The highly anticipated trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs is underway. Combs has been accused of sex trafficking by force, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy as part of a blockbuster federal indictment originally filed in September 2024. He later faced two additional superseding indictments. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
Combs is accused of being the ringleader of an alleged enterprise that "abused, threatened and coerced women" into prolonged, drug-fueled sexual orgies with male prostitutes, which he called "freak offs," and then threatened them into silence. Combs has said that all of the sex was consensual and that while his relationships sometimes involved domestic violence, he wasn't engaged in trafficking.
Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said Combs was simply part of the swinger lifestyle and that he "vehemently denies the accusations made by the SDNY" and "looks forward to his day in court."
May 13, 2025, 6:37 AM EDT
Cassie Ventura to testify against Combs
Cassie Ventura -- the ex-girlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs -- is expected to testify at the trial of the music mogul on Tuesday.
The trial opened on Monday in New York, with the prosecution alleging in its opening arguments that Combs “used lies, drugs, threats and violence to threaten and coerce first Cassie” and then another unnamed person “to have sex with him in front of male escorts.”
During its opening statements, the defense insisted that Ventura and the other alleged victim are both “capable, strong” women who chose to remain with Combs.
Ventura was “not coerced to engage in this sex life,” defense attorney Teny Geragos said.
Combs has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
-ABC News' David Brennan
May 12, 2025, 5:42 PM EDT
Court ends for the day, Cassie Ventura set to testify Tuesday
Testimony ended for the day on the cross-examination of male escort Daniel Phillip by defense attorney Xavier Donaldson.
Donaldson said he has about an hour of cross-examination remaining.
Cassie Ventura is expected to be the next witness called later Tuesday morning to testify for the prosecution.
May 12, 2025, 5:40 PM EDT
Male escort describes several alleged sexual encounters with Cassie Ventura at Combs' direction, claims Combs attacked Cassie
Daniel Phillip, a male escort, described several alleged sexual encounters he had with Cassie Ventura which he claims came at the direction of Sean Combs.
Phillip testified about one alleged encounter at the Gramercy Park Hotel, where he said he met Ventura and Combs.
It was the first of several sexual encounters Phillips testified that he'd had with Ventura and Combs at New York locations such as the Essex House, the InterContinental, Combs’ personal residence on West 56th St., and Ventura’s personal residence on West End Avenue.
During these alleged encounters, Phillip said Combs provided direction and instructions and said he was paid between $700 and $6,000 for each encounter.
Phillip testified about a time when he said he was given the drug “molly” during one of these alleged encounters. He claims there was another time when he saw Combs become physical with Cassie.
Escort, Daniel Philip, testifies on witness stand on the first day of Sean Diddy Combs' trial in Manhattan federal court, May 12, 2025, in New York.
Elizabeth Williams/AP
Phillip said Ventura was on her computer after a sexual encounter when Combs called out from the bedroom, “Babe come here.”
According to Phillip, Ventura responded, “Hold on one second” and that’s when he said Combs came out of the bedroom and “saw a bottle fly past her and hit the wall.”
“Mr. Combs walked over to Cassie, grabbed her by the hair and started dragging her to the bedroom,” Phillip said. “He wasn’t saying anything while he was dragging her. She was yelling. She was screaming. Mr. Combs pulled her into the bedroom and what I could hear sounded like him slapping her.”
Phillip said he overheard Combs allegedly saying “B---, when I tell you to come here you come now not later.”
Phillip said the alleged violence shocked him. “It came out of nowhere. I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do,“ he said.
Prosecutor Maureen Comey asked why he did not intervene.
“I’m just telling you what was in my mind. 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,” Phillip said.
When Ventura and Combs came out of the room, Phillip recalled Combs asking “Are y’all ready to continue now?”
Combs has been listening to this testimony slightly backed away from the defense table with his arms at his side and his legs crossed.
On cross-examination, defense attorney Brian Steel suggested that hotel security guard Israel Florez may have been embellishing his account when he testified that Combs had a “devilish” look on his face when he first encountered him in the hotel hallway.
“Where in your report do you describe Mr. Combs having “devilish stare?” Steel asked.
“It was my opinion but not part of the incident so not in the report,” Florez responded.
Steel also sought to point out that Florez did not need to call for assistance because Combs was cooperative.
“When you first come, he’s sitting in a chair?” Steel asked.
“Yes,” Florez replied.
“You don’t see him make any restive movements toward the young lady?” asked Steel.
“No," replied Florez.
Intercontinental Security Officer Israel Florez testifies on the witness stand in Manhattan federal court on the first day of trial, May 12, 2025, in New York.
Elizabeth Williams/AP
On redirect, prosecutors replayed a portion of the video showing Combs attacking Ventura and sought to show that Florez's incident report did not necessarily include everything that occurred on that day in March 2016.
“Were you expected to include every single detail?” prosecutor Christy Slavik asked.
“No, ma’am,” Florez responded.
Florez is off the stand following his testimony. The second prosecution witness is Daniel Phillip, a male escort who has said he was paid to have sex with Cassie Ventura at the Gramercy Park Hotel.
