New York (AFP) – A second former assistant to Sean “Diddy” Combs testified Thursday in the music mogul’s federal trial, alleging he committed acts of violence against her and others, including sexual assault. Appearing under the pseudonym Mia to protect her identity, the assistant addressed jurors on the stand in the federal trial of the once-famed rapper, producer, and entrepreneur who faces racketeering and sex trafficking charges that could put him in prison for life.
Combs’s case revolves around his relationship with his former girlfriend, singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who earlier in the trial detailed years of alleged abuse and coercive, drug-fueled sex marathons known as “freak-offs.”
Mia said she was close to the “Diddy-Cassie” couple and recalled several episodes of violence. She sounded breathless at times as she told the court about seeing Ventura with “busted lips,” “bruises,” and “a black eye.” Combs would tell Mia to “go take care of her,” referring to Ventura, adding that “we were not allowed” to go out until her injuries healed enough to conceal. The prosecutors asked Mia about an incident during a holiday trip she took with the couple in 2012. One night, she said she was woken up by Ventura running into her room, “screaming for help.” She recalled Ventura had said: “He’s gonna kill me,” referring to Combs. “We started pushing furniture in front of the door,” Mia said, describing how Combs was “screaming and banging” on the other side.
The former assistant, like previous witnesses, said hotel rooms would be prepared for the “freak-offs” and she would be responsible for the clean-up. Working for the hip-hop mogul could be exciting, she said, but was often degrading. “He treated me sometimes like his best friend, a working partner; sometimes I was a worthless piece of crap,” Mia said.
She also accused Combs of violent acts against her. “He has thrown things at me. He has thrown me against the wall. He has thrown me into a pool. He has thrown an ice bucket on my head. He has slammed my arm into a door,” she said. “He has also sexually assaulted me.” She said Combs subjected her to “sporadic” instances of sexual violence, including at the artist’s 40th birthday party at the Plaza Hotel in New York and his private residence in Los Angeles. “I just froze, I didn’t react, terrified and confused,” Mia said about one of the assaults. “He was the boss or the king, a very powerful person,” she said. “This is years and years before social media, Me Too, or any sort of example where someone had stood up successfully to someone in power such as him,” she added.
Mia said the rapper held sway over the police, describing how she herself was pulled over one day in LA for speeding. But when she called Combs and handed the phone to the female officer, “she started laughing and saying like ‘oh my God, Puff Daddy, I love you,’…and then she let me go.” Mia’s testimony is scheduled to continue on Friday.
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