Diddy trial recap: Combs' ex testifies she felt obligated to have sex with male escorts
This page reflects the news from Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial on Thursday, June 5. For the latest updates from Diddy's trial, read Paste BN's live coverage for Friday, June 6.
This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
Jurors in Sean "Diddy" Combs' federal sex-crimes trial heard testimony from one witness who alleged he dangled her over a balcony – and another who said the former hip-hop mogul pressured her into having sex with other men.
On June 4, Bryana "Bana" Bongolan, a designer and friend of Cassie Ventura Fine, alleged she "was held over a 17-story balcony" by Combs in September 2016. She testified the rapper threw her on balcony furniture, and she was left with bruises and back pain.
"I'm the devil, and I could kill you," Combs allegedly told Bongolan on a different occasion.
Another witness, who testified using the pseudonym Jane, told the court on June 5 that Combs dismissed her when she said she didn't want to have sex with other men at his behest, and he threatened to stop paying her rent.
The testimony comes as prosecutors are accusing Combs of using his business empire to lure women into his orbit with promises of romantic relationships or financial support, before physically abusing them or coercing them into sex.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty.
Jane said she felt pressured into having sex with male escorts
Jane said she felt "exhilarated" the first time she had sex with a male escort in front of Combs in May 2021, about five months into their relationship. But she said she thought it would be a one-time occurrence.
Instead, she said she had sex with other men in front of Combs about 90% of the time she saw him.
When she eventually told him she did not want to have sex with other men anymore, Combs − whose net worth Forbes estimated at above $1 billion in 2022 − allegedly threatened to stop paying her rent, Jane said, also telling the court "I felt obligated to perform these nights with other men."
"He just was dismissive or wanted to move on from the subject," Jane said
The witness told the court she and Combs would call the events with other men "debauchery" or "hotel nights." Her description of the events resembled what Ventura Fine referred to as "freak offs."
Jane was OK with Diddy seeing other people, but 'in my heart, I just wanted to see Sean'
Combs took Jane to Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas in February 2021, and he gifted her jewelry – a bracelet that read "love" – and funds during the trip, she said on the stand. "I really appreciated that gesture. He knew I was away for a while," and wanted her to have that money, since she wasn't doing her content creator work during their vacation.
They used ecstasy "about 10 times" over their nine days in Turks and Caicos, Jane testified. The first time she took it, she fell to the ground while walking on the beach and started "convulsing" and "screaming a little." She calmed down after she took a warm shower, and she took smaller doses afterward that made her feel "relaxed, euphoric (and) sexual."
By the end of that trip, she said, "I was even deeper in my feelings for Sean," and they "started using the 'L-word' with each other."
However, Combs was clear he was seeing other women, she told the court. "I was OK with it. I understood on his end it was an open relationship," she said. But "in my heart, I just wanted to see Sean, so I was monogamous."
Except for two breaks, they were seeing each other from the beginning of 2021 until his arrest.
Jane warned Diddy that he didn't like her ex-boyfriend
Jane's "first date" with Combs was a five-day trip to Miami in January 2021, she testified. "He was larger than life, very, very passionate, even in how he speaks."
That's where she told him about her dating history. She told the court, "I was very open that I had dated someone who was very close to him. My child's father and him had some dislikes with each other."
The prosecution clarified that her child's father was "someone that did not get along with Sean." She agreed and said Combs had dismissed it, saying it "didn't matter" to him.
Jane and Diddy used the nicknames Bert and Ernie
When Jane and Combs exchanged numbers while waiting for the bathroom one night, she said he'd suggested they have nicknames, and she mentioned Bert and Ernie. The prosecution asked why Ernie, "Like from Sesame Street?" Jane said, "Yes."
"Who were you?" the prosecutor asked. "Bert," she replied.
They used those nicknames frequently in their text exchanges early on. She also called him names such as Sean, "baby" and "snookums."
Who is Jane? Diddy was dating her friend when they met
The government witness – and former romantic partner to Combs from 2021 to 2024 – going by the pseudonym Jane took the stand at 2:17 p.m., wearing a brown turtleneck and a jacket.
