Sean “Diddy “‘s trial continues before the Manhattan Federal Court, where the 55-year-old hip-hop magnate faces accusations of sex trafficking, racketeering and transport to engage in prostitution.
Federal prosecutors claim that for decades, combs have mistreated, threatened and forced women to participate in marathon sexual meetings called “Freak Offs” and used its commercial empire, as well as firearms, kidnappings and criminal fires, to hide its crimes.
Dawn Richard, one of the singers of the Danity Kane girls group, resumed his testimony on Monday. Richard testified that she had witnessed combines physically attacking her former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, on several occasions.
Last week, Ventura spent four days on the position of the witnesses, telling the court that her decade relationship with Combs was marked by violence and physical violence. Ventura, who is eight months pregnant, described in detail the “freak offs” fed by drugs that would take days to recover. The jurors also showed a 2016 surveillance video of combat, cutting and dragging Ventura in the corridor of a Los Angeles hotel. The defense team presented hundreds of text messages between Ventura and Combs throughout their relationship in order to show that Ventura was a consensual participant in “Freak Offs”, sometimes even by planning them.
Combs pleaded not guilty. If he is found guilty, he could risk in life to life. He is detained without surety in a Brooklyn prison. A jury of 12 New Yorkers and six deputies will decide his fate. The trial should last at least eight weeks.
You can read our coverage of the first week of the trial here. Follow the blog live below for the latest updates on the trial, extracted from various journalists and press organizations in the courtroom, including the Associated Press, CNN, NBC News and the Washington Post.
If you or someone you know suffer from domestic violence, you can call the National Hotline of domestic violence at 1-800-799-Safe (7233). Find more resources here.
