged his wealth and celebrity status to "fulfill his sexual desires" in a "recurrent and widely known" pattern of abuse, investigators allege.
He faces two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Contributing: Patrick Ryan and Gina Barton, USA TODAY
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
2 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
Suspect fatally shot by a security guard after Michigan church shooting, authorities say
DETROIT — One person was killed and another was injured in a shooting at a suburban Detroit church on June 22, authorities said. The City of Wayne Police Department said in a Facebook post that a shooting took place at CrossPointe Community Church at about 11 a.m. on June 22 and that responding officers determined that a security guard for the church shot and killed the suspect. "One victim was shot in the leg. Please avoid the area. Officers are still actively investigating," the post added. The police department described the suspect as a "31-year-old white male" in an email to USA TODAY. Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ reported that the suspect was on his way to the church when another person tried to stop him with their truck. When he opened fire on the truck, the security guard intervened, according to the station. FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said in a post on X that the bureau has sent leadership and support teams to Wayne. US attack on Iran fallout: US warns of 'heightened threat environment' after strikes on Iran nukes Brendan Henzel, 21, said he was attending services at the church when the shooting occurred. He said the shooter shot the security guard in the knee before the guard killed him, and the guard was rushed to the hospital. "I was confused what was going on," Henzel said to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, while he stood near the church in the hours after the shooting took place. "I heard 'Boom, boom, pow' and next thing I knew I was running." A livestream of the church service, which appears to have been taken down from the church's website but was captured by news outlets, shows parishioners, many of them children, sitting in the pews when the reported shooting takes place. Attendees are then seen ducking under their chairs or running away. A woman at one point yells: "Everybody to the back. Please, everybody, come to the back." The church was cordoned off with police tape Sunday afternoon, as police from various agencies investigated.
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
Man arrested after shooting death at Utah 'No Kings' protest released from jail
A man accused of wielding a rifle at a "No Kings" protest in Salt Lake City before an armed safety volunteer opened fire and accidentally killed a protester has been released from jail, court records show. Utah Third District Judge James Blanch signed an order to release Arturo Gamboa on June 20 after state prosecutors were "unable to make an informed decision" on charges against him before his scheduled release date on June 23, according to court records obtained by USA TODAY. Gamboa, 24, had been arrested on suspicion of murder following a "No Kings" demonstration and march in downtown Salt Lake City on June 14. As prosecutors review evidence as it becomes available, the order states that Gamboa was released under stipulated conditions agreed upon through his attorney. Under those conditions, Gamboa must maintain residence with his father, not possess any firearms, and hand over his passport to his attorney. His release came after Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill requested and received a three-day extension to keep Gamboa in custody, The Salt Lake Tribune and reported. The extension would have detained Gamboa until June 23, but Gill later said his office was unable to decide Gamboa's culpability in the shooting, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. Gamboa was taken into custody after he pulled out a rifle at demonstrators and allegedly moved toward the crowd while holding the weapon in a firing position, Salt Lake City police said. An armed safety volunteer, who police described as a member of the peacekeeping team for the protest, then fired three shots. Juneteenth celebrations shootings: 2 dead, 16 injured after shootings in South Carolina, Oklahoma Gamboa was wounded in the shooting while a nearby demonstrator, identified as fashion designer Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, was killed, according to police. Prosecutors and police said the incident remains under investigation. Police have asked the public to contact authorities with any information related to the shooting as investigators work to "understand the full scope of what occurred." "We are asking for the public's help. If you captured any footage, particularly from the moments immediately before, during, or after the shooting, or if you have video of the shooting itself, or the person arrested, please share that evidence with us," the Salt Lake City Police Department said in a news release. "Even small details may prove vital to this investigation." What happened during the shooting at Utah's 'No Kings' rally? Shortly before 8 p.m. local time, officers reported hearing gunfire at the demonstration, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Police reported that three shots were fired, and a man, who was later identified as Ah Loo, was fatally struck by a round. Officers immediately responded to the scene and were informed that a man wearing a black mask and all black clothing was seen running away, the affidavit states. Officers then discovered the man, who was identified as Gamboa, with a minor gunshot wound, crouched down among a small group of people. Officers discovered that Gamboa had an AR-15 style rifle, a gas mask, additional black clothing, and a backpack, according to the affidavit. Other officers in the area found two men wearing yellow high-visibility vests with handguns in their possession. Police described the two men as members of a "peacekeeping group assigned to assist the planned protest/rally in ensuring everyone's safety," the affidavit states. One of the "peacekeepers" told officers that he saw Gamboa move away from the