P Diddy trial live updates: Jurors shown videos of 'freak offs,' agent winces on the stand
This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing. Prosecutors inSean "Diddy" Combs'criminal trialare pulling back the curtain on the music mogul's alleged sex-trafficking enterprise thanks to unearthed personal messages and revealing testimony from Combs' former staffers. Video footage of Combs attacking his former girlfriend,Cassie Ventura Fine, at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 once again took center stage in his sex-crimes case. Jurors have already seen footage of the assault, but on June 17 they saw messages from Combs, Ventura Fine, Combs' former chief of staffKristina "KK" Khorram, and his bodyguard known as D-Roc after the rapper was seen kicking and dragging his girlfriend in a hotel hallway. In one message, Combs falsely told Ventura Fine he was "about to be arrested" as he pleaded with her to come back to the hotel. Ventura Fine stayed away − but she did tell her then-boyfriend that a male escort they allegedly hired for a "freak off" had also left the property. That wasn't the only time "freak offs" came up in testimony: Jurors watched roughly 20 minutes of what appeared to bevideo footage created between 2012 and 2014of the elaborate sexual performances. U.S. attorneys plan on calling two to three more witnesses before resting their case. One of them includesCombs' former assistantBrendan Paul. Combs, 55, wasarrested in Septemberand charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He haspleaded not guilty. Paul, Combs' former assistant, is expected to take the stand late in the afternoon on June 17 or early June 18. But what will he tell jurors about his former boss. Paul, a former Syracuse University basketball player, is expected to testify aboutobtaining drugs for Combsand his entourage. The former aide and his lawyer spoke with USA TODAY's Josh Meyer at the Manhattan courthouse, dressed in a jacket and tie. He wouldn't testify until 2:30 ET at the earliest. Paul was previously accused of transporting a wide array of drugs forCombs,including GHB, the common date-rape drug allegedly used against his victims. He wasarrested at a Miami airportlast year for transporting cocaine and marijuana candy. However, the charges weredropped late last year.He was granted an immunity order in Combs' case, requiring him to tell the truth to prosecutors to shield himself from further prosecution. Before lunch, jurors were shown roughly 20 minutes of what appeared to bevideo footage of "freak offs,"created between 2012 and 2014. The videos were shown in three to four minute increments. Jurors were all wearing earphones, and the monitors that had been used during testimony were cut off to the courtroom gallery. At one point, the courtroom gallery could hear the faint sound of heavy breathing, and the judge reminded jurors to make sure that their headphones were fully on because the microphone feed appeared to be picking up the video. Throughout the roughly 20 minutes of videos,special agent DeLeassa Penlandlooked uncomfortable on the stand and at one point appeared to close her eyes and wince. When she returned to the stand on June 17, Penland went over details of evidence fromalleged "freak offs"in New York and Los Angeles between Combs,Ventura Fineand others. For example, Penland, a special agent with the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of New York, provided three American Express statements of as much as $944,059 from Combs. The documents included a $4,000 a day hotel suite and $46,786 in damages to the penthouse of the Intercontinental New York in Times Square on Oct. 5, 2012. Multiple witnesses have alleged that Combs held "freak offs," or elaborate sexual performances that involved male escorts,at the hotel. Damages were often extensive from the use ofbaby oil, candle wax and more. Penland provided more detail about the roles thatKhorramand bodyguardDamion "D-Roc" Butlerplayed in the much-discussed 2016 incident where Combs physically assaulted Ventura Fine at a now-closed luxury hotel in Los Angeles. The evidence showed Khorram and Butler wereintimately involved in responding to the incident, and Khorram spoke to the hotel security in an effort toobtain video footageof the assault. For example, Krorram texted Combs' former assistant Elie Maroun, "I'm going to ask just to cover damages" after the rapper checked out of the hotel room. "He wants to speak to Spanish security guard," Maroun said. "Say they had a fun drunk night to try and get more info," Khorram responded. Butler also called Ventura Fine several times after she left the hotel. The next day, he texted Combs when Ventura Fine was eating breakfast, saying "her face don't look bad. She good." As Combs' lawyers cross-examined Penland, the questioning quickly turned tense. The attorneys showed explicit text messages Ventura Fine sent to Combs about wanting toparticipate in "freak offs."Some messages between the then-couple were warm, with Ventura Fine telling Combshow much she loved him. Teny Geragos, one of Combs' defense attorneys, asked Penland why she didn't ask for complete text message exchanges between the couple while she was on the stand. The agent hit back that it wasn't her job − she was merely asked to verify the evidence that she was given while on the stand. During early court proceedings, Judge Arun Subramanian angrily responded to tabloid reports in TMZ and the Daily Mail with information about one of the jurors. "Someone is lying here," the judge said, asking if Combs' lawyers, prosecutors or others had shared any information. He specifically questioned defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo, asking him when he learned that the info had been leaked. Agnifilo said that he only knew about the story after prosecutors sent it to him. The judge said that an investigation will seek to identify the source of the leak, and criminal charges could be filed. Phone and text records showed that Combs pleaded with Ventura Fine to return to the Los Angeles area hotel wheresurveillance footage captured him attacking her in a hallway. "I went and checked everything and spoke to security. Jules left so you're good and as long as you don't disturb the other guests they'll leave you be," Ventura Fine texted him, referring to a sex worker theyhired for an alleged "freak off." "I am about to be arrested," Combs texted Ventura Fineafter she left the hotel, saying police were at the building. Records showed he called her five times in 22 minutes, but there's no evidence law enforcement was