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The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I looked P Diddy in the eye as brave Cassie gave her stomach-churning testimony – his brutal reaction left me cold
THE trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs has transformed the US District Courthouse in Lower Manhattan into the hottest ticket in the Big Apple. Since the start of jury selection on May 5, the world's media, online influencers, and true crime podcasters have descended onto 500 Pearl Street, hiring professional line sitters and standing on the courthouse's sidewalk before sunrise. 7 7 7 I was among the more than two dozen who attended jury selection and the first week of Combs' federal trial. During day three of jury selection, I locked eyes with Combs as he entered the 26th-floor courtroom, shackleless and with his hands pressed together. In that eerie moment, as Combs scanned the gallery, it felt as if he was conducting a deep analysis of each reporter, recording a photographic snap about the individual in his brain. The spectators in the courtroom exhaled a huge sigh during the graphic testimonies from exotic dancer Daniel Phillips, who was invited into the rapper's "freak offs", and his ex, singer Cassandra " Cassie" Ventura. Combs' twin daughters, D'Lila and Jessie, were noticeably missing from the gallery after day one of their father's trial. I watched as Combs stared daggers through his ex-girlfriend, never flinching, seemingly without an ounce of remorse as Ventura wiped away tears from her eyes Israel Salas-Rodriguez Still, Combs' three sons, Justin, Quincy, and Christian, and his mother, Janice, sat through the stomach-turning testimony from Ventura, who described in great detail the hellish sex marathons she was allegedly coerced into with over a dozen male escorts. I watched as some public spectators and journalists turned their heads away in distress as Ventura told jurors about the time Combs and an escort urinated on her. Ventura's husband, Alex Fine, who the defence wanted removed from the courtroom during her testimony, fearing outbursts, bravely watched from the gallery as his wife acknowledged the photos of male escorts she had sex with. The atmosphere in the courtroom grew sorrowful as Ventura continued her testimony, recalling the weekly drug-fuelled "freak-offs" and traumatising abuse she suffered at the hands of Combs. Throughout her nearly 96 hours on the stand, Ventura never looked in the direction of Combs. Diddy 'victim went DEAF after staying awake for 5 days to meet sick demands' However, I watched as Combs stared daggers through his ex-girlfriend, never flinching, seemingly without an ounce of remorse as Ventura wiped away tears from her eyes. Each time Ventura finished her testimony, she walked past Combs, seated steps away, without ever acknowledging his presence. 7 7 At the end of each day, reporters, influencers, and podcasters race toward the building's exit, rushing to retrieve their electronic devices from court officers. As I exited the courthouse, I witnessed a sea of journalists, TikTokers, and podcasters stationed under a tree at the neighbouring Columbus Park, or any available space near the federal building, filing notes, on the phone with editors, or recording roundup videos. As the sun sets on Lower Manhattan, many continue working their way through scripts or wait for their live shots on the evening newscast - all the while the sounds of emergency sirens and irate drivers blare in the background. And in the midst of the end-of-day filing chaos, steps away, there is another group of fresh journalists and professional line sitters seated on beach chairs, inside tents, near the courthouse entrance, waiting to do it all again the next day. We are now 26 days into the star's sex-trafficking and racketeering trial that has seen bombshell testimony and a cache of shocking evidence. The case centres on the accounts of three women, the eight men and four women of the jury were told, including Casandra Ventura, while several witnesses have also been called into the dock. As the trial enters its sixth week, key pieces of evidence have come to light - among those a trove of messages from Diddy's former chief of staff, who was tasked with planning sex marathons, personal texts between Diddy and Ventura and videos from the wild sex parties. Diddy's charges explained by a lawyer Former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani explained the set of charges Diddy is facing to The U.S. Sun: "Diddy is facing three charges, or three sets of charges. "The first is racketeering, which you typically see with organized crime enterprises - so the mob, cartels, street gangs - but we're seeing it a lot more in sex trafficking cases. "And you don't need an organization like the mob, as long as it's an enterprise, which is something that consists of two or more people, and they engage in two or more RICO predicate acts, that's enough for racketeering. "Racketeering is a powerful charge because it allows the government to bring in all sorts of evidence of criminal activity, as well as all sorts of people, into that racketeering conspiracy. "And anyone who's a co-conspirator, they're on the hook for