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Two witnesses have testified following opening statements and the conclusion of jury selection in the high-profile trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs — including a male escort who gave a graphic description of the “freak offs” involving the rapper and his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
Twelve jurors and six alternates were finalized Monday before the roughly eight-week-long trial got underway in a Manhattan federal courtroom.
The first witness, LAPD Officer Israel Florez, was working security at the InterContinental Hotel in 2016 when Combs was seen on surveillance footage assaulting Ventura in the hotel’s hallway. He testified that Combs attempted to bribe him into staying quiet after, and prosecutors later showed the jury recordings taken from inside the hotel of the violent attack.
A second witness, male escort Daniel Phillip, testified that he was paid by Diddy to have sex with Ventura, with the rapper at least once directing him to apply more baby oil during the encounter.
Combs is facing sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution, and racketeering conspiracy charges.
The music mogul was arrested in September 2024 as federal authorities alleged Combs and his associates threatened, abused, and coerced victims “to fulfill his sexual desires” between 2004 and 2024.
See you tomorrow
This concludes our coverage of the opening day of the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial.
We’ll resume reporting Tuesday morning, ahead of the trial resuming at 9:30 a.m. EDT.
Josh Marcus12 May 2025 23:50
Today's trial, in sketches
Josh Marcus12 May 2025 23:30
PHOTOS: Supporters, family members of Diddy depart as first day of trial ends
Josh Marcus12 May 2025 23:15
An Independent reporter's impressions of day one of the Diddy trial
The Independent’s Kelly Rissman was in the courtroom in Manhattan on Monday as the main stage of the highly watched Diddy trial began.
Now that testimony has adjourned for the day, below are her impressions so far.
A riveted, and sometimes horrified, courtroom
Gasps and groans reverberated throughout the overflow room as Daniel Phillip gave his testimony. It was nothing short of shocking, revealing extremely intimate details about the music mogul's sex life.
Sometimes when the judge overruled the defense team objections, some spectators would say something like: "Come on!" Others would react to the testimony about Phillip's texts to Cassie or his sexual encounters; a mention of "baby oil" always got at least a few laughs.
Impactful video evidence
His bombshell testimony came after jurors were subjected to watching surveillance footage of Combs attack Cassie multiple times. In that instance, the room was silent, as if disturbed.
The video had been a sticking point during jury selection, with attorneys hesitant toward any potential juror who had expressed an opinion about the footage that nearly everyone had already seen.
Phillip's testimony also included difficult parts, in which he discussed seeing and overhearing Cassie being beaten by the defendant. Cassie is expected to testify tomorrow.
Josh Marcus and Kelly Rissman12 May 2025 22:59
Court adjourns ahead of expected Cassie testimony
The Diddy trial has adjourned for the day.
Judge Arun Subramanian closed the proceedings warning members of the public against trying to identify the jurors.
Tomorrow, defense attorney Xavier Donaldson is expected to continue his cross-examination of Daniel Phillip, a government witness who testified to being paid to have sex with the music mogul’s then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Josh Marcus12 May 2025 22:30
Daniel Phillip provides more details on encounter with Diddy and Cassie
Escort Daniel Phillip testified during cross-examination that he was no longer an active stripper or dancer when his boss at a male strip revue asked him to meet with Cassie Ventura and Diddy for the first time.
However, his supervisor said he’d gotten a request for a Black male stripper and requested that Phillip make an appearance.
Upon arriving at a New York hotel to meet with Cassie at the first time, Phillip reportedly said Cassie “handed me $4,000.”
The escorted added that he believed Cassie was enjoying herself during their sexual encounters.
Earlier in the day, he reportedly testified he saw Diddy physically harming Cassie and urged her to leave him, saying, “I tried to explain to her that she’s in real danger if she stays with him."
Josh Marcus12 May 2025 22:21
Trial resumes with cross-examination of Daniel Phillip
Sean Combs’s defense is now cross-examining Daniel Phillip, a male escort who said he was paid by Combs to have sex with the mogul’s then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Xavier Donaldson, one of Combs’s lawyers, reportedly made a point to ask if a male strip revue Phillip managed “prohibited prostitution,” which Phillip said it did.
The lawyer also asked the escort about the particulars of his encounters with Ventura and Combs, with Phillip reportedly describing an instance where Ventura handed him thousands of dollars while he was wearing a New York City Police Department t-shirt.
Josh Marcus12 May 2025 22:06
Combs's daughters leave courtroom during escort's graphic testimony
Members of Sean “Diddy” Combs’s family have reacted in different ways to today’s graphic testimony from male escort Daniel Phillip, who told the court the music mogul paid him thousands of dollars across a series of encounters to have sex with Combs’s then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura.
Three of Combs’s daughters attending the trial reportedly left the room during this portion of testimony, while the disgraced producer’s sons sat “stone-faced, at times passing notes to each other,” according to The New York Times.
Josh Marcus12 May 2025 21:39
News outlets hire people to sit in line and save a spot for Tuesday
Several news outlets, including ABC News, have hired people to sit in line to secure a spot in the courtroom on Tuesday.
The line for Tuesday started around 4 p.m. Monday.
Ariana Baio 12 May 2025 21:30
Witness didn't call cops because he felt Diddy had 'unlimited power'
Maurene Comey, one of the prosecutors, asked male escort Daniel Phillip why he didn’t call the cops on Diddy.
“My thought was that this was someone with unlimited power,” he replied, according to The New York Times. “and chances are even if I did go to the police, that I might still end up losing my life.”
Isabel Keane 12 May 2025 21:23
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