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Buzz Feed
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Diddy Found Guilty On Two Counts In Sex Trial
Sean 'Diddy' Combs, the Bad Boy Records founder and music mogul who launched the careers of rap-R&B royalty in the 1990s, has been found guilty on two out of five charges in his sex-trafficking trial in New York federal court. He was acquitted of the most serious charges: one count of racketeering conspiracy and two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion. A Manhattan jury convicted Combs on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution in relation to his ex-partners, Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura and 'Jane,' who both testified during the trial. Combs violated the federal Mann Act by flying his ex-girlfriends and paid male sex workers around the country to engage in sexual acts. He faces up to 20 years in prison. Combs rejected a plea deal prior to the start of his trial and declined to testify. His defense attorneys did not call up any witnesses to prove their case. They did, however, submit two mistrial requests to the judge overseeing Combs' trial over claims of 'prosecutorial misconduct.' Over the course of the weeks-long trial, federal prosecutors argued that Combs was the leader of a criminal enterprise who used his 'fame, wealth, and power' to commit a number of violent crimes, including kidnapping, arson, forced labor, and bribery. The enterprise in question was not Combs' company, Combs Enterprises, but rather his trusted inner circle that included some of his employees. At the heart of the trial were testimony from 34 government witnesses, including former employees, law enforcement agents and ex-girlfriends. The most memorable testimonies came from the prosecution's star witnesses: Ventura, Combs' ex-partner and former artist, and an anonymous woman known in court by the pseudonym Jane, whom he dated on and off from 2021 up until his September 2024 arrest. The former girlfriends testified that Combs forced them to participate in sex marathons with male prostitutes in hotel rooms against their wishes, providing them drugs like Ecstasy and MDMA to stay awake for the encounters known as 'freak-offs,' some of which he'd record. 'The freak-offs became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again,' Ventura said during her multiple days of testimony. Ventura's mother, Regina Ventura, took the stand during the trial to testify that Combs once demanded $20,000 from her and threatened to release explicit sex tapes of her daughter after learning she was dating someone else. Ventura's November 2023 bombshell civil lawsuit against Combs aided an investigation that ultimately led to a damning federal indictment against the hip-hop maven last year. It was settled within a day for $20 million, per Ventura's court testimony. 'By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice,' Ventura's lawyer, Douglas H. Wigdor, said in a statement after the verdict was announced. 'We must repeat – with no reservation – that we believe and support our client who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial. She displayed unquestionable strength and brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit and the misconduct that has persisted for decades without repercussion. This case proved that change is long overdue, and we will continue to fight on behalf of survivors.' During her time on the witness stand, Jane said that she told Combs she cried for three days after reading Ventura's suit because it felt like she was 'reading my own sexual trauma.' After the filing, she claimed Combs became less egotistical and cold and more apologetic, NBC News reported. But before then, Jane alleged that Combs was a violent abuser who would ignore her signs to stop during their 'dark' and 'sleazy' sexual encounters. She testified that even after giving 'subtle cues' to Combs — like making faces and gestures, and saying she was tired or hungry — he would still push her to continue having sex with other men as he watched, telling her to 'finish strong.' 'I would really fight to block out how sad I was after,' Jane said in her testimony. Others who offered witness testimony during Combs' trial included Daniel Phillip, the sex worker who alleged he was paid for sexual encounters with Combs and Ventura, and Israel Florez, a former security guard at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles, where 2016 surveillance footage captured Combs' brutal hallway assault on Ventura. A few notable celebrities were called to the stand during Combs' trial. Dawn Richard, Combs' former Dirty Money bandmate, testified that the music producer physically assaulted multiple women, including one 2009 incident where she claimed he tried to attack Ventura in his Los Angeles home with a skillet. Meanwhile, rapper Kid Cudi, who briefly dated Ventura in 2011, testified to multiple instances where Combs retaliated against him after learning that he and his ex were dating. During the trial, defense attorneys for Combs acknowledged that he was violent in his domestic relationships, but said that his conduct did not amount to sex trafficking, as prosecutors argued. Combs still faces dozens of civil lawsuits related to sexual assault and abuse allegations.
Graziadaily
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Graziadaily
Who Is Diddy's 'Right Hand' And Alleged 'Co-Conspirator', Kristina Khorram?
The trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, which sees the music mogul face charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution, continues in New York. This week, his former chief of staff, Kristina Khorram, also known as 'KK', has been a reoccurring name in court. Khorram has even been described by prosecutors as Diddy's 'agent and co-conspirator', so it makes sense that anyone closely following the trial should want to know more about her. She has not yet been called to testify. Diddy's trial is expected to last eight weeks. He has denied all allegations and has pleaded not guilty in court. Khorram was Diddy's former chief of staff of Diddy's global multi-faceted company, Combs Enterprises, which is now known as Combs Global. The business portfolio includes Bad Boy Entertainment, Love Records, REVOLT Media & Television, Aquahydrate, Sean John, Combs Investments, Empower Global, Our Fair Share and Sean Combs Foundation. Khorram has become a prominent name in the trial. She has been mentioned by several witnesses and has been accused of assisting Diddy in his alleged crimes. She was accused by one witness of helping Diddy transport drugs over state lines. She was also accused of monitoring the whereabouts of Diddy's ex-girlfriend of 10 years, Cassie Ventura, and helping secure hotel surveillance of Diddy physically assaulting Cassie. According to testimony from Eddy Garcia, a security officer working at the InterContinental Hotel in LA in 2016, Khorram allegedly arranged to pay $100,000 to secure the viral CCTV footage of Diddy violently beating and kicking Cassie outside their hotel room. Garcia told the court that Khorram repeatedly called him at the hotel lobby desk and showed up at the hotel to persuade him to hand over the footage. Garcia said Diddy later met him in person with a large sum of cash, the court heard, and Khorram was also there. Meanwhile, one of Diddy's former assistants, George Kaplan, testified that Khorram would instruct him to set up Diddy's hotel rooms with candles, liquor, baby oil and AstroGlide for his 'freak off' parties. Cassie also referred to 'KK' throughout her testimony. 'I talked to KK about a lot, she knew a lot about my personal things,' the singer testified. Another of Diddy's former partners who went by 'Jane' in court also mentioned Khorram. She alleged she collapsed after taking ecstasy about ten times during a nine-day trip to Turks and Caicos in 2021 and said, '[Diddy's] butler and KK tried to help me'. She also said Khorram made arrangements for her to get her teeth improved and her nipples pierced, per Diddy's request. Jane later told the court, 'I believe that [Khorram] had very strong opinions about me, which influenced a great deal of how Sean also treated me.' In March, Khorram was named as a defendant in three civil cases alongside Diddy. She has not been charged with any crimes. One civil accuser, Rodney Jones, called Khorram 'the Ghislaine Maxwell to Sean Combs' Jeffrey Epstein'. Another accuser, Phillip Pines, said Khorram was his supervisor at Diddy's company and claimed he told her when he witnessed Diddy's alleged violence and she 'instructed Plaintiff to never speak about it and there are repercussions that can happen if he did'. She denied all wrongdoing in a statement. Khorram has not been implicated in the active criminal case. Her attorney said she cannot 'tell her story until the criminal trial is over and the civil cases are resolved'. 'For months, horrific accusations have been made about me in various lawsuits regarding my former boss,' her statement read. 'These false allegations of my involvement are causing irreparable and incalculable damage to my reputation and the emotional wellbeing of myself and my family.' 'I have never condoned or aided and abetted the sexual assault of anyone. Nor have I ever drugged anyone,' she continued. 'The idea that I could be accused of playing a role in – or even being a bystander to – the rape of anyone is beyond upsetting, disturbing, and unthinkable. That is not who I am and my heart goes out to all victims of sexual assault.' 'I am confident that the allegations against me will be proven to be untrue,' Khorram concluded. In a 2021 facebook post, Diddy gushed about his former chief of staff. 'Meet Kristina Khorram, chief of staff at Combs Enterprises,' he wrote. 'Kristina aka KK keeps everything in my life and my business running. She's been my right hand for the last 8 years and has consistently proven to execute and get sh*t done. Don't know how I'd function without her.' Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Security Guard Details Alleged Diddy Payment for Cassie Video in NYC Trial