She told the court she met Combs, who was romantically involved with one of her friends, during a girls' trip to Miami in 2020 that he paid for. The women were invited to his mansion and took a ride on his yacht, she said.
Jane called him "really charming," "hospitable, funny (and) sweet." They partied and drank alcohol with him, and she and Combs had a "little bit of flirting going on," she said.
They saw each other two more times during that trip to Miami. He texted her saying that he wanted to continue talking, Jane testified, and she said it was "a little complicated." But then her friend who’d also been seeing Combs got engaged to another man and moved overseas "fairly quickly" after.
"I thought I could potentially entertain this Sean thing," Jane said.
Diddy could be ousted from the courtroom
Shortly after the jury was excused for lunch, the judge admonished Combs and alleged he was trying to influence them. Speaking directly to Combs' attorney Marc Agnifilo, the judge said, "I was very clear there were not to be any facial expressions or any attempts to influence the jury."
He said that during the cross-examination of Bongolan, "your client was looking at the jury and nodding vigorously."
The judge said if that happened again, even one more time, he would speak to the jury about it and may have Combs removed from the courtroom for the duration of the trial.
Diddy lawyers show Combs was on the East Coast when photos were taken of bruises from alleged LA balcony incident
During Bongolan's testimony, Combs' defense team continued to suggest she was lying about the details of the rapper allegedly holding her over a balcony. One of his lawyers pulled up a photo of her bruise that she said was from the balcony incident and asked Bongolan to confirm the metadata that it was taken in Los Angeles on Sept. 26, 2016, at 9:45 a.m.
Combs' attorney Nicole Westmoreland asked, "You know that Mr. Combs performed at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Sept. 25, is that true?" and Bongolan responded, "I can't recall."
"Ma'am, you agree that one person can't be in two places at the same time?" Westmoreland asked. "In theory, yeah," Bongolan said.
A back-and-forth broke out among Combs' lawyers, prosecutors and Bongolan, as the defense attorneys alleged the dates of the photos didn't line up with the alleged date of the incident. Westmoreland also pointed out that Combs and Ventura Fine were in New York City attending a charity event on Sept. 26, 2016.
"Ma'am, you came in here and you lied to the ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Isn't that true?" Westmoreland asked. "I can't agree with you," Bongolan hit back.
Bongolan says she is at Diddy trial to 'seek justice'
A prosecutor asked Bongolan what she told Ventura Fine about Combs' alleged attack, and the designer responded, "Exactly what happened to me."
"Do you have any doubt that Mr. Combs held you up on the balcony?" she was asked, to which she replied: "I have no doubt." Conceding that she didn't remember "every single detail" from the incident, she said she would "never forget him holding me on that balcony," adding that in the moment she felt "terrified."
Asked why she had come to court, Bongolan said: "To seek justice."
Bryana Bongolan tried to stay away from Diddy after alleged balcony incident
Westmoreland, one of Combs' lawyers, asked Bongolan whether she was afraid to be around the rapper after he allegedly held her over a 17-story balcony.
"I kept my distance," Bongolan shot back. The designer said she was occasionally around Combs in the months after the alleged attack, including attending one of his concerts.
Westmoreland pointed to a text message in which Bongolan offered to get a sweatshirt for Combs. "We were trying to be cool," the designer responded.
"Isn't it true that you continued to hang out with Mr. Combs and you continued to spend the night at Ms. Ventura's house because Mr. Combs did not cause you those injuries?" Westmoreland asked Bongolan.
"Part of that statement is correct and part of that statement I can't agree with," Bongolan answered.
Who is KK? Former critical Diddy staffer Kristina Khorram could testify
Federal prosecutors on June 5 referred to Combs' former staffer Kristina Khorram as "an agent and co-conspirator" of Combs.
That doesn't mean she's about to face charges: Instead, it indicates she's likely reached an agreement with prosecutors and will testify. Combs previously called Khorram his "right hand" in business ventures.
