Diddy is charged with multiple felony counts of conspiracy to commit organized crime, sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion, and transportation of people for the purpose of prostitution.
Despite repeatedly denying the charges, Diddy has been repeatedly denied bail. The trial was delayed, but soon after the 12-member jury was officially appointed, the trial entered its opening arguments.
Shocking series of testimonies from witnesses
Federal prosecutors allege Diddy abused his ex-girlfriend, singer Cassie, for years. On one occasion, Diddy allegedly asked a male nightclub employee to urinate in Cassie’s mouth, the Mirror reported . The employee claimed he was initially hired to attend a bachelor party that was actually attended by only Cassie and Diddy, and was then repeatedly invited to provide “sexual services” to the couple.
Diddy’s trial is slowly revealing a horrifying array of allegations, from sex trafficking, to abuse, to coercion to mental control.
Photo: Reuters
Witness Israel Florez – a hotel security guard testified that he saw Diddy in a nearly naked state, sitting motionless with a lifeless gaze after attacking Cassie at a hotel in Los Angeles, USA in 2016.
Israel Florez recounted: “I received a call about a woman in distress on the sixth floor. When I arrived, I saw Cassie being beaten, dragged and kicked.” After Cassie left, Diddy is said to have handed Israel Florez a wad of money and said: “Don’t tell anyone.” However, the security guard refused and said: “I don’t need your money.”
Jurors were shown security camera and mobile phone footage of the violent moment .
Prosecutor Emily Johnson said Diddy maintained control over Cassie by using drugs and threatening her with videos of her being forced to have sex with multiple male nightclub employees. The “freak-offs” – the name for sex parties lasting several days – often took place in hotels, where Cassie was drugged and forced to participate in acts she did not want to do.
“He filmed everything, threatening to release it if Cassie resisted. It was the most humiliating night of her life and it was used as blackmail,” Emily Johnson said. Cassie was even allegedly forced to participate in the “freak-off” even with open wounds on her face.
Prosecutors stressed that Diddy did not act alone. A close inner circle helped him conceal his crimes for years. In addition to Cassie, several other women are believed to have been victims of this pattern of abuse.
What did the most important witness in the case say about Diddy?
Appearing before 12 jurors at the next hearing on May 13, Cassie choked up as she recounted the assault at the Los Angeles hotel: “Diddy followed me into the hallway near the elevator, grabbed me, threw me to the ground, kicked me, tried to drag me back to the room and took my things.”
When prosecutor Emily Johnston asked how many times Diddy had abused her as shown in the CCTV footage from the Los Angeles hotel, Cassie simply replied: “Too many to count. I can’t remember.” When asked if she had tried to fight back, Cassie simply shook her head: “No.”
Cassie said Diddy was particularly fond of detailed conversations before each “freak-out,” which would often start with massage oil and touching. Then, the sexual acts, from oral sex to intercourse, would unfold in a way that Diddy would have complete control over.
She was also asked to find male nightclub workers to participate in the “freak-offs”. At trial, Cassie presented text messages between herself and a “male model” supplier. She said she often had to send Diddy pictures to choose from.
The most important witness in the case – singer Cassie accused Diddy of forcing her to attend sex parties and use drugs.
Photo: FilmMagic
“He was the one who called the shots,” she said, revealing that the clubs were paid between $1,500 and $6,000 per visit, mostly to men. Cassie described the “freak-off” sessions as disgusting and “mentally overwhelming,” with the longest lasting four days.
At the end of her testimony, Cassie admitted to using various drugs to “disconnect from reality” and numb her emotions. “I can’t imagine doing what I did if I didn’t have something to mask the true disgust,” the singer admitted. She said Diddy supplied the drugs or that his employees would bring them to her.
Diddy’s defense attorney, Teny Geragos, argued that the case was overblown, with consensual sexual acts between adults being treated as human trafficking and prostitution.
“Diddy is a complicated person. But this case is not complicated. This is just a story of love, jealousy, infidelity and money,” she told the court.
Teny Geragos acknowledged that Diddy may have abused his ex-girlfriend under the influence of alcohol and drugs, but insisted that it did not amount to serious crimes such as sex trafficking or organized crime.
