Baby oil and a torched Porsche: key moments from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' trial
FILE PHOTO: Special agent Yasin Binda shows evidence photos from hotel where Sean "Diddy" Combs was arrested (including baby oil), during Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New York, U.S., May 16, 2025 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg/File Photo
NEW YORK (Reuters) -The jury in Sean "Diddy" Combs'sex trafficking trial is due to begin deliberations on Monday.
Combs pleaded not guilty to all five counts he faced. Here are seven key moments from the trial testimony:
Baby oil and Astroglide
Prosecutors on May 21 showed jurors bottles of baby oil and Astroglide lubricant that Homeland Security Investigations found during a search of Combs' Miami Beach home in March 2024. Prosecutors said Combs used those items in sexual encounters with his girlfriends and male escorts sometimes called "Freak Offs."
Gerard Gannon, an HSI agent who took part in the raid, testified on May 21 that agents found 25 bottles of baby oil and 31 bottles of Astroglide in Combs' closet.
'Voyeurism as a fantasy'
Casandra "Cassie" Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer who dated Combs for 11 years, said that within the first year of their relationship he introduced her to the concept of "voyeurism."
"He described voyeurism as a fantasy that he had where he would want to see me with another male and having sexual interaction," Ventura testified on May 13.
Red lights, stripper shoes
Another former girlfriend of Combs' who testified under the pseudonym Jane said on June 5 that she took part in sexual encounters with Combs and male escorts which they called "hotel nights" from 2021 through 2024.
Jane said the rooms would be lit with red lights, and that she and Combs would choose together the outfits she wore, which usually included "provocative lingerie and really high stripper shoes."
The 'Punisher' and a nude male with a veil
Sharay Hayes, a male exotic danger known as "The Punisher," testified on May 20 that he frequently was paid to take part in "Freak Offs" with Ventura and Combs.
The first time, while he and Ventura were applying baby oil on each other, Hayes said he saw a nude male enter the hotel room carrying Astroglide lubricant and covering his face with a veil "like what the Muslim women wear." Hayes said he later learned the man was Combs.
Kid Cudi's dog locked in a bathroom and a torched Porsche
Scott Mescudi, the rapper known as Kid Cudi, testified on May 22 that after Combs learned in December 2011 that Mescudi was seeing Ventura, Combs broke into Mescudi's home, opened Christmas presents Mescudi had bought for his relatives, and locked Mescudi's dog in a bathroom.
Weeks later, Mescudi said his Porsche was set ablaze with a Molotov cocktail in his driveway. "I knew he had something to do with it," Mescudi said of Combs.
'Crying and saying no'
Ventura fought back tears as she said Combs raped her in her living room in 2018, after they ended their relationship.
"I just remember crying and saying no but it was very fast," Ventura testified on May 14.
'Is this coercion?'
Jane testified on June 9 that after a dispute at her home last year, Combs kicked, punched and dragged her in her backyard. She said Combs then directed her to perform oral sex on a male escort named Anton even though she had told him she did not want to.
According to Jane, Combs got close to her face and said, "Is this coercion?"
(Reporting by Luc CohenEditing by Sandra Maler)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Iran-linked hackers threaten to release Trump aides' emails
WASHINGTON: Iran-linked hackers have threatened to disclose more emails stolen from U.S. President Donald Trump's circle, after distributing a prior batch to the media ahead of the 2024 U.S. election. In online chats with Reuters on Sunday and Monday, the hackers, who go by the pseudonym Robert, said they had roughly 100 gigabytes of emails from the accounts of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trump lawyer Lindsey Halligan, Trump adviser Roger Stone and porn star-turned-Trump antagonist Stormy Daniels. Robert raised the possibility of selling the material but otherwise did not provide details of their plans. The hackers did not describe the content of the emails. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the intrusion as 'an unconscionable cyber-attack.' The White House and the FBI responded with a statement from FBI Director Kash Patel, who said: 'Anyone associated with any kind of breach of national security will be fully investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.' Halligan, Stone, a representative for Daniels and the U.S. cyberdefense agency CISA did not respond to requests for comment. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not return a message seeking comment. Tehran has in the past denied committing cyberespionage. Robert materialized in the final months of the 2024 presidential campaign, when they claimed to have breached the email accounts of several Trump allies, including Wiles. The hackers then distributed emails to journalists. Reuters previously authenticated some of the leaked material, including an email that appeared to document a financial arrangement between Trump and lawyers representing former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. - now Trump's health secretary. Other material included Trump campaign communication about Republican office-seekers and discussion of settlement negotiations with Daniels. Although the leaked documents did garner some coverage last year, they did not fundamentally alter the presidential race, which Trump won. The U.S. Justice Department in a September 2024 indictment alleged that Iran's Revolutionary Guards ran the Robert hacking operation. In conversations with Reuters, the hackers declined to address the allegation. After Trump's election, Robert told Reuters that no more leaks were planned. As recently as May, the hackers told Reuters, 'I am retired, man.' But the group resumed communication after this month's 12-day air war between Israel and Iran, which was capped by U.S. bombing of Iran's nuclear sites. In messages this week, Robert said they were organizing a sale of stolen emails and wanted Reuters to 'broadcast this matter.' American Enterprise Institute scholar Frederick Kagan, who has written about Iranian cyberespionage, said Tehran suffered serious damage in the conflict and its spies were likely trying to retaliate in ways that did not draw more U.S. or Israeli action. 'A default explanation is that everyone's been ordered to use all the asymmetric stuff that they can that's not likely to trigger a resumption of major Israeli/U.S. military activity,' he said. 'Leaking a bunch more emails is not likely to do that.' Despite worries that Tehran could unleash digital havoc, Iran's hackers took a low profile during the conflict. U.S. cyber officials warned on Monday that American companies and critical infrastructure operators might still be in Tehran's crosshairs. (Reporting by Raphael Satter; Additional reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Michael Perry)
