The prosecution and the defense told two versions of Sean Combs, 55, Monday morning as jury selection concluded and opening statements immediately followed in the US v. Sean Combs sex trafficking case.
Emily Johnson, attorney for the prosecution, gave opening remarks.
“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. You’re going to hear about 20 years of crime,” Johnson said pointing to a gray-haired Sean Combs as he leaned deep into his chair.
She said the courts would be hearing about Cassandra Ventura otherwise known as Cassie, and another victim they’d refer to as Jane. These women were forced into unwanted sex. They were drugged and physically assaulted and per the prosecution, Combs didn’t act alone. He used high-level employees and bodyguards.
“Together they agreed to commit different crimes, kidnapping, arson, distributing drugs to other people, exploiting employees for labor.”
In the coming days, texts, and video footage of Combs’ freak-offs will be shown as evidence.
Teny Geragos had Combs stand as she introduced the music mogul. She described him as “complicated” and “very flawed.”
The defense drew a clear distinction between jealousy-driven domestic violence, trafficking, and conspiracy charges.
“This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money,” Geragos said. “There has been a tremendous amount of noise around this case over the past year. It is time to cancel that noise.”
The Defense calls the 2006 video of Combs assaulting Cassie, indefensible—but argues that it is domestic violence, not sex trafficking.
Gossip, compounded with jealousy on both sides, per the defense, was at the center of Ventura and Combs’ relationship.
“She made a choice, every single day for years—a choice to stay with him, a choice to fight for him, because for 11 years, that was the better choice. That was her preferred choice. So she made the choice to stay with him until one day she decided she was going to break up with him, because that was her preferred choice,” Geragos said.
Jane was involved primarily in freak-offs with Combs according to the prosecution. The defense calls their relationship “toxic and dysfunctional.” The prosecution is alleging Jane was coerced into sexual acts which qualifies the sex trafficking charge.
“Being a willing participant in your own sex life is not sex trafficking,” per Geragos.
When Combs walked into court today, the first two rows behind him were filled with his children, sister and mother—to which he smiled. The mogul motioned a heart sign with his hands. His daughters and sons replied by tapping their hearts.
Celebrity stylist and the mother of his first child Justin Combs, Misa Hylton came, later in the day. Hylton, who is currently suing Mary J. Blige, was noticeably aided by a walker. When asked if she was injured, she had no comment.
The video of Combs assaulting Ventura at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City is a major part of the case. Last week, prospective jurors were asked if they could remain impartial after seeing the footage.
Several said no.
The prosecution called their first witness, Los Angeles Police Officer Israel Florez who was the security guard who was on the scene March 5, 2016. InterContinental’s security was handled by Securitas where he was the Assistant Director.
At around 11 a.m., Lorez testified, he received a call about a woman in distress. Additional footage shown in court today proves that the call came from Ventura who made the call from a phone in the hallway near the elevators. There, he said he saw Combs in a towel and some colored socks.
Florez filed an incident report which included images of the damage to the hotel. When the security guard arrived off the elevator, he said Combs was sitting looking at him with, “a devilish stare.”
As for Ventura, Florez said she looked scared with her hoodie pulled up.
Florez escorted the two back to the room after telling Combs that he would be responsible for the damage. Ventura said she wanted to leave to which Combs said no. Florez said he interjected, “If she wants to leave, she can leave.”
When they reach the room, Florez testified that he inserted his body in between the door’s opening to ensure that it would not close. There, he noticed a silent third person present.
Combs approached Florez with a stack of cash—Florez interpreted it to be a bribe—though no words were exchanged. Florez declined the cash. When Ventura retrieved her phone, she exited—but not before the security guard noticed she had a purple eye. He asked if she wanted him to call the police, to which she responded, “I want to leave.”
Later, Florez returned to Combs’ room with another hotel worker. When the mogul thought he was being recorded, he snatched the hotel worker’s phone at which point Florez testified that he pinned Combs to the wall.
The incident report for all of this was filed at 3 p.m. that same day and included Combs and Ventura’s names. The third unidentified man was not mentioned.
Florez didn’t call the police he said, because by the time he saw the surveillance video, everyone had left the hotel, “there was no victim there, obviously nobody was pressing charges.”
During questioning by the defense, he was asked about the incident report.
Brian Steel pointed out that Florez didn’t write about Ventura’s purple eye, or the look Combs gave him that he testified about today in the report, to which the officer replied, “It was my opinion then and now.”
Immediately after Florez exits, the prosecution calls their second witness—Daniel Phillip.
One minute into his testimony he’d told the jury that in 2012 upon meeting Ventura, he was given money “to have sex with her,” as he put it.
Combs’ daughters noticeably exit the courtroom for Phillip’s testimony.
The scene was Gramercy Park Hotel. At the time, Phillip was managing an all-male revue. When the prosecution asked him what that meant, he said, “strippers.”
Phillip arrived a little after midnight. It was supposed to be a small striptease. But when the door opened there was Ventura in lingerie. “When I arrived, Cassie opened the door and she asked me if I was okay if it was just going to be us,” he said.
She was dressed in red lace with red hair he said.
“Her husband wanted to do something special for her, so she asked me if I would mind rubbing baby oil on her and giving her a massage and wherever things went from there it went based on how comfortable it was,” he told the jury.
But there was a man in the room, Phillip said. He was wearing a white robe, a hat and a bandana covering his face from his nose down. He recognized his voice immediately—it was Combs who was masturbating as the two had sex. Ventura assured Phillip that her “husband” wasn’t gay and wouldn’t touch him during their encounter.
Phillip testified that he slept with Ventura while Combs watched multiple times through 2014. That first night, he was paid, “a few thousand dollars,” he said.
Often Combs would record Ventura and Phillip having sex, which included baby oil—per testimony. Phillip did not use a condom and had to bring an STD history at one point.
Combs was also said to have asked Phillip to urinate on Ventura as he masturbated.
According to his testimony, Phillip would get paid between $700 and $5,000-6,000. Sometimes he said, he wouldn’t get paid at all. “I was just excited that I was in this world, and happy to be involved with people with such notoriety.”
But Phillip remembered seeing Ventura being physically assaulted by Combs, he testified.
The couple were at home. Combs called for Ventura and when she didn’t come to him quick enough according to Phillip, he slapped her and began to grab her by her hair and drag her.
“I was shocked,” Phillip said hearing Combs tell Ventura, “B*tch, when I tell you to come here, you come. Now, not later.”
Phillip said he thought to himself, “In my mind, it was going through my head if I tried to do something, I might lose my life.”
Cross examination by the defense for Phillip is expected to fully commence tomorrow with Cassandra Ventura set to testify.
