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- [00:02]
Kayla Brantley
Seriously popular. The following episode explores a number of allegations regarding the artist Diddy. He denies all charges and has pled not guilty to sex trafficking, racketeering and.
- [00:12]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Transportation to engage in prostitution.
- [00:14]
Kayla Brantley
Welcome to the trial of Diddy. I'm Kayla Brantley.
- [00:17]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
And I'm Hermania Rodriguez Poleo.
- [00:19]
Kayla Brantley
We'll be back in a second.
- [00:31]
Emily Ann Johnson
The biggest secret in the entertainment industry that really wasn't a secret at all.
- [00:36]
Cassie Ventura
At the height of his career, Sean Diddy Combs had it all.
- [00:40]
Kayla Brantley
Everything Diddy touched turned to gold.
- [00:43]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Now he faces multiple federal charges in New York including sex trafficking and allegedly running a criminal enterprise.
- [00:51]
Cassie Ventura
Another woman has now come forward alleging.
- [00:53]
Tenny Garagos
Comes of sexual assault music mogul and.
- [00:55]
Sean Combs
Rapper Sean Diddy Cohen.
- [00:57]
Emily Ann Johnson
She claims she was drugged and sexually.
- [00:58]
Sean Combs
Assaulted by Comb realizing, oh, this guy is dangerous.
- [01:02]
Kayla Brantley
From freak offs to the mysterious list. The shocking case that has gripped the world is finally here and we'll be bringing you every detail as it happens.
- [01:12]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Welcome to the trial of Diddy.
- [01:18]
Kayla Brantley
So yesterday was a very dramatic day. The trial got underway with both the lead prosecutor for the government and Diddy's defense lawyer opening their cases. In front of the jury was we heard for the first time the government's shocking case against Diddy. How he's accused of forcing women to take part in a drug fueled freak off sex party. How he ran a criminal enterprise moving women and male escorts around the US and around the world. How he used violence and beat up women that refused to take part and got his bodyguards and staff to cover up his crimes. We also learned how he'll admit to being a domestic abuser, a sexual deviant, a drug user and a jealous lover. But that did not make him guilty of racketeering or sex trafficking. We'll be hearing more about the opening statements from the prosecution and the defense as the jury heard them later in the episode. As we have all the testimony from the first witnesses called to give evidence. But before we get into that, we should start with Cassie Ventura. She's the prosecution's star witness. As we know, she dated Diddy for 10 years and really was the catalyst to this whole case. And she took the stand today.
- [02:22]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Before she took the stand, Diddy's lawyers asked a judge to ban Cassie's husband Alex Fine from the courtroom while she testified because they said they may want to call him up as a witness later in the trial. But she began giving her evidence around 11am Eastern Time. She's heavily pregnant and was wearing a brown turtleneck. She said she was 21 when she and Diddy, who is 17 years older than her got together. But she said they'd known each other platonically for a while beforehand because she'd been signed to his label. She said they first kissed during her 21st birthday party trip to Las Vegas and they later had sex during a trip to Miami. She said she was young and quickly fell in love with him. She said it was her first adult relationship and she was drawn by his lifestyle. She said she was impressed how he commanded respect and had assistance at his beck and call. Her words have been voiced by an actor.
- [03:13]
Cassie Ventura
We had fun. It was my first adult relationship, or I thought it was. It was so different than anything. As you can imagine, his lifestyle was much different than mine.
- [03:25]
Kayla Brantley
But she told the jury that soon the relationship turned abusive and very controlling. She said he controlled her career, the way she dressed, everything she did. She said the freak offs began when she was only 22.
- [03:37]
Cassie Ventura
I just remember my stomach falling into my butt. Just the nervousness and confusion in that moment.
- [03:44]
Kayla Brantley
But Cassie says she agreed because she loved him very much and couldn't feel like she could say no. She said the freak offs took up to 72 hours of her week, with the longest one ever lasting for four days. And at this point she got quite emotional, pausing to wipe her eyes and place her hands on her belly.
- [04:02]
Cassie Ventura
The freak offs became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and try to feel normal again. Staying up for days on end, taking drugs and other substances, drinking, having sex with a stranger for days.
- [04:25]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
She said that he chorused her to take part with violence and the threat of releasing videos of the sex parties on the Internet. She said she only had to look at him with the quote, wrong face, face. And she would get hit.
- [04:38]
Cassie Ventura
He would bash me on my head, knock me over, drag me, kick me, stomp me in the head. If I was down, I'd get knots in my forehead, busted lips, swollen lip, swollen eyes, whites of eyes would be red, bruises all over my body.