As the 15th day of testimony got underway in Diddy's federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial in NYC, the prosecution called Eddy Garcia to the stand ... he was the security supervisor at the InterContinental in Century City, Los Angeles -- the site of the infamous Cassie beating video. Garcia is asked about a specific day during the week of March 10, 2016, saying he was told there was an incident involving Diddy ... he's asked about monitoring security video feeds, and he said upon closer inspection, he says he did recognize the music mogul on screen, and he said he later learned the other person involved was Cassie Ventura. Garcia testified law enforcement was not called because Cassie did not request it. He said he received a phone call from Kristina Khorram, from a New York area code. Khorram was Diddy's chief of staff for Combs Enterprises at the time. He says she asked about the video ... and he says she claimed Diddy had been intoxicated at the time the video was recorded, and didn't remember the event. That drew an objection from defense attorney Brian Steel, which the judge sustained. Garcia said he told Khorram she'd have to speak with hotel management about the matter. He said later, he was informed Khorram was in the hotel lobby looking for him, asking for the video ... he said he told her to talk to management, or file a subpoena. He said he told her, off the record, the content of the video was bad. Garcia said later he got another call from Khorram, and he says she put Diddy on the line, asking if Garcia knew who he was and asking for possession of the video ... Garcia described his demeanor as fast-talking and nervous. Garcia again denied a request to turn over the video. Garcia said he got another call from Khorram and Diddy on his own personal phone, and Diddy told him the video could ruin his career. Garcia says he told Diddy he didn't have access to the server ... he says Diddy told him he believed he could make it happen, and he said Diddy told him he could take care of him, which he says he interpreted as offering money for the video. Garcia said he talked to his supervisor -- who he identified as Bill Medrano -- who he says told Garcia he'd do it for $50K. Garcia called up Khorram, who put Diddy on, he says, and Diddy called him his "angel," and wanted to do the deal right away. Garcia said Medrano went into the server room at the hotel, came out and handed Garcia a USB device with the video on it. Garcia said Diddy wanted to meet at a West Los Angeles high-rise building. There, he said, Diddy asked him if it was the only copy, and said he couldn't have anything on "the cloud" -- Garcia said he called Medrano, who told him he took the video off the server. Garcia said Diddy put Cassie on FaceTime, and she confirmed she did not want the video to become public, as she had a movie coming out. Garcia said Diddy wanted his ID, as well as Medrano's, and the responding security officer, Israel Florez -- who previously testified he was offered a payment when he came up to the 6th floor on the day of the hallway assault. Garcia said Florez, who's now an LAPD officer, probably would not agree ... he says Medrano told them they'd give ID instead, from another security officer who responded, Henry Elias. Garcia said he brought out NDAs ... he said the "liquidated damages" were $1 million, and he confirms he was making $10.50 per hour at the time. He says he witnessed Diddy feeding hundred-dollar bills into a counting machine, which displayed "$100,000" when completed ... the extra $50K being for him and for Florez, as he understood it. The $100K was handed over in a paper bag. Garcia said a security guard and Kristina Khorram witnessed this exchange. Garcia said Diddy told him to be careful how he spent the money, which provoked a defense objection that the judge sustained. Garcia said he gave Medrano $50K and Elias $20K. Garcia said he bought a used car with cash. He said he later heard from Diddy, when Diddy wished him a Happy Easter, and Garcia said he reached out a few years later on Instagram looking for work ... but never heard back. Garcia said he saw the video years later, on a news outlet, and said Florez also texted him a screenshot ... he said he deleted all related messages, not wanting anything to do with it. Garcia says he was later contacted by law enforcement, but he says he didn't tell the truth about the incident, as he wanted nothing to do with the investigation.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Recap of ‘Diddy' trial: Ex-employee concludes emotional testimony after three days on the stand
A former employee of Sean 'Diddy' Combs concluded her testimony Monday afternoon after three days on the stand at his federal criminal trial, during which she recounted multiple alleged instances of physical, emotional and sexual abuse by Combs. The employee, testifying under the pseudonym 'Mia,' was the 21st witness in the case and gave one of the lengthier testimonies thus far, second only to key witness Cassie Ventura. In her final statement to the court, Mia said she did not want to testify in the trial but did so for one reason. 