main crowd to a secluded area behind a wall. Iran strikes: Protests erupt calling for Trump, U.S. to stay out of war in Middle East "The peacekeepers found this behavior to be suspicious and kept (Gamboa) in view," according to the affidavit. "One of the peacekeepers observed (Gamboa) remove an AR-15 style rifle from a backpack he was carrying. He observed (Gamboa) begin to manipulate the rifle and they called out to him to the drop the gun after drawing their own firearms." Gamboa then allegedly lifted the rifle, and witnesses described seeing him begin to run toward the large crowd of demonstrators while holding the weapon in a firing position, the affidavit states. One of the "peacekeepers" fired three rounds, striking Gamboa and Ah Loo. "Detectives have not been able to determine, at this time, why Gamboa pulled out his rifle and began to manipulate it or why he ran from the peacekeepers when they confronted him," police said in a news release after the incident. "Detectives have developed probable cause that Gamboa acted under circumstances that showed a depraved indifference to human life, knowingly engaged in conduct that created a grave risk of death and ultimately caused the death of an innocent community member." There are no regulations for how guns are carried in public in Utah, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a gun control group. And police have not identified the two "peacekeepers" involved in the incident. Shooting occurred during widespread 'No Kings' protests on June 14 "No Kings" demonstrations across the United States drew large crowds on June 14. The protests were held in opposition to President Donald Trump's policies and coincided with the controversial parade for the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary in Washington, D.C. While the demonstrations were mostly calm and peaceful, some protests were met with violence. The Salt Lake City shooting occurred as thousands of protesters gathered in the city's downtown area. Police initially said the protest drew about 10,000 people, but later updated the estimated attendance to 18,000. In Virginia, a man intentionally drove an SUV through a crowd of departing protesters, striking at least one person, police said. A California man was arrested after allegedly threatening to commit a shooting at the Palm Springs "No Kings" rally, police said on social media. Police in Los Angeles hit protesters with batons, fired tear gas, and ordered a large crowd in downtown to disperse. At the time, police said they were responding to people throwing "rocks, bricks, bottles," and "fireworks." Two people were charged on June 18 after a woman was critically injured when an SUV sped into a crowd of demonstrators in downtown Riverside in Southern California, according to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office and the Victorville Daily Press, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Sarah D. Wire, Jeanine Santucci, and Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY
USA Today
13 hours ago
- USA Today
Ezra Miller has 'a lot of remorse' for past controversies, talks Hollywood comeback
After a shaky time in the spotlight, Ezra Miller isn't ready to sprint back to Hollywood. "The Flash" star, whose Hollywood ascent was derailed amid mounting legal issues, addressed their past controversies and future in the entertainment industry in an interview with Lo Speciale Giornale published June 19. Miller, 32, spoke to the Italian outlet shortly after attending the Cannes Film Festival in May for their first major red-carpet appearance since falling from grace. Miller said they appeared at the renowned film festival at the request of their friend, "Die My Love" director Lynne Ramsay, adding that their relationship with the movie industry is on "tentative grounds." "If you've been in the woods for three years, I do not recommend going straight to Cannes, where every photographer and every weirdo, every rich genocidal freak (will) be there, you know what I mean?" Miller said. "It's not an easy reentry." 10 bingeable memoirs to check out: Celebrities tell all about aging, marriage and Beyoncé Miller broke out on the big screen in 2012 with a role in the coming-of-age drama "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," later playing Credence Barebone in the Harry Potter "Fantastic Beasts" franchise (2016-2022) and superhero speedster Barry Allen in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016) and "Justice League" (2017). But in 2022, a series of highly publicized scandals cast a shadow on Miller's rising star. The actor was arrested in Hawaii on a charge of disorderly conduct in March, followed by an arrest on suspicion of assault in April. A few months later, Miller was accused of grooming an 18-year-old activist by the teen's parents and also charged with felony burglary in a separate incident in Vermont (Miller pleaded not guilty). "Not that I don't hold a lot of remorse and lamentation for a lot of things that I did and for a lot of things that happened in that time, but I'm really, really grateful for the lessons that came with that abyss," Miller reflected. Ezra Miller's past legal troubles: What to know about actor's controversies In an August 2022 statement to USA TODAY, Miller said they were undergoing treatment for "complex mental health issues" following the string of criminal and abuse allegations brought against them: "I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life." "When we go through those crucibles, if we can survive, which was up in the air for me if I'm being real, we then have that capacity to see other people in their crucibles and just to reach towards them," Miller told Lo Speciale Giornale. "That grows more and more rarefied in our world, too. Like, the capacity to do that, the desire to do that, the willingness to do that." "The Flash" premiered in June 2023 and despite earning mixed reviews from critics, the DC superhero flick grossed $271.4 million worldwide. While Miller hasn't appeared in a major project since the film's release, the actor said they've been "writing a lot," including working with Ramsay on a movie that will "likely" be their first new release. Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
