A former hotel security guard, who said he interacted with Sean “Diddy” Combs and his ex Cassie Ventura in March 2016 following a physical altercation, testified May 12 about an alleged bribe.
Witnesses have begun to testify in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
During the first day of the music mogul’s federal court case—in which he has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and transportation to engage in prostitution—Los Angeles Police Department officer Israel Florez was questioned about his interactions with Combs and his ex Cassie Ventura.
While on duty as a security guard at the InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles in 2016, Florez said he was called to assist a woman in distress and, upon arrival, discovered Ventura and Combs, who was caught on security camera physically assaulting his then-girlfriend, as seen in the video submitted into evidence and shown in court, per NBC News.
"She was scared," Florez testified May 12, per the outlet. "She was in the corner, hood on, covered up. I couldn't see her face, she was pretty much in the corner. On the floor was a destroyed flower vase."
Florez testified that Combs told him the pair were arguing and that Ventura tried to walk away to get her phone, but Combs told her she wasn't going to leave, according to NBC News. The former guard also described putting his body in the doorway for a few minutes until Ventura left the room.
When the security guard began to leave, Combs allegedly offered him what Florez described as a “bribe” with a three word command.
"I started to leave and [Combs] called for me," Florez continued while on the witness stand. "He had a sack of money and he threw it at me and said, 'Don't tell anyone.'"
Later, Florez testified that the Bad Boy Records founder had another interaction with the hotel’s security team, which resulted in him pinning Combs to the wall when the musician attempted to take both his and his colleague’s phones.
"He came to the door, closed the door behind him, he grabbed the phone my colleague was holding because he thought he was being recorded,” the officer continued. “He eventually gave the phone back."
Florez added, "We said we are not recording you and de-escalated the situation."
During the day’s opening statements, Combs' lawyer Teny Geragos noted that the defense will not deny that Combs had committed acts of domestic violence in the past, but they will maintain his innocence on the charges brought against him in this federal case.
"We will not shy away from the things he did," Geragos said in court, per NBC News, "but we will not own the things he did not do."
For more details from Combs’ federal court case, including other witness testimony, keep reading…
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
Judge Cancels Court on Day 26 of Sean “Diddy” Combs Trial Over Sick Juror
Presiding Judge Arun Subramanian adjourned the courtroom for the day on June 18 after a member of the main jury did not return due to illness. (Court is not in session on June 19 for Juneteenth.)
“We have a sick juror who cannot be here and had vertigo and had to turn back,” the judge said. “The juror's partner notified us. He is not here, and he is on the regular jury, so it appears we cannot go on today.”
The judge noted that it’s unclear whether the juror’s vertigo flare-up—which causes dizziness, nausea, and headaches, along with other symptoms—is temporary or a long-term issue, but would “monitor the situation.”
With court not in session June 19 for Juneteenth, Judge Subramanian said the trial would resume with a shortened session on June 20, running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Second Sean “Diddy” Combs Jury Member Faces Possible Dismissal
Shortly after Judge Subramanian dismissed Juror No. 6 over conflicting answers as to his place of residence, a second member faces possible dismissal over an alleged improper conversation about the case with a former colleague. The member in question was questioned by the judge and handed his phone in for inspection, per NBC News.
A decision had not been made as to the member’s dismissal by the end of the court session on June 16.
Kanye West Supports Sean “Diddy” Combs With Courthouse Visit
Kanye West arrived at the New York City courthouse June 13 in support of Sean “Diddy” Combs. The “Stronger” rapper, who was in the building for about 30 minutes, made a brief visit to the overflow area but never entered the courtroom. The main room is reserved for Combs’ family and legal team, as well as the media and spectators who wait in line for hours for a seat.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says Mogul Was Upset After She Attended Another Man’s “Freak Off”
Combs' ex—who is going by “Jane” and was identified as “Victim-2” in the indictment—recalled an argument between them after she went on a trip to Las Vegas with another rapper and his wife.
She testified that it led to sexual voyeurism after she solicited Anton, a sex worker whom she and Combs often hired, where a group of people watched him have sex with a woman in a hotel room during the trip.
Jane told Combs’ attorney Teny Geragos that the rap mogul was upset after accusing her of attending another man’s “freak off.”
Prosecutors Seek Removal of Juror in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Trial
On day 21 of Combs' trial, assistant U.S. attorney Maurene Comey shared her team is seeking to remove one of the 12 members of the jury.
“We were very reluctant to put in this letter,” she told Judge Subramanian before the jury entered the New York City courtroom. “It appeared to be a lack of candor with the court that raises serious issues with us.”
Defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro—who said that Juror No. 6 is among the panel’s Black members—asked for one or two days to “respond in writing” and “go over case law.”
In response, Judge Subramanian said he will “reserve on handling logistics” about the juror until a decision is made.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Has Heated Exchange With Defense Team During Cross-Examination
Jane and Garagos had a tense conversation June 10 as the latter insinuated the witness was having sex with men for luxury goods.
Geragos went through text messages from November 2021 between Jane and Combs, in which the witness was upset that the rap mogul was having sex with other women. Per the texts, she asked Combs if he gave the other woman “a Chanel bag” after having sex.
Jane said that she didn’t get a Chanel purse from Combs, telling Garagos that she “got trauma.”
When the attorney asked what a Bottega bag was, she replied, “I’m sure you have one.”
And when Geragos asked how much the item costs, Jane asked, “How much does my body cost?”
Jane was granted a 10-minute break following the exchange.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says She Wondered What Was “Driving Him” Sexually
Jane testified that around 2022, she believed that Combs was a “cuckhold,” a person who finds pleasure in watching their partner be physically intimate with another person, after looking up her and Combs’ sexual dynamic.
“It gave me more of an understanding,” she said of her reasoning for the research. “I was just trying to deep dive on all the reasons why they had derived so much pleasure from watching their woman be with other men.”
The witness theorized that Combs’ desire for “hotel nights,” the details of which are nearly identical to his ex Cassie Ventura’s “freak offs,” was because he may be curious about his own sexuality.
“Cucks could also have a real curiosity that they're too ashamed to experience themselves,” she testified, “and so they use the woman to venture out in this curiosity without actually doing the act itself.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Mentions Koby Bryant, Shaquille O’Neil and Michael Jordan During Testimony
Jane testified that she had nicknamed Paul—an escort she and Combs solicited on multiple occasions—“Trifecta” because she compared their sexual dynamic to the on-court success of basketball stars.
“I was Kobe Bryant and Paul was Shaq [O’Neil],” she told jurors. “Combs was Michael Jordan.”
She described Paul as “really nice,” noting that if she “had to” have sex with escorts, “at least it was with someone with a warm energy.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says Mogul’s Chief of Staff “Influenced a Great Deal” of Their Romance
Jane testified that Combs’ dynamic with his chief of staff Kristina Khorram was a “point of contention” in the witness’ romance with the rap mogul.
“She was always with him,” Jane said of Khorram. “It was difficult for our relationship. I believe that she had very strong feelings about me, which influenced a great deal with how Sean treated me.”
Judge Denies Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Defense Team’s Second Motion for a Mistrial
On June 10, Judge Subramanian denied a motion for mistrial by Combs' legal team, in which his attorneys argued that Ventura and her friend Bryana Bongolan lied about the latter being dangled over the 17th-floor balcony by the rap mogul.
His lawyers, whose previous motion for a mistrial was also denied, accused the prosecution in the filing of “misconduct” with the “introduction of perjured testimony.”
“In this trial the government has presented testimony that it knew or should have known was materially false related to its allegation that Mr. Combs dangled Bryana Bongolan from the balcony of Cassie Ventura’s apartment in September 2016,” the letter said. “Accordingly, to avoid an unfair conviction in this case the Court should grant a mistrial.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Details Hourslong 2024 Beating
Jane alleged that the rap mogul had beaten her for hours June 2024.
Jane testified that she and Combs began arguing about the latter seeing a woman who was 25 years his junior, which Jane said led to her calling him a “pedophile” and pushing his head into a marble kitchen counter.
The witness said she had hidden in the primary bedroom and Combs began kicking the door open. (Photos of the cracked door were entered into evidence.) She alleged that while trying to run away, the Bad Boy Records founder kicked her in the back of the thigh, which made her fall.
“He put me in a chokehold on the ground, lifted me up, and I couldn't breathe, and I was on my tippy toes,” she told the prosecution. “I was just trying to get out of his grip.”
Jane said she ran out of the house and hid behind a wall outside for approximately two hours, hoping he would leave, but he did not. She said they subsequently returned to his home, where she curled up in the backyard to protect herself as Combs allegedly attacked her.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says Attack By Rapper Left Her “Golfball-sized” Welts
According to Jane, the altercation escalated after Combs allegedly punched her back. “He started punching my head,” she told the court. “He started kicking me. He started saying all kinds of things and just kept punching.”
She alleged that he told her that she was “trying to take him away from his kids and his family.”