'Because I can't look my niece and my goddaughters in the eyes and ever advise them in the future if they ever happened to be in this situation' if she didn't testify, she said. Her testimony came as the prosecution has sought to show Combs and his inner circle formed a criminal enterprise that used threats, violence and other means to coerce Ventura, his ex-girlfriend, into participating in 'Freak Offs' and to protect the music mogul's reputation. Combs has pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted of sex trafficking or racketeering conspiracy, he could face a sentence of up to life in prison. His defense has acknowledged Combs was violent but has questioned the motives of those testifying and has said the accusations fall short of a racketeering conspiracy. The prosecution said its next witnesses will include Eddie Garcia, who worked in security at the InterContinental Hotel; Frank Piazza, a forensic video expert; Derek Ferguson, the former head of the finance department for Combs Enterprises; and Bryana Bongolan, who has accused Combs of sexual battery. In addition, a woman who will testify under the pseudonym 'Jane,' who was identified as 'Victim-2' in the indictment, could take the stand as early as Wednesday afternoon. Here's what we learned in testimony Monday. On her second day of cross-examination, 'Mia,' who worked for Combs from 2009 until 2017, acknowledged she sent Combs loving and supportive messages for years after she left the company. Multiple text messages Mia sent to Combs were shown in court, including one from 2018 in which she wished him a Merry Christmas and one from May 2020 when she told him 'I'll always be here for you in any capacity.' In a message from August 2020 that was read in court, Mia wrote to Combs: 'I love you with all my heart and I'm still here with you forever.' Combs responded that he loved her and was glad she was doing well. In July 2022 Mia texted Combs 'I love love love you!' and texted him again in December wishing him and his family happy holidays. In court, Mia explained these texts by saying that she was still under Combs' grip 'psychologically' and was 'brainwashed.' Most recently, Mia sent Combs a message along with an old photo of the two of them for his birthday on November 4, 2023, just 12 days before Ventura filed a civil suit against him. Mia testified that she didn't remember sending that message. The defense highlighted these texts in an attempt to undermine her testimony that Combs physically and sexually assaulted her while she worked for him. As teed up in its opening statement last month, the defense has sought prove to the jury that Combs' case is about 'love, jealousy, infidelity and money' and questioned witnesses about their motives for testifying. Mia said under cross-examination that she did not initially tell investigators or federal prosecutors that Combs sexually assaulted her. She said she 'definitely' did not tell them before she had a lawyer. 'Again, I don't remember the dates but I do remember that horrible conversation,' Mia testified. Mia acknowledged she did not have any contemporaneous writings or conversations about those assaults. She also testified that she never mentioned the sexual assault allegations against Combs in her 2017 mediation over her severance with Combs' company. At one point, the defense attorney Brian Steel asked Mia if she retained an attorney to 'join the #MeToo money grab against Mr. Combs.' Judge Arun Subramanian sustained an objection to the question, meaning he ruled the question was not appropriate and Mia was not required to answer it. Mia testified she didn't contact law enforcement about the abuse she allegedly endured by Combs. When asked if she ever considered reporting the alleged abuse through a women's shelter, doing so anonymously or asking a third party to report it for her, she said she did not. She also said that she did not intend to sue Combs over the alleged incidents of sexual assault and that she did not want money based on her testimony. The second and last witness on Monday was Sylvia Oken, a Bevery Hills Hotel employee, who testified that bills associated with Combs' hotel stays included extra charges for cleaning and damage. One of the bills, from May 2015, included a $500 charge for 'oil damage.' Another bill included a $300 charge for cleaning drapes as well as a fee for purchasing five candles for Combs. Oken said she recalled some reservations made for Combs under the alias 'Frank Black.' Oken said guests in the entertainment industry will often stay at the hotel under an alias. The 'Frank Black' alias was a reference to the late rapper and Bad Boy Records artist Notorious B.I.G., who had a nickname of 'Frank White,' according to testimony earlier in the trial. The jury saw a hotel record that showed Cassie Ventura was listed as an accompanying guest who had full access to the reservation and could charge things to the room.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why Diddy trial witness Capricorn Clark is key to his racketeering and sex-trafficking charges