any criminal acts committed in furtherance of the conspiracy. "The most serious charge, though, is sex trafficking. "What separates sex trafficking from normal sex? Adults, of course, can consent to any type of sex, no matter how freaky it is. But sex trafficking has one of three elements: force, fraud, or coercion. "And the government is saying that Diddy used force to force these men and women to participate in these freak-offs, and he coerced them by drugging them. "The least serious charge is the prostitution, sometimes called the Man Act, and that's engaging in prostitution using some sort of interstate commerce across state lines. That obviously is unlawful. "Typically, you don't see federal cases for prostitution only, which is why it's the least serious of the crimes." Audio of a distraught Ventura threatening to kill a man over a "freak off" video was also released during the trial as part of her cross-examination by the disgraced star's lawyers. Cassie can be heard telling the unidentified man, who had claimed to have seen the video in 2014: "It's my f***ing life and I'll kill you". The audio evidence had been presented by Diddy's lawyers in an attempt to prove that Ventura had been a willing participant in the sex marathons. But she claimed that she was fearful the man would release the sex tape saying that it made her "feel sick". The trial continues, but one thing is for sure: there'll be more twists, turns and bombshells to come in the music mogul's shocking fall from grace. 7 7
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Diddy's support squad: Rapper's mother, 3 teenage daughters and a friend he fathered a love child with sat in court to hear gruesome evidence of 'vile sex act' and testimony from male escort
As the trial of Sean ' Diddy ' Combs got underway at the New York Federal Court on Monday, his mother and three teenage daughters were among the attendees who listened to a graphic account from a male escort of having sex with the rap superstar's then-girlfriend. Also in attendance to hear Daniel Phillips, 41, allege how Combs paid him up to $6,000 each time to take part in orchestrated sexual relations with R&B singer Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, was Sarah Chapman - a close friend Diddy had a baby with in 2006, while his late partner Kim Porter was pregnant with twins. Diddy would often direct their encounters, forcing them to engage in awkward 'role play' before giving Mr Phillip specific instructions on when and where to orgasm, the male escort alleged. He said Combs routinely instructed him to massage baby oil all over Cassie and have sex with her while the rapper performed a sex act on a chair in the corner. On one occasion, Combs allegedly instructed Mr Phillip to orgasm inside Cassie, with Mr Phillip mentioning that the pair rarely used condoms. The testimony was also heard by all of Combs' three sons who were in court to support their father. Indeed, the only one of his children not in attendance was, of course, Love who is just two years old, although her mother Dana Tran made a surprise appearance. The rapper is accused of abusing, threatening, and coercing women for years, including at 'freak off' orgy afterparties to his famed celebrity-filled events. If convicted, he could face life in prison on five federal charges: racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transporting individuals for prostitution. Diddy pleaded not guilty to the five-count indictment and the prosecution's case revolves around four key alleged victims of Diddy's crimes, one of them being Cassie Ventura. The trial is expected to last two months and he had a firm group of supporters who showed up in solidarity with him, including many of his family members. His mother Janice led the group arriving at the courthouse followed closely by his six eldest children, while one of his friends also attended wearing a 'Free Puff' sweater. Janice Smalls Combs Diddy's mother Janice has long been leading the group of his supporters and recently issued a passionate statement in support of her son. Janice was spotted arriving at the courthouse on Monday as the first day of testimony got underway as she continued to stand in solidarity with the musician. Diddy appeared touched by his mother's attendance as he blew her a kiss and made a heart with his hands as she led his family into the courtroom. His father Melvin Earl Combs passed away in 1972. Before the trial started, Janice issued a statement in her son's defense amid his sex trafficking indictment and more than 100 sexual misconduct allegations against him. 'I come to you today as a mother that is devastated and profoundly saddened by the allegations made against my son, Sean Combs,' Janice told in a statement through her lawyer Natlie G. Figgers in October. 'It is heartbreaking to see my son judged not for the truth, but for a narrative created out of lies. 