“I said, ‘No, I'm not. Just leave me alone. Just leave. Please stop,’” she testified. “Then he just grabs me by my arm and my hair and just starts dragging me back to the house … by my hair, by my arm.”
After the alleged assault, Jane said she saw “two golfball-sized welts” on her forehead, as well as a black eye.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Details Homeland Security Raid at Her Home
Jane said that Homeland Security Investigated raided her home, which was paid for by Combs in March 2023, along with multiple other residences owned by the mogul. She said that agents came to her house and she called Combs’ head of security to tell him about the situation.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says He Threatened To Release Sex Tapes
Jane alleged that the mogul threatened to release their sex tapes and show them to her baby’s father in December 2023.
As Jane and Combs' relationship deteriorated, she said he told her that he had “nothing to lose” by releasing the videos. She testified, “It was just back-to-back pressure phone calls.”
She texted Khorram about the interaction, which was entered into evidence. In the texts, Jane wrote that Combs was threatening to post the footage, in which she said she was “heavily drugged.”
She also wrote that she needed “time away from” Combs because she was trying to work through “all the trauma” he caused.
Jane told the court that Khorram assured her that Combs would not use the footage.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says She Fainted After Reading Cassie Ventura’s Lawsuit
Jane said during her testimony that parts of Ventura's November 2023 lawsuit—which was ultimately settled—mirrored her own experience with Combs.
“I almost fainted, in fact, I think I did,” she told jurors as she cried. “There was three specific pages that was just a harrowing reference to what I was experiencing.”
Jane, who took part in “hotel nights, "said that it felt like she was reading “her own story.” It led to her confronting Combs via text messages.
“I feel like I am reading my own sexual trauma,” she wrote after Ventura’s lawsuit, in screenshots shown in evidence. “I am sick. It's exactly word for word, drug-filled days and nights. You knew this was coming. You gaslit me, you made me go crazy.”
“I am disgusted, I felt forced to perform back to back,” the messages continued. “You made me feel crazy about the sex trauma I was feeling. I feel very violated. This was sexual exploitation.”
Combs subsequently called Jane and recorded the conversation without her knowledge that was entered into evidence, in which he told her that they “did these things together” and that “this is when” he needed her “to be there.”
Jane, who didn’t know she was being recorded, told Combs that she was “sick” to her stomach after reading Ventura’s documents.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says She Threw Up 3 Times During “Hotel Night” Without Drugs
Jane said that while she was often high on ecstasy while participating in “Hotel Nights” with Combs and male escorts, one evening she decided not to take any drugs while having sex with three men.
“I was with multiple men this night,” she testified. “I threw up. Sean came in and said, ‘You’ll feel better now. Let’s go outside.’”
Jane said that at the end of the night, she felt “absolutely terrible.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Legal Team Makes Second Request For Mistrial
After day 18 of the trial, Combs' legal team filed a motion for mistrial June 7, arguing that Ventura and Bongolan lied about the latter being dangled over the 17th-floor balcony by the rap mogul.
Lawyers for Combs—whose previous motion for a mistrial was denied by Judge Subramanian—accused the prosecution of “misconduct” with the “introduction of perjured testimony.”
“In this trial the government has presented testimony that it knew or should have known was materially false related to its allegation that Mr. Combs dangled Bryana Bongolan from the balcony of Cassie Ventura’s apartment in September 2016,” the letter said. “Accordingly, to avoid an unfair conviction in this case the Court should grant a mistrial.”
The defense accused Bongolan of lying about the incident, pointing to some alleged inconsistencies in her story. The prosecution will respond June 9 and the judge will make his ruling the next day.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says He Is Still Paying Her Rent
Jane testified that Combs began paying the rent for her home in April 2023, two years into their relationship, and is still doing so. She said that she and the rap mogul agreed a month prior that he would provide her with a monthly allowance.
“It was in this ‘hotel night,’ I remember that this was when Sean proposed this ‘love contract’ between him and I,” she told jurors. “It was him asking me what I wanted for an allowance every
month, just moving forward, that's what he was going to do for me.”
"I said 15,000 and he said 10,000," she said of the allowance."I started looking for new places and moved into a new home and used that budget. I wanted something big and spacious for my child and I to enjoy. A place I could go home to and enjoy, some sense of balance in the relationship. I had been giving him all my love and this was him giving me something."
Jane alleged that per the agreement, she would receive money “for everything without pressure for two years.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Testifies About Physical Toll of “Hotel Nights”
Jane said that she suffered urinary tract infections and yeast infections “almost every week” as a result of the hourslong sex sessions and would take antibiotics regulary. She admitted that along with having sex before fully recovering from her UTIs at times, she also dealt with soreness in her pelvic area during “100 percent” of the “hotel nights.”