A third former employee of Sean "Diddy" Combs may testify against him in Manhattan on Tuesday. Capricorn Clark is a onetime personal assistant who rose to be one of his top marketing executives. Her testimony could provide important corroboration of racketeering and sex-trafficking charges. During the first two weeks of testimony in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial in Manhattan, her name was dropped two dozen times. Now, Capricorn Clark is set to take the stand first thing Tuesday, kicking off the third week of the government's sex-trafficking and racketeering case against the millionaire hip-hop entrepreneur. As Combs' former personal assistant and top marketing exec, Clark will be the highest-ranking employee to testify so far. (Tony Abrahams, former CFO for Combs Enterprises, is on deck to testify as soon as later this week.) Prior trial testimony has cited Clark as a witness to acts of violence, a $20,000 extortion, and kidnapping, all elements in the September indictment Combs is fighting at trial. Once on the stand, she could bolster the top two federal charges against the music mogul: sex trafficking and racketeering, each carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison. The violence Clark possibly witnessed includes an incident from a 2010 dinner in West Hollywood. At the dinner, Combs punched girlfriend-turned-key-accuser Cassie Ventura in front of other guests, witness Dawn Richard testified. Clark, Bad Boy Records president Harve Pierre, and other top Combs employees at the dinner appeared to do nothing, she told jurors last week. "Mr. Combs punched Cassie in the stomach," Richard, a singer for Bad Boy groups Danity Kane and Diddy Dirty Money, testified, recalling the violence. Richard described Ventura doubling over, then being ordered by Combs to leave the dinner. "No one intervened," she testified. If successfully corroborated by Clark and others, that stomach punch — and any lack of intervention by Combs' staff — could support both top counts. The same goes for any additional violence witnessed by Clark, a longtime friend and confidant of Ventura, who called her "Cap." So far, more than a dozen instances of violence, nearly all of them against Ventura throughout their on-and-off, 2007-2018 relationship, have been described by eyewitnesses, including Ventura herself. Prosecutors allege that Combs sex-trafficked Ventura via force and threats throughout those years, beating and threatening her into complying with a decade's worth of "freak offs," elaborately-staged, often videotaped sex performances involving himself, male escorts, and interstate travel. Prosecutors say the threats that kept Ventura compliant include one from December 2011, when Combs found out that she was dating rival rapper Kid Cudi. Clark is cc'd on a Blackberry message in which Ventura, using the alias "Veronica Bang," tells mom Regina Ventura about Combs' threats to release explicit sex tapes and to have "someone hurt me and Scott Mescudi," a reference to Kid Cudi's given name. Clark could be asked Tuesday about receiving this message, and about any independent knowledge she may have about its underlying threats. She could also help the prosecution prove the racketeering charge, which alleges that Combs' employees enabled his crimes, including by obstructing justice through doing nothing, as at the 2010 dinner Richard said they both attended. Prosecutors say other underlying crimes of the Combs criminal "racket" include arson and kidnapping, and here again, Clark's testimony could prove key. According to prior testimony, Clark was enmeshed in the 2011 Kid Cudi flareup as both a top Combs employee and a Ventura confidant. Jurors heard two weeks ago, from Ventura, that Clark helped keep Combs from learning about the brief romance. Ventura testified that he found out anyway during a freak-off in Los Angeles. Going through Ventura's phone, Combs saw an email Ventura sent Clark asking her to deliver Ventura's toiletries bag to Mescudi's address. Ventura told jurors that Combs was so enraged, he lunged at her with a corkscrew in his fist. Mescudi added more details on Thursday, telling jurors that a jealous Combs broke into his Hollywood Hills home and rifled through his Christmas presents. Mescudi testified that Clark called to tell him, in real time, that she was sitting in a car outside his house and that Combs and an unnamed "affiliate" were inside. "She told me that Sean Combs and an affiliate came to her apartment and made her get in the car to come up to my house," Mescudi testified. Asked for details of just how Clark was forced into the car, Mescudi said, "They forced her physically." Prosecutors may present this to jurors as an instance of the underlying racketeering crime of kidnapping. Prosecutors allege Ventura was a repeated victim of kidnapping, including in 2016, when security cameras captured her being kicked and dragged by Combs in the hallway of the InterContinental hotel. Ventura told jurors that she was trying to leave a freak-off at the time, after being slugged in the eye by Combs — and that Combs was trying to drag her back inside their room. In another kidnapping alleged by prosecutors, Ventura was forced by Combs to remain for a week in a Los Angeles hotel. In testimony corroborated by a former PA last week, Ventura told jurors she was kept hidden at the hotel so that her face could heal from being brutally stomped on by Combs as she cowered on the floor of his SUV. Combs has denied all allegations of coercive sex. During pretrial and trial proceedings, his attorneys have repeatedly tried to show that Combs' accusers are disgruntled employees, rejected musical artists, and spurned girlfriends, many of whom sought big paydays by filing civil lawsuits against him. Read the original article on Business Insider
