The high-profile federal sex-trafficking and racketeering trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is entering its sixth week in federal court in Manhattan on Monday as the government continues presenting its case against the 55-year-old music mogul.
Combs, who was arrested in September, faces charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
Since the trial began on 12 May, more than 18 witnesses have testified before a jury of eight men and four women.
Prosecutors allege that since at least 2004, Combs ran a criminal enterprise that engaged in or attempted to engage in sex trafficking, kidnapping, forced labor, arson, bribery, enticement to engage in prostitution and obstruction of justice.
The government claims he used violence, threats, money, drugs and power to abuse and coerce women into participating in drug-fueled sex marathons with male escorts, known as “freak-offs”, and that his employees helped conceal his actions and protect his reputation.
Combs’s lawyers have acknowledged past incidents of domestic violence but deny allegations of sex trafficking or coercion, asserting that all sexual encounters were consensual and part of a “swingers lifestyle”.
The prosecution’s case has been anchored by testimony from two of Combs’s former girlfriends: singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura and a woman identified as “Jane”.
Ventura, who dated Combs on and off from 2007 to 2018, testified for four days in the first week, describing a relationship marked by physical and emotional abuse.
She said she was coerced and blackmailed into participating in the “freak-offs”, which she said Combs directed, watched, masturbated to and sometimes filmed.
She shared graphic details about the encounters, which could last days, and said she used drugs he provided to “dissociate” during the encounters and described feeling “worthless”.
Ventura said Combs controlled most aspects of her life, including her career and housing, and that he was frequently violent with her. Jurors were shown the 2016 surveillance footage of Combs attacking Ventura in a hotel hallway.
Ventura also claimed that Combs would threaten to release videos of her from the “freak-offs” and alleged he raped her after their 2018 breakup.
“Jane”, who dated Combs from 2021 until his 2024 arrest, testified in weeks four and five. Much of her testimony echoed Ventura’s, as she described frequent “freak-offs”, or “hotel nights” which she said was pressured to participate in.
Jane said she initially participated to please Combs, but later felt “obligated” to after he began paying her rent in 2023. She feared she’d lose her home, where she lived with her son, if she refused.
She said she repeatedly told Combs she no longer wanted to participate, but that he was dismissive. She also described a violent altercation between her and Combs in 2024 that left her with a black eye.
Under cross-examination, Combs’s lawyers portrayed Jane, as they did with Ventura, as a consenting participant, citing texts in which Jane seemed to speak positively about the encounters, and noted that she sometimes arranged the encounters herself. Jane testified that she did so to retain some control over who was involved.
On the stand, Jane said Combs still pays her rent and legal fees, and admitted she still loved him.
Another woman, a former personal assistant of Combs’s identified as “Mia”, testified that Combs physically and sexually assaulted her multiple times during her employment. She said she felt “trapped” and feared retaliation.
Defense attorneys suggested she fabricated the allegations, highlighting social media posts and messages from after the alleged assaults in which Mia praised Combs, calling him a “mentor” and an “inspiration”.
Rapper Scott Mescudi, known as Kid Cudi, who briefly dated Ventura in 2011, testified in week two that Combs broke into his home after discovering the relationship. Weeks later, Mescudi’s car was firebombed, which Mescudi believes was Combs – an allegation Combs and his lawyers deny.
Capricorn Clark, a former employee of Combs’s, testified that on the morning of the alleged break-in at Mescudi’s home, Combs “kidnapped” her while holding a gun and forced her to accompany him to the house. She said that Combs told her he was going “to kill” Mescudi.
Clark also said Combs threatened her, subjected her to lie detector tests, and once pushed her during her employment.
Defense attorneys disputed Clark’s kidnapping claim, noting that, over the years, Clark has returned to work for Combs multiple times.
Ventura’s mother, Regina Ventura, testified that her daughter told her in 2011 that Combs threatened to release explicit videos after discovering her relationship with Mescudi. Regina said Combs demanded $20,000, prompting her and her husband to take out a home-equity loan to pay him. She said the money was returned several days later.
Several witnesses, including singer Dawn Richard, said they witnessed controlling and violent behavior by Combs towards Ventura. A celebrity stylist testified that he heard Combs threaten to withhold Ventura’s music and release explicit videos if she defied him.
Ventura’s former best friend, Kerry Morgan, alleged Combs hit her with a hanger and choked her in 2018. Another friend, Bryana Bongolan, alleged Combs dangled her from a 17th-floor balcony in Los Angeles in September 2016.
Two former assistants described stocking Combs’s hotel rooms with baby oil, lubricant and condoms. One said he cleaned the rooms afterwards and that “protecting” Combs’s public image was “very important”. The other claimed Combs once brought three guns to a potential confrontation with a rival rap executive.
Two men who were paid to participate in the “freak-offs” also testified. Additional witnesses have included various hotel employees, law enforcement officers, homeland security agents, a psychologist, a makeup artist and other former employees of Combs.
Throughout the trial, Combs has been seen whispering to his lawyers and reacting visibly to testimony. The judge recently warned that Combs could be removed from the courtroom for looking at and “nodding vigorously” at the jury during testimony.
Defense attorneys have filed two motions for mistrial. Both were denied.
Combs’s friends, mother and several of his children have attended court regularly. Rapper Kanye West, who goes by Ye, briefly entered the courthouse on Friday to support Combs, but left after 40 minutes after he was reportedly directed to the overflow room.
Outside the courthouse, press, content creators, fans and spectators line up each day to gain entry to the courtroom. The proceedings are not televised due to federal court rules.
Prosecutors may rest their case this week, with the defense expected to begin shortly after. The trial is expected to continue for several more weeks. If convicted, Combs faces up to life in prison.