- [04:57]
Kayla Brantley
Throughout her testimony, Cassie referred to Diddy as Sean. She and Diddy didn't look at each other at all during her testimony and instead he passed notes to his attorneys and whispered to them as she spoke. It's also worth noting that Diddy's 18 year old twin daughters were seen walking into court and were likely there during this disturbing testimony. We'll be bringing you Cassie's testimony verbatim in our episode on Friday. Now let's take a quick break. So let's rewind a bit now and go back to what exactly the Jury heard late yesterday and early today. We're going to start with one of the other witnesses the jury heard from. That's a male stripper, and his name is Daniel Phillip. He said he first met Cassie and Diddy when he was asked to go perform for a group of women celebrating a bachelorette party at the Gramercy Hotel in downtown Manhattan back in 2012.
- [06:00]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Now, we should warn you, his testimony was pretty graphic. He said he had never been paid for sex before, but when he arrived, there was no party. Only Cassie and Diddy were in the room, and the meeting soon turned intimate. Here's the exchange between prosecutor Maureen Comey and Mr. Philip. Their words have been voiced by an actor.
- [06:20]
Sean Combs
What happened when you arrived at the Gramercy Park Hotel?
- [06:23]
Daniel Phillip
When I arrived, Cassie opened the door and she asked me if I was okay, if it was just going to be us, because I was expecting to see a group of women there, but there was only her scanning the door. And she asked me to come into the room. We were standing in, like, a foyer. And she basically said it was her birthday and that her husband wanted to do something special for her. And so she asked me if I would mind rubbing baby oil on her and giving her a massage and, you know, wherever things went from there, if it went, if, you know, based on how comfortable I was.
- [07:00]
Kayla Brantley
He said she was dressed in just her lingerie, a pair of high heels and a red wig, and he thought she was the most beautiful woman she'd ever, ever seen. She immediately gave him several thousand dollars and ushered him into the living room of the hotel suite where he said he noticed a man was sitting. The man was wearing a bandana over his nose and mouth and a baseball cap. He said he couldn't see the man's face, but as soon as he spoke, he recognized his voice as that of Sean Combs. Here's Comey again.
- [07:27]
Sean Combs
After you had that brief conversation with him, what did you and Ms. Ventura do?
- [07:31]
Daniel Phillip
We ended up having sex.
- [07:33]
Sean Combs
Before you and Ms. Ventura had intercourse, what, if anything, did you rub on each other?
- [07:38]
Daniel Phillip
Baby oil.
- [07:39]
Sean Combs
For about how long did that last?
- [07:41]
Daniel Phillip
Couple minutes.
- [07:42]
Sean Combs
And then what happened?
- [07:43]
Daniel Phillip
And then I ended up having sex with her.
- [07:45]
Sean Combs
What was Mr. Combs doing while you and Ms. Ventura rubbed baby oil on each other?
- [07:50]
Daniel Phillip
He was sitting in the corner, masturbating, watching us.
- [07:53]
Sean Combs
After you finished having sex with Ms. Ventura, but before you left that hotel room, what, if anything, did she or Mr. Combs give you?
- [08:00]
Daniel Phillip
Cassie gave me more money. I think it was a couple thousand dollars more.
- [08:04]
Kayla Brantley
He said the Sex was over quite quickly, and he left in shock. But soon afterwards, he received a text from Cassie asking him to send a picture of his private parts and to go back to see them again. He and Cassie had sex again, but this time the session lasted for several hours. After that, he said Diddy paid him several times to take part in orchestrated sex sessions with Cassie while he watched. The sessions took place in several different hotels across New York and at Diddy and Cassie's private residences. Philip said sometimes when he turned up, there would be dirty towels and empty bottles of baby oil littered around the room, and it appeared like another man had been there before him. He told the jury Diddy was in charge during the sessions.
- [08:45]
Sean Combs
Across all of these encounters, after the first one, who, if anyone, gave directions about how to engage in sexual activity?
- [08:51]
Daniel Phillip
Sean Combs did.
- [08:52]
Sean Combs
What are some of the directions you remember Mr. Combs giving to you and Ms. Ventura?
- [08:56]
Daniel Phillip
He would tell us things like, slow down. You know, y' all stop now. Separate from each other. It's getting too much now. It's getting too hot, y' all, you know. One time he had us try to roleplay like we had just met at an airport.
- [09:10]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
He described various sex moves that he and Cassie performed together in graphic detail. He said he and Diddy would take turns having sex with Cassie for up to 10 hours at a time, while often with no protection. He said on at least two occasions the rapper filmed the sessions. Diddy also allegedly gave him ecstasy, but he said he didn't like it because it turned him into a, quote, jackass. He told a jury that one time after taking the drug, he stumbled out of the hotel and into Times Square, where He handed out $100 bills to strangers. He told a jury that Diddy paid him between $706,000 to have sex with Cassie. But there were also times when he did it for nothing.