The designation also comes as prosecutors submitted a text from Ventura Fine to Khorram about the alleged balcony incident in which Combs attacked Bongolan. The message read Combs "went at Bana, choked her, dangled her feet off the balcony. This is crazy. I have to get away."
Who is Mia? Who is Jane? Witnesses face battle for anonymity in Diddy trial
As Combs' sex-crimes trial stretches on in New York, another woman is expected to take the stand to testify to abuse and coercion at the hands of the music mogul.
The witness, who is going simply by "Jane," will remain anonymous – a request granted by Judge Arun Subramanian, who has explicitly warned jurors and court attendees against sharing information that could reveal her identity.
Jane is following in the footsteps of "Mia," a former employee of Combs, who has accused the rapper of assault and also testified under a pseudonym. Jane, a single mother who prosecutors claim was roped into Combs' empire of sex parties and abuse, faces an uphill battle, though, in keeping her true identity hidden.
After her testimony wrapped up this week, several outlets published Mia's real name online, a practice generally avoided by newspapers and magazines at the urging of the courts.
Prosecutors also alerted the judge that an individual inside the courtroom this week had broadcast the proceedings into his phone, using Mia's name and later outing her again on his YouTube channel. The person was banned from the courtroom.
Jury in Diddy trial, courtroom sees photos of Bana Bongolan's injuries
After she returned home from Ventura Fine's apartment following the alleged balcony attack, Bongolan took a few photos of her bruises, which were shown to those in the courthouse alongside metadata confirming they were captured Sept. 26, 2016, at 9:45 a.m.
The images showed a massive pink, brown and black bruise on the back of her leg. There was also a piercing laceration in the middle of the bruise, where something had poked her skin or cut her, as well as checkered imprints within the bruise.
New footage shows Diddy throwing a vase toward Cassie's head
Frank Piazza, a forensic video expert, walked the jury through a compilation video that he made, which showed the much-discussed 2016 hotel footage of Combs attacking Ventura Fine.
However, the compilation also included a reflection in a mirrored wall showing Combs throwing a vase toward Ventura Fine's head.
When will the Diddy trial end?
Combs' trial is expected to last for approximately eight weeks in total.
Judge Arun Subramanian, who's presiding over the sex-crimes trial in New York, has said he's hopeful proceedings will wrap up by the July 4 holiday.
Is Diddy in jail right now?
The disgraced music mogul is already in custody, and, despite repeated attempts at bail, has remained confined to the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center. He has been in jail since his arrest on Sept. 16, 2024.
How many kids does Diddy have?
Diddy has seven children, six of whom are biological. Diddy had his first biological son, Justin Combs, with fashion designer and stylist Misa Hylton.
Diddy adopted Quincy Brown, the son of ex-girlfriend and model Kimberly Porter, who died in 2018 after a battle with pneumonia. The former couple also shared three other children: son Christian "King" Combs and twin daughters D'Lila and Jessie Combs.
Diddy has another daughter, Chance Combs, whom he shares with businesswoman Sarah Chapman.
His seventh and last child, daughter Love Sean Combs, was born in October 2022 with model and cybersecurity specialist Dana Tran.
Is Trump pardoning Diddy?
No, despite recently handing down a flurry of pardons, including one for reality stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, Trump did not include Combs on that list.
But that doesn't mean he can't.
50 Cent says he'll reach out to Trump to prevent a Diddy pardon
50 Cent is looking to give President Trump his two cents about Combs.
In an Instagram 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.
What are the charges against Diddy?
Combs is facing federal sex-crimes and trafficking charges in a sprawling lawsuit that has eroded his status as a power player and kingmaker in the entertainment industry.
He was arrested in September 2024 and later charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. The rapper has pleaded not guilty to all five counts against him.
What is racketeering?
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 at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that 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.
Where can I watch the Diddy trial?
The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings.
Paste BN will be reporting live from the courtroom. Sign up for our newsletter for more updates.
Contributing: Paste BN staff; Reuters
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