The witness also shared that she suffered pain in her shoulders and back during the sex. She added, “I would be at the edge of the seat or at the edge of the bed in the position that he liked me doing foreplay on these men.”
Despite the pain she experienced, Jane testified that she didn’t tell Combs of her pain because she “didn’t want to indicate any negativity.”
But she alleged the pain didn’t begin and end in the bedroom. She told jurors that she had gotten her nipples pierced at Combs’ request because he allegedly told her it would “really turn him on and that's what he wanted from his girl.”
She said she removed the piercings because they “snagged and bled and got infected.”
However, she testified that Combs was unhappy with her decision.
“He was OK with it at first,” she alleged. “But then I could tell he was getting impatient with how long it was taking me to put them back in.”
She added, “He would say things like, ‘Where are my piercings? This is the last time I see you when you don't have any piercings on.’”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says He Surprised Her With an Escort On Her Birthday
Jane alleged that she was expected to participate in a “hotel night” for hours on her birthday in 2023 against her wishes.
Despite allegedly telling him “more than once” that she did not want to take part in the sex session—the details of which are nearly identical to Ventura's experience at “freak offs”—she said that he surprised her with an “entertainer” during dinner.
“I dressed up for him,” the witness, who dated Combs from 2021 to 2024, testified. “We were at a sushi dinner. I was really happy to be around my lover. He was just so loving, and then he said, ‘I’m so excited to see the entertainer tonight.’”
“I did not expect that,” she continued. “I said, ‘An entertainer?’ I didn't have words. He said, ‘It's your birthday. Let’s have fun.’ I just accepted it.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Details Alleged Birthday “Hotel Night” Session in Emotional Testimony
Jane, who began crying during her testimony, said that the escort felt “like a stranger to me more than anyone.”
“It was my birthday and I didn’t want to do this on my birthday,” she testified. “I just sat there on the couch, got in position to have intercourse, so we could just get it over with. I asked Sean for a condom. Sean was giving me this really bad look. He gave me a dirty look, like shaking his head and said, ‘You better not ask for a f--king condom.’”
After the rap mogul allegedly handed the escort the contraception, “Jane” said he was “so dismissive.”
“He was walking away,” she testified. “He looked so disappointed while all of this was happening. It made me feel really bad. I just wanted it to be over.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says Longest “Hotel Night” Lasted Over Three Days
Jane said that the longest “hotel night” took place over New Year’s in 2022 and was “3 to 3.5 days.”
She alleged that she would use “ecstasy, caffeine, water and protein shakes” to stay awake during the all-night sex session.
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says He Didn’t Want to Use Protection During “Hotel Nights”
Jane testified that despite asking Combs “more than once” for the male escorts to wear a condom during their “hotel nights,” he allegedly refused.
“He responded almost incensed, guilt-tripped me,” she told jurors. “It wasn't something he wanted … He wanted to move on from the subject. ‘It wasn't going to happen, so stop asking.’ He said he didn’t want to see a rubber while he was watching.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Says Her First “Freak Off” Opened “Pandora’s Box”
Jane shared insight into her decision to participate in orchestrated sex acts with the rap mogul.
She testified that the Bad Boy Records founder had allegedly been floating the idea to include escorts and voyeurism in the bedroom.
“I said OK,” she told the jury, “because it seemed like he wanted that and it was turning him on and I was really into my partner.”
She alleged that Combs called a male escort, whom she said she had sex with before having sex with her then-boyfriend. However, she said that what was a “taboo” and “fun” evening “set the tone for their relationship moving forward.”
“I truly felt that that night just opened like a Pandora's box in our relationship,” she said in her testimony. “It was so much of it after and it was too much of it.”
She alleged that 90 percent of the time she saw Combs, she was having sex with another man in front of her. She said the sex sessions lasted between 24 and 30 hours without sleep and that she “felt an obligation because I knew he was paying my rent.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Ex Accuses Him of Financially Threatening Her
Jane said that she had no choice but to keep having sex with men for Combs because she was financially dependent on the rap mogul.
“My feeling of obligation really started to stem from the fact that my partner was paying my rent,” she claimed, adding that if she objected to his sexual requests, “He would just start saying things like ‘If you want to break, that’s fine. Do you need, like, three more months in the house? Because I'm not about to be paying for a woman's rent that I'm not even seeing.’”