- [09:50]
Daniel Phillip
In my head, I was just excited that I was in his world and, you know, happy to. To be involved with people with such notoriety. I didn't care if I got paid one way or another. I never asked him for a single dollar. They gave that to me every time that I went to see them.
- [10:06]
Kayla Brantley
He told the jury he witnessed Diddy attacking Cassie and soon afterwards stopped being invited to the sex parties because he was unable to perform or get sexually aroused. In fact, he recounted a time when he saw Diddy drag Cassie by the into the bedroom of a hotel suite, which left him shocked for hers and his safety.
- [10:24]
Daniel Phillip
She was screaming.
- [10:25]
Sean Combs
What did you hear her saying?
- [10:27]
Daniel Phillip
I'm sorry. I'M sorry. And then he. Mr. Combs was basically saying, when I tell you to come here, you come now, not later.
- [10:35]
Sean Combs
How did you react to this violence?
- [10:37]
Daniel Phillip
I was shocked. I came out of nowhere. I was terrified. I didn't know what the. What to do. I didn't know what to do.
- [10:45]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Did you intervene?
- [10:46]
Daniel Phillip
No.
- [10:46]
Sean Combs
Why not?
- [10:47]
Daniel Phillip
Because I knew that the chances that there were four or five big bodyguards in another room.
- [10:52]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
He said Diddy had previously taken a picture of his driver's license as insurance and he feared he may be attacked himself or worse if he went to help her.
- [11:02]
Sean Combs
Can you explain to the jury why you didn't intervene when you heard Cassie crying and what sounded like smacks?
- [11:06]
Daniel Phillip
I didn't know what to do. I was shocked. I. In my mind it was going through my head that if I tried to do something, I might lose my life.
- [11:16]
Sean Combs
And why didn't you call the police and report what you saw again without speculating?
- [11:20]
Daniel Phillip
I'm not. I'm not speculating. I'm just telling you what was in my mind and my. What I was feeling at the time. My thoughts were that this was someone with unlimited power. And chances are that even if I did go to the police, that I might still end up losing my life.
- [11:35]
Kayla Brantley
Diddy's lawyer, Xavier Donaldson, suggested to Mr. Phillip that he hadn't been sent by his company to perform at the bachelorette party that night, and in fact, Cassie had called him personally to go to the hotel. He said she told him it was her birthday and her husband wanted to give her something special. But Mr. Philip denied this was the case.
- [11:54]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Mr. Donaldson also questioned why his testimony was different from the one he gave to police when he reported the incident back in December 2023. In that statement, Mr. Donaldson said Mr. Philip told officers that he'd been asked to go to the hotel in the middle of the night by a female client who told him to ask for a Mr. Black at reception. But Mr. Phillip insisted the officers must have misunderstood his account or noted it down incorrectly. We'll be right back with more after this quick break.
- [12:39]
Kayla Brantley
So before the break, we brought you testimony from one of the first witnesses to take the stand. But we also wanted to walk you through in a bit more detail exactly what the jury heard in the opening statements on Monday made by the main prosecutor. That's Emily Ann Johnson and Diddy's main defense lawyer, Tenny Garagos. Some of the language and the wording they used was very powerful. So we wanted to bring it to you exactly as the jury heard it. In court on Monday, Ms. Johnson began her address by talking to them about the man on trial and the shocking crimes he's been accused of. Remember, these are various serious felonies. And if found guilty, Diddy could face life in prison. He denies all the charges. We've had Ms. Johnson's words voiced by an actor.
- [13:24]
Tenny Garagos
This is Sean Combs. To the public, he was Puff Daddy or Diddy. A cultural icon, a businessman larger than life. But there was another side to him, a side that ran a criminal enterprise. He didn't do it alone. He had an inner circle of bodyguards and high ranking employees who helped him commit crimes and helped him cover them up. Kidnapping, arson, drugs, sex crimes, bribery and obstruction. These are just some of the crimes that the defendant and his inner circle committed. Again and again for 20 years, the defendant, with the help of his trusted inner circle, committed crime after crime. That's why we are here today.
- [14:08]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
That's what this case is about, she told a jury. Diddy called himself the King and relied on his bodyguards, chiefs of staff, and other high ranking employees closest to him to run all aspects of his life together. She said they created an empire that promoted his power, guarded his reputation, and worked to get him everything he wanted.
