Trial highlights Combs' alleged coercion and abuse

30/5/2025 6:25

Sean “Diddy” Combs was accused of rape by a second woman on

Thursday as the hip-hop mogul stands trial for sex trafficking

and racketeering, charges that could lead to life in prison if

he is convicted.



A former personal assistant to Combs, testifying under the

pseudonym Mia, testified in Manhattan federal court that the Bad

Boy Records founder raped her at least twice.



“I was just frozen. I didn’t do anything. I just let it

happen,” Mia said, fighting back tears and staring into her lap

as she described an incident in which Combs allegedly grabbed

her head and put his penis in her mouth.



Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to five counts including

racketeering and sex trafficking.



Mia told jurors Combs climbed on top of her while she was

sleeping and raped her while she lay frozen with fear. Combs'

lawyers have acknowledged he was at times abusive in domestic

relationships but said any sex was consensual.



During the testimony, Combs occasionally passed notes to his

lawyers but otherwise showed little outward reaction.



Testimony before a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates in

Manhattan federal court is in its third week. Prosecutors say

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, coerced women over two

decades to take part in days-long, drug-fueled sexual

performances with male sex workers known as "Freak Offs."



In emotional testimony during the first week of trial,

Combs' ex-girlfriend Casandra Ventura told jurors Combs

physically and emotionally abused her throughout their

tumultuous 11-year relationship and raped her shortly after they

broke up for good.



Ventura, a rhythm and blues singer known as Cassie, said she

participated in the Freak Offs because she feared Combs would

release sex tapes of her if she didn’t, but also because she

loved him.



Friends and associates of Combs and Ventura have testified

about Combs' alleged abuse, describing Combs as a domineering

figure who relied on bodyguards and associates to enable his

alleged crimes and keep victims in line.



The trial has drawn intense media coverage due to Combs’

cultural influence and role in taking hip-hop mainstream through

legendary artists like the Notorious B.I.G.



Combs was arrested in Manhattan last September and is being

held at a federal prison in Brooklyn when not in court.



Dawn Richard, a former member of the pop group Danity Kane,

testified last week that she felt threatened when Combs told her

to keep quiet about what she saw.



Richard faced a sharp cross-examination by one of Combs’

lawyers, who sought to point to inconsistencies between her

testimony and what she said during interviews with prosecutors.



Last week, Scott Mescudi - the rapper known as Kid Cudi -

testified that his car was set on fire in 2012, shortly after

Combs learned that Mescudi had a romantic relationship with

Ventura.



Prosecutors say the alleged arson of Mescudi's car was one

of several violent or illegal acts that Combs or his associates

undertook to prevent women from leaving his orbit and keep his

abuse quiet.