'To bear witness what seems to be like a public lynching of my son before he has had the opportunity to prove his innocence is a pain too unbearable to put into words.' Janice conceded that Diddy had not told the truth about being violent with Cassie Ventura, as captured in a March 2016 surveillance clip filmed at a Los Angeles hotel that publicly surfaced earlier this year. She said that by rapidly settling Cassie's lawsuit suit late last year - a day after she filed it - Diddy opened himself up to litigation from others to go after him for financial gains. Diddy's children Diddy's children - sons Justin, 31, and Christian 'King' Combs, 27, and Quincy Brown, 33, and daughter Chance Combs, 19, and twins D'Lila and Jessie, 18 - all attended the courthouse. Justin, 31, showed up with his mother Misa Hylton, while Chance's mother Sarah Chapman was also spotted making an appearance at court. However, Misa previously spoke out in support of Diddy's ex Cassie Ventura, saying the video of Diddy physically assaulting her 'triggered her own trauma', stating that the rapper 'needs help'. Inside the courtroom, Diddy's spirits appeared to lift when his son, Christian 'King' Combs, pumped up his fist in his direction. One of his 18-year-old twin daughters made a heart gesture with her hands upon seeing Diddy, which he then repeated back to her. A court sketch artist also caught the moment Diddy offered a thumbs up to his family behind him. As the prosecution and their first witness laid out the allegations, Diddy's daughters took turns in leaving the courtroom. Diddy shares his eldest son Justin with fashion designer Misa, while he adopted Quincy at a young age. His mother, Diddy's model ex Kim Porter, died in 2018. Diddy also shares Christian, D'Lila and Jessie with Kim, while he shares another daughter Chance with businesswoman Sarah. He welcomed his seventh and youngest child, daughter Love Sean Combs, in October 2022 with model Dana Tran. Sarah Chapman Sarah Chapman and Diddy share a daughter Chance together, who was born in 2006 while the star was expecting twins with his girlfriend Kim Porter. The pair were friends for some time but never officially dated. Over the years, they have remained amicable while co-parenting Chance. Kim found out through a friend that Sarah was also pregnant with Diddy's baby, and later told Essence that she felt 'betrayed' that the rapper had not come clean to her himself. 'I would have preferred to find out from him because that's a man,' she said, adding that she understood that 'men do get caught up in things'. 'Most of all, we were friends. Even if I couldn't have understood it as a woman, I would have understood it as a friend,' she explained. Diddy told her about his child with Sarah after their twins were born, but the damage was done and she found it impossible to trust him. A year later she called off her relationship with Diddy for good. The pair remained close friends and co-parents up until Kim's death in 2018. Sarah was seen stepping out of the courthouse on Monday, wearing a black dress and dark shades. It is not known whether Sarah's appearance at court was a show of support for Diddy or not and she had not previously been reported to be attending. Her daughter Chance was seen arriving separately, walking hand-in-hand with her siblings D'Lila and Jessie as she showed solidarity with the family. Dana Tran Dana Tran made a surprise appearance on the first day of his sex trafficking trial. Dana, who has a two-year-old daughter with the disgraced music mogul named Love Sean, strolled into the Southern District of New York Federal Court on Monday. Diddy — who shares seven kids with four different women — announced that he had fathered his youngest child on December 10, 2022, two months after her birth. He has never confirmed having a relationship with Dana, and little is known about how they met. Dana , the daughter of Vietnam War refugees, is global manager of industrial cyber and digital security at Siemens, and a part-time model. Whether she and Diddy are still together is unclear, and she has not made any public comment on his charges. Dana was not expected to appear at Diddy's trial to support him and made no reference to it on her social media. It is not clear whether Dana's decision to attend was in support of Diddy or not. Charlucci Finney Diddy's friend, executive music producer Charlucci Finney, made quite a statement in support of the musician when he arrived at the Manhattan courthouse. He stepped out wearing a sweater which read 'Free Puff' alongside a hat which also had the words printed across it in solidarity with Diddy. Upon leaving the courthouse on Monday, Charlucci spoke to reporters and told how they had received 'a lot of information' during the first day of testimony. When asked if any of the information was 'surprising', he told Fox News 'yes and no' before discussing the impact the court case has had on Diddy's family. He said of Diddy's children having to hear the testimony about their father's sex life: 'Of course, it's a little embarrassing to hear that, you don't want to hear that about their parents, but it is what it is.' Charlucci also attended the court during the earlier juror selection and Diddy had been seen repeatedly signaling to him throughout the process. He turned around in the courtroom on multiple occasions and gestured towards Charlucci as he appeared to be expressing his views on potential jurors. Charlucci has described himself as a close friend of the hip hop mogul but little more is known about their friendship.