- [14:30]
Tenny Garagos
For years, the defendant used his inner circle and his company's resources to sexually exploit multiple women, including women he forced and manipulated into having sex with male escorts, men who the defendant paid to have sex with women while he watched. No matter what, the defendant and his inner circle made sure he got everything he wanted. Many times that involved committing crimes together and then covering up those crimes, she said.
- [14:58]
Kayla Brantley
The jury will hear that Diddy and his entourage were involved in kidnapping and violence. One time they set a man's car on fire, the prosecutor said, and another, they dangled a woman out of a window. This inner circle allegedly helped him source drugs, move women and escorts over state lines and even out of the country for those secret sex sessions that he called freak offs.
- [15:19]
Tenny Garagos
Week after week, the defendant directed freak offs in hotels across the country and sometimes out of the country. At times, the defendant had escorts, and the women travel from out of state. So the defendant's staff sometimes organized flights, cars and hotels. The defendant's businesses paid those expenses.
- [15:37]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Ms. Johnson said that as well as hearing from Cassie, the jury would hear from two other women. Jane, another of Diddy's ex girlfriends, and a woman called Mia who worked as his personal assistant. Both of them are anonymous and cannot be named, she said. It is alleged that Diddy beat up Jane not even a year ago. Today, she Said she described the attack as the worst day of her life.
- [16:01]
Tenny Garagos
The defendant came to Jane's house for an at home date night. She and the defendant argued about another woman that the defendant had been seeing. Jane was upset and jealous. She had now spent years in hotel rooms for forced sex. While the defendant took his other girlfriends for dates and trips, Jane hit the defendant and threw things at him. The defendant became enraged, so Jane tried to get away from him and hide. She ran to her bedroom and locked the door. He kicked it open. She ran to her bathroom and locked the door. He kicked it open. She ran to her closet and locked the door. He kicked it open. She ran to the guest bedroom and locked the door. He kicked it open. She tried to run out the front door, but he grabbed her in a chokehold with lifted her off the ground by her neck and kicked her to the ground.
- [16:48]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Ms. Johnson said. Later that night, the couple fought again.
- [16:52]
Tenny Garagos
And just as he had with Cassie, the defendant viciously attacked Jane. He punched her in the face, kicked her while she was curled up in a ball on the ground, dragged her by her hair and her arm and slapped Jane's face so hard she fell over. When all of this was over, the defendant still did not let Jane be. Instead, he told Jane, you're not going to fuck up my night. The defendant instructed her to put on an outfit and call up an escort for a freak off. He made Jane cover her black eye and bruising, take an ecstasy pill and perform for the defendant with that escort.
- [17:29]
Kayla Brantley
Johnson also explained in a bit more detail the exact charges that Diddy is facing. And I think it's worth noting for our American listeners that they may know the legal terminology. But in case our British listeners are unsure, Johnson said that he has been charged with racketeering, hearing conspiracy, which essentially is an agreement to commit crime as part of an enterprise. In this case, she said the enterprise was allegedly Diddy's inner circle, his bodyguards, his chiefs of staff and his most trusted lieutenants. She said some of these people came and went over the 20 years, but he was the consistent presence, the man at the top who was running the operation and orchestrating the alleged crimes. Together, this group allegedly agreed to carry out kidnappings, commit bribery and arson. She said they helped Diddy distribute drugs, exploit staff such as MIA traffic and transport women and men for prostitution. Now, she also said there are two specific counts of sex trafficking related to Cassie and Jane, who are allegedly forced to have sex with male escorts under threat of violence. Finally, she said Diddy is charged with two counts of transporting Cassie and Jane plus the male escorts across state lines for prostitution.
- [18:36]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
She said as well as hearing from Cassie, Jane and Mia would be called to give evidence and their testimony would prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Diddy was guilty. She said Mia will say he forced himself on her sexually and assaulted her while other staff members, including his chefs and personal assistants will describe how they were threatened with guns or ordered to buy him drugs or work punishing hours at times without any sleep.
- [19:01]
Tenny Garagos
They will tell you how they used all the resources at their disposal to make sure the defendant always had everything he desired. How they were expected to keep quiet about what they saw and and what they heard in the defendants homes.
- [19:13]
Kayla Brantley
She said the jury would also see dozens of texts and graphic footage of the freak offs which could be uncomfortable to watch. She said they would hear Diddy directing the girls performances, see footage of him beating up Cassie and photographs of the damage allegedly caused by him to Jane's home. She also said they will play a bombshell phone call that he made to Jane after Cassie filed her multimillion dollar lawsuit against him.
