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The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs started with a pretty intense and shocking opening statement on Monday, May 12. The Assistant U.S. Attorney, Emily Johnson, told the jury that Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend, was pressured into taking part in the rapper’s disturbing “freak-offs” — which were parties or events meant to please him. But over time, things allegedly turned violent.
Johnson said that Combs would physically abuse Ventura if she left these events too early or spent too long in the bathroom. One of the most disturbing claims was about an incident where the rapper supposedly asked a prostitute to urinate in Ventura’s mouth. The prosecutor described how this left Ventura feeling like she was choking.
The opening statement also accused Diddy of threatening to ruin Ventura’s career by threatening to release videos of her having sex with several male escorts. Basically, she was allegedly being blackmailed to stay quiet and compliant.
On the other side, Combs’ lawyers admitted that their client has a history of having a bad temper and being violent at times. But they argued strongly that this does not mean he’s guilty of sex trafficking. One of the defense lawyers, Teny Geragos, told the jury, “Domestic violence is not sex trafficking.”
For context, Diddy is facing several serious charges: one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking by force, and two counts related to transporting people for prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all of these.
The start of the trial got delayed a bit because picking the jury took longer than expected — the prosecutors and lawyers had a hard time narrowing down the group to the required 12 jurors plus 6 alternates.
Interestingly, the trial has also dragged in mentions of some famous people connected to Combs. Kanye West, who leaked a prison call with the rapper while he was jailed, came up during the hearing. Others mentioned were rapper Kid Cudi and actor Michael B. Jordan, who reportedly dated Ventura.