What to know about the sex trafficking trial
- A woman who is only being referred to by a pseudonym, "Mia," who used to work as Sean “Diddy” Combs’ personal assistant for several years, returned to the stand today.
- She faced cross-examination after accusing Combs of sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions. The defense repeatedly asked Mia why she stayed with Combs despite the alleged assaults she says she endured. “Because when he was happy, I was safe," she told the court.
- Sylvia Oken, area director of sales and marketing at the Beverly Hills Hotel, also took the stand. Prosecutors say they will start tomorrow off by calling a named Eddy Garcia to the witness stand. Garcia worked as a security supervisor at the Los Angeles hotel where Combs was filmed attacking Cassie Ventura in March 2016.
- Combs faces five criminal counts: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has vociferously denied the allegations against him.
- This live briefing may include graphic descriptions of sexual violence. For resources on sexual assault, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline.
- Sign up for the “Diddy on Trial” newsletter for key developments and analysis; listen to the podcast “Dateline: True Crime Weekly” for daily coverage.
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Court is adjourned for the day
With no one expected to return for testimony, prosecutors say they will start tomorrow off by calling a man named Eddy Garcia to the witness stand.
Garcia worked as a security supervisor at the Los Angeles hotel where Combs was filmed attacking Cassie Ventura in March 2016. He briefly took the stand today to invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
He received an immunity order, sparing him from potential prosecution so long as he answers questions truthfully.
Court is adjourned and will resume tomorrow morning.
Government acknowledges witness's face was shown in error
Prosecutor Maurene Comey told the court that — hours earlier — the face of "Mia" was mistakenly shown on video piped into the courthouse overflow room.
Judge Subramanian asked if something went wrong with the redacted footage that should've been aired or the incorrect version was used.
The prosecution didn't have an answer.
Combs used aliases for hotel reservations, witness says
Sylvia Oken, area director of sales and marketing at the Beverly Hills Hotel, is on the stand now as the prosecution's next witness.
Oken told jurors that Sean Combs used the aliases "Phillip Pines and "Frank Black" for hotel reservations.
She said it's not uncommon for entertainment industry guests to stay at the hotel under an alias.
Mia says she couldn't look her loved ones in the eye without testifying
The witness said she has no choice but to testify against Combs because she doesn't want her younger, female loved ones to turn a blind eye to the issue of sexual assault.
"Because I can’t look my niece or my goddaughters in the eyes … in the future if they happen to be in this situation."
Alleged sexual assault is the worst thing she has ever had to talk about, 'Mia' says
The prosecution had Mia reiterate her feelings of fear in talking about Combs, with her testifying that her terror and difficulty understanding what allegedly happened was partly why she met with the government so much.
Prosecutor Madison Smyser asked Mia if she has ever been able to speak about her allegations that Combs sexually assaulted her without looking down.
"No, it's the worst thing I have ever had to talk about in my life," Mia said.
Working hard, staying out of trouble
On redirect, "Mia" said she had a good reason to keep working hard and ensuring that Combs was pleased.
"Because when he was happy, I was safe," the prosecution witness said.
The defense repeatedly asked Mia why she stayed with Combs despite the alleged assaults she says she endured. Mia didn't distance herself from previous statements of admiration for Combs, saying that high highs — at that point of her career and life — seemed to make up for the low lows.
Prosecution takes up redirect, asks 'Mia' about Combs' social media presence
Combs' defense ended its cross-examination, allowing prosecutors to redirect Mia's testimony.
Mia was asked about her work with Combs, which included managing all of his social media presence. She testified that if Combs did not feel as if she was doing her job, Mia would be punished and her job would have been threatened.
This apparently included posting for Combs' birthday, as Mia told the court she would've been in trouble if she didn't post.
'Mia' reiterates that Combs had threatened her life
Defense attorney Brian Steel revisited Mia's prior testimony of the violence she said she endured while working for Combs, noting that in 14 years all she ever wrote about Combs were statements of admiration.
Mia testified that there was a time where Combs slammed a door on her arm and continued to apply pressure, leaving her bruised. She said that her only interaction with Combs' human resources was for them to enforce a punishment he wanted.
Steel recalled her prior testimony saying she was scared of being killed, asking Mia if there were times she felt she could die at Combs' hands.
Mia told the court that he had threatened her life and physically assaulted her.
'Mia' says it wasn't clear to Ventura that she and Combs were not exclusive
The cross-examination of "Mia" moved into the former assistant's observations of Combs' relationship with Ventura, specifically whether Ventura was jealous of other women.
She testified that in her experience, she only recalls Ventura being upset that she saw Combs with another woman while Ventura was filming in South Africa. Mia testified that the relationship was presented to Ventura as one of exclusivity between her and Combs.
When defense attorney Brian Steel noted that clearly wasn't true, Mia told the court "it was not clear to her."
Defense hammering home 'kill myself' message
Steel revisited the "kill myself" text message by Mia, echoing what might be the defense's strongest point of this cross-examination.
But like in previous instances of Steele asking Mia about her praising Combs, the witness owned it and explained her mindset of wanting to remain employed by the defendant.
"My entire world was ripped away from me, immediately," she said. "And even if, in hindsight, that world was awful, I didn’t know it at the time. That’s why it felt like everything was ending."