- [19:36]
Tenny Garagos
You will hear him try to manipulate Jane into saying she wanted to have freak offs. You will hear him interrupt Jane when she pushes back. You will hear the defendant's thinly veiled references to continuing to pay for Jane's home in exchange for her silence. And you will see the text messages the defendant sent to his chief of staff right after talking to Jane to make sure that Jane's rent would still be paid on time.
- [19:58]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Ms. Johnson said the evidence would come in piece by piece, but by the end of the trial they would understand the full picture. And she summed up the case against Diddy by saying, you will see how.
- [20:09]
Tenny Garagos
It proves that the defendant led and controlled an enterprise that enabled him and others working for him to commit many crimes. How it proves that he forced and coerced Cassie and Jane into sex with male escorts, including by having them travel to other states and countries so those sex acts could happen. And you will see how all of these crimes and the empire the defendant controlled were designed to fulfill his sexual design desires, to protect his representation and to keep his power.
- [20:38]
Kayla Brantley
So that's the case for the prosecution. But Diddy's defense lawyer, Tenny Garagos, also got the chance to bite back on Monday and lay out just why they say the government has got it all wrong and Diddy won't be found guilty of any of the charges laid against him. Again, we've had her words voiced by an actor.
- [20:54]
Emily Ann Johnson
Sean Combs is a complicated Man. But this is not a complicated case. This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money. This case is about voluntary adult choices made by capable adults and consensual relationships. This case is about those real life relationships, and the government is trying to turn those relationships into a racketeering case, a prostitution case, and a sex trafficking case. It will not work.
- [21:23]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
She told a jury the story of Sean Combs life was a fascinating rags to riches tail. She said he was an engaging individual and people wanted to be around him and work for him because they realized that to do so meant they could be part of something special.
- [21:38]
Emily Ann Johnson
You will hear that he is a wealthy individual, but know that the evidence will show that nobody gave him this money, he worked for it and no one gave him a dime. It will show that he made every single dollar, recreated a culture and produced music that I believe you will hear will change the generation.
- [21:56]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
She said her witnesses would tell the jury that they were not part of any criminal enterprise and that this case is all about the private and very personal life of her client.
- [22:05]
Emily Ann Johnson
The government has no place here in this man's private bedrooms. The government can say over and over again that this is not about his private sex life, but the evidence will show you that it is.
- [22:16]
Kayla Brantley
She said they would learn he has a bad temper, that he gets jealous and lies to his girlfriends. She said they would hear that he was sometimes violent and beat up those girlfriends.
- [22:25]
Emily Ann Johnson
But she said domestic violence is not sex trafficking. I want to say it again. Domestic violence is not sex trafficking. Domestic violence is a very serious matter. It is a bad, illegal problem and it is something that the law addresses. We take full responsibility that there was domestic violence in this case. He will be accountable for the things that he did, but we will fight for his freedom throughout the next eight weeks for what he did not do.
- [22:52]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
She said he was physical. He used drugs and had a bit of a different sex life. But she insisted jealousy, alcohol or drugs were at the heart of his problems and typically the root cause of the fighting that took place between himself and both Cassie and Jane.
- [23:07]
Emily Ann Johnson
You will see that these women are strong, capable, and they were in love with him. You will see that breaches of trust, infidelity and jealousy are what drove the domestic violence. You will hear about. You will see that alcohol and drugs played a major role in his temper. The evidence is going to show you a very flawed individual, but it will not show you a racketeer, a sex trafficker, or somebody transporting for prostitution. You might hear about his kinky sex or his preferences for sex that may make you uncomfortable and may not be what you like to do in your bedroom. But you are not here to judge him for his sexual preferences. You are not here to judge him for all purposes. You are here to evaluate whether the government can prove beyond a reasonable doubt what they actually charged him with.
- [23:54]
Kayla Brantley
She said that despite the violence, the jury will hear that both women stayed with him. Other witnesses also failed to go to the police. And she suggested this was because they were motivated by money, millions of dollars of money.
- [24:07]
Emily Ann Johnson
From nearly every witness that you hear from, they will tell you that instead of going to law enforcement after either their employment ended for the alleged victims, they went to a civil lawyer for a money grab. They will claim that they were so afraid of this man that they could of course not go to the police because he was so powerful. But they were not so afraid that they could not go to civil lawyers to make money demands against him. Demands for unbelievable amounts of money, more than any of us have ever made.
- [24:43]
Hermania Rodriguez Poleo
Whoa. This trial is already heating up and it's only day two. The opening statements and the testimony from Mr. Philip were absolutely shocking and it's far from over.
- [24:53]
Kayla Brantley
I want to reiterate that Diddy has denied all charges. Be sure to tune in this Friday to hear word for, for word coverage on Cassie's long awaited testimony and much more.