Photos released by government shows what was in Diddy’s hotel room
Prosecutors released photos of evidence collected in Sean “Diddy” Combs hotel room before his arrest.
This story contains graphic descriptions that some readers may find disturbing.
Prosecutors in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex-crimes trial continue to target his alleged cycle of abuse as more witnesses come forward with shocking claims.
Following bombshell testimony from Danity Kane alum Dawn Richard and Cassie Ventura Fine’s former best friend Kerry Morgan, jurors reconvened in Manhattan court on May 20 to hear more accounts from those in Combs’ orbit.
Richard, a former member of Combs’ platinum-selling girl group, told the court on May 19 that she saw Combs beat his ex-girlfriend Ventura Fine in 2009 at his Los Angeles home, grabbing her hair and dragging her up a flight of stairs. Meanwhile, Morgan testified that Combs once attacked her in Cassie’s California home, choking Morgan and hitting her in the head with a wooden hanger.
Combs’ former personal assistant David James also took the stand to reflect on his employment with Combs, including candid conversations with Ventura Fine on her relationship with the Grammy-winning rapper. Ventura Fine’s mother, Regina Ventura, is expected to testify as well.
Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 on charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
To close out the May 19 hearing, James began his testimony on the events he witnessed from 2007 to 2009.
James told the court that one comment stood out in his mind when he thought back on the initial job interview process. A female staff member at the time told him, “This is Mr. Combs’ kingdom. We’re all here to serve it.”
Morgan testified that her friendship with Ventura Fine ended after Combs assaulted her in April 2018.
Cassie’s former friend said she was listening to the singer’s music in Ventura Fine’s Hollywood Hills house before Combs came in and allegedly choked Morgan, adding that Combs was yelling and accusing Ventura Fine of cheating on him. She said the rapper “boomeranged” a wooden hanger at her head, which hit her behind the ear.
When her friend first started seeing the rapper, Morgan said she saw Combs assault Ventura Fine several times, once dragging her by the hair during a trip to Jamaica.
Morgan was also at Ventura Fine’s apartment the night of the 2016 hotel assault caught on surveillance video and said she returned with a black eye. Thirty minutes later, Combs was pounding on the apartment door with a hammer, Morgan said. “I was terrified,” she told the court, describing Ventura Fine as “numb.”
“I don’t think she cared if he came in and killed her,” she added.
Asked why she didn’t call the police after allegedly seeing Combs attack Ventura Fine multiple times, Morgan said her former friend “didn’t want me to.”
However, the model said she tried to pressure Ventura Fine to leave Combs when the former friends would speak about Diddy and Cassie’s relationship.
When prosecutors asked how Ventura Fine would respond, Morgan said that she “said she couldn’t.” The reasons she would give were her job, her car and her apartment. Combs controlled everything, Morgan claimed.
Under cross-examination, Richard told the court about a dinner around 2009 where she allegedly saw Combs punch Cassie. She told the court that music industry heavyweights such as Usher, Jimmy Iovine and Ne-Yo were in attendance.
Richard said she frequently saw Combs physically abuse Ventura Fine between 2009 and 2011, recalling injuries on her face, arms and knees. She also said she was “shocked” and “scared” after Combs threatened her, warning that “if we said anything, we could go missing” and “we could die.”
During a pointed cross-examination with Nicole Westmoreland, one of Combs’ lawyers, Richard admitted to giving different versions of events to officials and not mentioning certain details during interviews with prosecutors.
For example, she said in court that she saw Combs use cocaine and witnessed his alleged drug dealer, identified as “One Stop,” sell drugs, but previously gave different answers to prosecutors.
Richard agreed there were lapses, but she explained: “I have to go back to memory that I didn’t want to come back to.”
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 has been charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all five counts.
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 claim they have video of.
The trial will not be televised, as cameras are typically not allowed in federal criminal trial proceedings.
USA TODAY will be reporting live from the courtroom.
Contributing: USA TODAY staff
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN offers support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) and Hotline.RAINN.org and en Español RAINN.org/es.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.
Leave a Reply