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
South Korea's former president Yoon defies summons in martial law probe
SEOUL (Reuters) -Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol skipped questioning on Tuesday by a special prosecutor investigating his December declaration of martial law, citing the need to prepare for a later hearing despite the risk of arrest. Yoon was ousted in April by the Constitutional Court, which upheld his impeachment by parliament for a martial law bid that shocked a country that had prided itself on becoming a thriving democracy after overcoming military dictatorship in the 1980s. Through his lawyers, Yoon, a powerful former top prosecutor elected president in 2022, has accused the special counsel of going on a politically-motivated "witch hunt," describing as illegal some of the tactics used against him. On Monday, Yoon's lawyers said July 5 was the earliest he would be able to appear, citing a trial court hearing on insurrection charges set for Thursday that he must attend and his rights as a defendant to rest and prepare. A spokesperson for the special prosecutor's team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Media reported the team has said it will issue another summons for this week. Yoon has been locked in an unprecedented wrangle with authorities over the investigation by the special counsel appointed in June, which ratcheted up prior efforts by state prosecutors and police to investigate his martial law attempt. During Yoon's first appearance on Saturday, questioning was interrupted for several hours after he objected to procedures he said violated his rights. The special prosecutor has said the team would consider action under the criminal code, which analysts and media say probably means an arrest, though the team did not confirm that. Analysts and some members of Yoon's conservative People Power Party have questioned his intentions, since he was a lead prosecutor in the 2017 graft investigation and prosecution of former President Park Geun-hye. Two other special prosecutors were appointed in June to sift accusations of wrongdoing by Yoon's wife and obstruction by the presidential office of an investigation into the death of a marine in 2023. (Reporting by Jack Kim and Ju-min Park, Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
The Sun
4 hours ago
- The Sun
Uphill battle to curb ‘elusive' online gambling menace
PETALING JAYA: Despite over 173,000 pieces of harmful online content – more than half linked to illegal gambling – having being removed since January, experts said Malaysia is fighting an uphill battle against a fast-evolving cybercrime ecosystem. Criminologist Datuk Shahul Hamid Abd Rahim said illegal online gambling continues to thrive because these syndicates are well-organised and operate in separate parts, making them harder to shut down. 'Each syndicate functions like a decentralised enterprise. One group handles website development, another manages payments – often via e-wallets or cryptocurrencies – while others focus on marketing or 'customer service',' he told theSun. The money trail becomes harder to trace as it flows through shell companies, underground financial networks like hawala and hundi and offshore crypto exchanges, he added. 'You're not just looking at gambling. You're looking at laundering, fraud and cybercrime converging under one roof.' A 2022 survey cited by Shahul Hamid found that over 78% of 60 youths interviewed had gambled at least once, predominantly among non-Muslim communities. The trend is now spilling into unlicensed online platforms, particularly during major sports seasons. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has recently revealed that 51% of the content flagged and removed involved unauthorised gambling activities, while another 43,000 were linked to scams. Facebook was reported to carry the highest volume of flagged content, with TikTok close behind. Telegram was the least responsive in handling scam-related removals. Shahul Hamid also highlighted the role of virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow users to access foreign gambling sites that cater directly to Malaysian users and accept deposits in ringgit. 'The platforms may be offshore, but the harm is local and growing,' he said. Universiti Malaya cybersecurity expert Prof Dr Nor Badrul Anuar echoed these concerns, noting that illegal gambling websites are adept at evading blocks. 'They change domains, rotate IPs, use encryption, VPNs, proxies – whatever it takes to stay ahead. They're constantly promoting on social media too.' He added that these sites are often gateways to more sinister activities. 'They're not just gambling hubs. They're also conduits for phishing, malware and money laundering.' While Nor Badrul acknowledged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's efforts, he described enforcement as a game of 'whack-a-mole'. 'New sites emerge within hours, often hosted in jurisdictions beyond Malaysia's legal reach. This makes takedown efforts slower and less effective,' he said. 'What is more worrying is that the ease of access is feeding a deeper issue – addiction,' he added. 'Gambling addiction is growing, but it's often overlooked in enforcement narratives. We're not just battling crime, we're battling a public health concern.' Both Shahul Hamid and Nor Badrul agreed that while enforcement is crucial, it must be matched by deeper, longer-term reforms. 'There's no silver bullet. We need stronger cross-border cooperation, updated laws, better tech tools and public education. This is not just a policing issue, it's systemic,' said Shahul Hamid.