While she made much of her income from social media, she alleged that it “started to dwindle down” because her “presence on social media really declined” after she decided to prioritize her romance with Combs.
She testified that her only source of income became her child support from another man, as well as Combs.
Alleged Victim "Jane" Says Sean "Diddy" Combs Made Her Have Sex With Multiple Men During "Hotel Nights"
The woman referred to as "Victim 2" in the federal indictment detailing the charges against Combs took the stand for the first time June 5.
Testifying under the pseudonym Jane, she told the court that she fell "head over heels" for the mogul during a trip to Miami in early 2021. She admittedly had hours-long, consensual sexual encounters involving baby oil with Combs when they were first dating.
But that May, Jane testified, he arranged for her to have sex with another man while he watched for the first time. She didn't want to, she said, but "he was paying my rent."
Those encounters—referred to in the indictment and by Ventura and other witnesses as "freak offs"—were also called "debauchery or hotel nights," "Jane" said.
These "nights" lasted between 24 and 30 hours with no sleep and could involve multiple men, she continued.
"Sometimes it would happen more than once with one person and maybe more than once with another person,” Jane testified. “I would push down what I really wanted to say.”
Eventually she stopped working or traveling in case Combs needed her and he paid all her expenses and arranged child care for her as a single mom, Jane said.
"I felt obligated to perform these nights with him,” she told the court. “When I was with Sean I was really consumed by him."
Judge Threatens to Throw Sean "Diddy" Combs Out of the Courtroom
Judge Subramanian threatened to have Combs removed from the courtroom if the defendant didn't stop making faces in the jury's direction.
“I was very clear, there should be no facial expressions to the jury,” the judge told Combs' legal team in court June 5. “I could not have been clearer. There was a line of questioning where your client was nodding vigorously and looking at the jury.”
Calling it "unacceptable," Subramanian continued, “There should be no efforts to have any interactions with this jury. If it happens again, I will give an instruction to the jury or it could result in the exclusion of your client from the courtroom.”
Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo assured the judge it was "not going to happen again."
Subramanian reiterated, "This cannot happen again."
Cassie Ventura’s Friend Accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of Dangling Her Off Balcony in $10 Million Lawsuit
Bongolan told jurors that she had filed a civil lawsuit in November 2024 against Combs for $10 million after he allegedly held her over a 17th-floor balcony in 2016 before throwing her onto nearby furniture.
“I wanted to seek justice for what happened to me,” Bongolan said, “on the balcony.”
The fashion designer filed a 17-page lawsuit accusing the rap mogul of sexual battery, infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment, according to court documents obtained by Rolling Stone.
“The only purpose of dangling someone over a balcony is to actually kill them or to intentionally terrorize them,” the lawsuit filed by her attorney James R. Nikraftar alleged, “and rob them of any concept of dominion over their own bodily autonomy and safety.”
Sean “Diddy” Combs Accused of Dangling Cassie Ventura’s Friend From 17th Floor Balcony
Bryana testified that the rap mogul allegedly held her over a 17th-floor balcony in 2016 before throwing her onto nearby furniture.
“Combs came behind me, lifted me up and had me on top of the rail,” Bongolan alleged of the incident, which she said took place at Ventura’s Comstock apartment. “I weighed 100-115 pounds. My feet were on the rail. I was trying not to slip, pushing back on him because I was scared I was going to fall.”
“For a second, I thought I was going to fall,” she said during while on the stand June 4. “He was yelling at me. He was saying, You know what the f--k you did.’ I had no idea what he was talking about. I said, ‘I don’t know what the f--k I did.’ He was yelling loud.”
Bongolan further alleged that after 10 to 15 seconds, Combs threw her into the balcony furniture as Ventura came out before the former couple went inside to speak. She said the rap mogul eventually left the apartment.
Since the alleged incident, Bongolan said she had lasting effects, testifying, “I have nightmares and I have a lot of paranoia and I used to scream a lot in my sleep,” although she noted that “it’s dissipated a bit.”
Prosecution Requests Action After Identity of Anonymous Witness “Mia” Is Revealed
Prosecutor Emily Johnson told Judge Subramanian that the government had learned a media outlet reported on the real identity of Combs' former assistant, who has gone by “Mia” during the trial.
“The government would respectfully request that the Court consider directing that outlet to remove the post and consider whether any further additional steps should be taken,” Johnson said, “such as barring individuals who break the Court's order from attending this trial either in this courtroom or in other courtrooms.”
Judge Subramanian asked the prosecution to draft a submission and that he would “certainly consider it.”