involved in the incident. "I have a premiere Monday. For the biggest thing I've ever done in my life. I have a black eye and a fat lip. It was time for me to go. You are sick for thinking it's okay to do what you've done," Ventura Fine texted him,likely referring to a premiere for the 2016 film "The Perfect Match.""Please stay far away from me." Prosecutors said that they'll rest their case by the end of court proceedings on June 18, ahead of the Juneteenth holiday the following day. But before they wrap up their arguments, prosecutors are going to call two to three more witnesses. That includesanother former Combs assistantnamed Brendan Paul. During the June 16 hearing, prosecutors showed text messages and emails from Combs about booking a flight for a man named "Jules" to travel from Los Angeles and New York in 2009.Jules was a male escortwho previous witnesses have said participated in the rapper'salleged "freak offs." Other messages between Combs and members of his teams also showed discussions about purchasing flights for the man. Diddy on trial newsletter:Step inside the courtroom as music mogul faces sex-crimes charges. You may have seenmajor celebs like Brad PittandLeonardo DiCaprionamed during Combs' trial. But the A-list actors aren't accused of anything − they've only been mentioned in the background of events Combs attended. For example, a former assistant identified as Mia alleged that she witnessed a 2012 discussion betweenCombs and Cassie Ventura Fineescalate at the premiere of aPittfilm during the Cannes Film Festival in France. She claimed she saw Combs grit his teeth while digging his nails into Ventura Fine's arm, and he eventually insisted that Ventura Fine leave. Mia also referenced a high-stakes poker game between Combs andDiCaprioin texts she sent him around 2020. In one message, she wrote that Combs said, while cursing: "That 'Titanic' (guy) doesn't know (anything). He won $10,000, I won $650,000." 50 Centis looking to givePresident Donald Trumphis two cents aboutCombs. In anInstagram post on May 30, the "In da Club" emcee said he would reach out to Trump after the president said he would "look at the facts" in Combs' case, suggesting a pardon could be on the table. The rapper shared a clip of the president's comments in his post and wrote that Combs "said some really bad things about Trump," adding that he will "reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy." Federal prosecutors on June 5 referred to Combs' former staffer Khorram as "an agent and co-conspirator" of the rapper. That doesn't mean she's about to face charges; instead, it indicates she's likely reached an agreement with prosecutors and will testify. The designation also comes as prosecutors submitted a text from Ventura Fine to Khorram aboutthe alleged 2016 balcony incidentin which Combs attacked Bryana "Bana" Bongolan. The message from Ventura Fine said Combs "went at Bana, choked her, dangled her feet off the balcony. This is crazy. I have to get away." Discover WITNESS:Access our exclusive collection of true crime stories, podcasts, videos and more Ananya Sankar, a paralegal specialist for the U.S. Attorney's Office, took the stand June 16 to go through communications from Khorram to the mogul and his ex-girlfriends. The court saw texts from Ventura Fine to Khorram, dating back to 2017 and 2018. "No one deserves to bedragged by their hair," Cassie wrote in one. In another, she said, "I can't do the violent, scary, kick-me-out-my-own-house thing anymore." There was also a 2023 text from Combs' other ex"Jane"to Khorram, in which she said, "No more hard-partying and no morehotel nights." She also said she wanted to celebrate Combs' birthday normally. Judge Arun Subramaniandismissed juror No. 6 on June 16, apparently over the juror's statements about where he lives and who he lives with at home. The move came after nearly a week of back-and-forth over whatprosecutors had describedas the man's "lack of candor" about his living situation. The juror is a41-year-old Black male, but no other details were immediately available. During jury selection, the man apparently said he lives with his partner and daughter in the Bronx. But last week, he reportedly said he's been living with his family in New Jersey. An alternate juror was subsequently promoted to take his place: a 57-year-old accountant from Westchester County,according tomultiple reports. He is a white man. Combs' lawyers have claimed the dismissal of Juror No. 6 indicates the prosecution'sracial bias. Despite videos circulating online, which appear to show artificially generated court sketches of Eddie Murphy testifying at Combs' trial, the actor hasn't been in the courtroom and isn't expected to be called as a witness. While aspecter of celebrityhangs heavy over the proceedings, many of the big names roped in have merely been name-drops from the standby lesser-known witnesses from Combs' inner circle. The only true "celebrities" to testify thus far have beenCasandra "Cassie" Ventura Fine,Kid Cudiand Danity Kane singerDawn Richard. The disgraced music mogul remains in custody, and, despite repeated attempts at bail,has remainedconfined to the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn'sMetropolitan Detention Center. He has been in jail sincehis arreston Sept. 16, 2024. Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling case that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry. He was arrested inSeptember 2024and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to the five counts against him. Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations that contribute to criminal activity. Using RICO law, which is typically aimed attargeting multi-person criminal organizations,prosecutors allegethat Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in"freak offs"— sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors allege they have video of. The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings. USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom.Sign up for our newsletterfor more updates. Contributing: USA TODAY staff If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) andHotline.RAINN.organd en EspañolRAINN.org/es. If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call theNational Domestic Violence Hotlineat 800-799-7233 or text "START" to 88788. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:P Diddy trial live updates: Jurors see freak off clips, hear breathing
P Diddy trial live updates: Jurors shown videos of 'freak offs,' agent winces on the stand This story contains graphic descriptions ...
