The costs in Combs’ federal prison trial embody intercourse trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. He has pleaded not responsible. If convicted of all expenses, Combs may spend the remainder of his life in jail.
AILSA CHANG, HOST:
In the present day, the jury within the federal prison trial of Sean Combs heard opening arguments and testimony from the primary of two authorities witnesses. The costs in opposition to Combs, higher generally known as Diddy or Puff Daddy, embody intercourse trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. Combs pleaded not responsible to all expenses. NPR’s Isabella Gomez Sarmiento was within the courtroom and joins us now. And a warning – this reporting will make point out of sexual violence. Hello, Isabella.
ISABELLA GOMEZ SARMIENTO, BYLINE: Hello, Ailsa.
CHANG: So primarily based on the opening argument, are you able to simply give us a way of the case that the prosecution will attempt to make in opposition to Combs throughout this trial?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: The federal government is saying that for greater than 20 years, Combs used his companies in music, trend and media as a prison enterprise that carried out all kinds of alleged crimes, together with kidnapping, bribery, arson and obstruction of justice, but in addition intercourse crimes going again to 2009. These embody intercourse trafficking and transporting business intercourse staff throughout state strains and overseas. So throughout opening arguments, prosecutor Emily Johnson alleged that Combs trafficked his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and one other girlfriend who will testify beneath a pseudonym. Johnson stated this isn’t a case a couple of movie star’s personal sexual preferences, however relatively about how he used his energy and affect, enabled by a loyal interior circle, to coerce and threaten girls to satisfy his sexual wishes.
CHANG: And what in regards to the protection? Like, what is going on to be their argument in opposition to all of that?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: In its opening arguments, Combs’ protection stated this can be a case about jealousy, cash and infidelity, and that these issues don’t have anything to do together with his companies. They admitted off the bat that Combs has a mood, that he might be violent, and he is a drug consumer. They are saying he led what could also be an unconventional intercourse life, however they argued that is not a federal crime. Protection legal professional Teny Geragos stated Combs is liable for home violence however that each one of his sexual encounters had been consensual. She stated the federal government has no enterprise intervening in what occurs within the privateness of Combs’ bedrooms and that these girls had been in loving, but poisonous, relationships with him, and none of that quantities to intercourse trafficking or racketeering conspiracy.
CHANG: OK. Properly, the jury heard, I perceive, from the primary of two witnesses for the prosecution right now. Inform us what occurred.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Yeah, that is proper. So first, we heard from Israel Florez. He is at present a Los Angeles police officer, however he was working as a safety guard at an LA lodge in 2016. That is when he was known as to answer an altercation between Combs and a lady he later realized was Cassie Ventura. Prosecutors right now performed a number of variations of a lodge surveillance video that is been extensively considered since CNN obtained and launched a model of it final yr. It reveals an incident from March 2016 by which Combs might be seen kicking, hitting and dragging Ventura down the corridor. Florez testified that when he arrived on the lodge hallway, Combs had, quote, “a devilish stare.” He stated Ventura was attempting to depart, and Combs initially wouldn’t let her. Florez stated that finally when Ventura made it out of the lodge and he was asking her if she wanted assist, she refused to name the police or reply any questions.
The opposite witness was a person named Daniel Phillip. He stated Ventura gave him giant sums of cash for having intercourse along with her whereas Combs watched on quite a few events. He was requested to explain these encounters, which he stated occurred in New York Metropolis between round 2012 and 2014, and he offered very graphic particulars about what he stated occurred. He additionally stated he witnessed Combs violently assault Ventura on a couple of event, however he didn’t intervene as a result of he was scared for his personal life.
CHANG: Wow, OK. Properly, what else do you anticipate from this trial for the remainder of this primary week?
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Cassie Ventura is predicted to take the stand tomorrow. She filed the primary outstanding civil lawsuit in opposition to Combs within the fall of 2023. They settled that lawsuit out of courtroom inside a day of its submitting. However Cassie’s allegations had been a centerpiece of the prosecution’s opening arguments, and we anticipate that lots of the eye throughout this trial can be on her.
CHANG: That’s NPR’s Isabella Gomez Sarmiento. Thanks, Isabella.
GOMEZ SARMIENTO: Thanks.
Copyright © 2025 NPR. All rights reserved. Go to our web site phrases of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for additional info.
Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts could fluctuate. Transcript textual content could also be revised to appropriate errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org could also be edited after its unique broadcast or publication. The authoritative document of NPR’s programming is the audio document.