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.
Diddy has denied any accusations of wrongdoing and has rejected the government’s plea deal offer.
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Key Points
An Independent reporter's impressions of day one of the Diddy trial
22:59
,
Josh Marcus and Kelly Rissman
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.
Court adjourns ahead of expected Cassie testimony
22:30
,
Josh Marcus
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.
Ventura herself is expected to testify shortly after.
Daniel Phillip provides more details on encounter with Diddy and Cassie
22:21
,
Josh Marcus
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.
The escort reportedly thought he was going to strip for a bachelorette party.
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."
Trial resumes with cross-examination of Daniel Phillip
22:06
,
Josh Marcus
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.
Combs's daughters leave courtroom during escort's graphic testimony
21:39
,
Josh Marcus
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.
News outlets hire people to sit in line and save a spot for Tuesday
21:30
,
Ariana Baio
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.
Witness didn't call cops because he felt Diddy had 'unlimited power'
21:23
,
Isabel Keane
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.”
Male escort says he believes Sean 'Diddy' Combs was 'threatening' him
20:56
,
Ariana Baio, Isabel Keane
Male escort Daniel Phillip testified that Cassie Ventura once appeared to be on drugs.
During one encounter, Sean Combs asked Phillip to see his ID for “insurance” before he had sex with Ventura, Inner City Press wrote on X.
When asked by the prosecutor how he interpreted that, Phillip said: “He was threatening me.”
Phillip said after the incident, during which Combs offered him Molly, he got high and handed out $100 bills.
After that incident, he stopped seeing Ventura and Combs, Phillip testified.
The final encounter also took place after Combs hit Ventura, Phillip said.
Male escort testifies that Diddy instructed Cassie and him to use more baby oil
20:48
,
Isabel Keane
Male escort Daniel Phillip testified that while having sex with Cassie Ventura her then-boyfriend Sean “Diddy” Combs would instruct them to use more baby oil.
“He’d say, ‘y’all slow down, separate from each other,’” Phillip recalled, according to Inner City Press on X.
Diddy also allegedly instructed the two to role play, pretending they had just met at the airport.
Phillip later noted that they weren’t good at roleplaying and had to skip over it.
Second witness called to testify
20:42
,
Ariana Baio
Prosecutors called their second witness, Daniel Phillip, to testify.
Phillip, a male escort, was paid by Diddy to have sex with the rapper’s then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.
Phillip said he was hired under the pretense of stripping for women at a bachelorette party at the Gramercy Park Hotel.
He testified that Ventura gave him a few thousand dollars and would tip him at the end of the encounter, according to The New York Times.
He also said that after leaving an encounter at the hotel, Ventura texted him to return for more sex with her, with Combs masturbating in the corner of the room.
Phillip testified that he returned to have similar encounters with Ventura for the next year or two.
He also recalled Diddy giving him specific directions for how he should be having sex with Ventura, including instructions to apply more baby oil onto their bodies.
“Cassie was actually the one that asked me urinate on her…she asked me if I had ever done that before, she told me to do it, apparently I was doing it wrong, because they both told me," Phillip testified, according to Courthouse News.
Officer Israel Florez under cross-examination
20:14
,
Ariana Baio
Officer Israel Florez is now under cross-examination by Brian Steel.
Steel gained notoriety representing rapper Young Thug at his racketeering trial in Atlanta, Georgia.
Prosecutors show hotel security footage
19:26
,
Isabel Keane
Following Israel Florez’s testimony, prosecutors showed jurors the hotel security camera footage from March 5, 2016.
The footage features Combs in a towel, hitting and dragging his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, and hurling a vase in the elevator lobby.
The footage featured no audio and had some pixelation, Courthouse News reported.
Witness claims Diddy tried to bribe him to stay quiet about hotel incident
19:20
,
Ariana Baio, Isabel Keane
Florez testified that he responded to a report of a woman in distress on the sixth floor of the InterContinental Hotel on March 5, 2016.
He showed up and found Combs in a towel and his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, on the floor.
Florez recalled Combs was only wearing a towel and was sitting on a chair “slouched down, like with a blank stare... like a devlish stare, just looking at me.”
Florez said they were arguing and there was a broken vase, which he told them would be charged to their room.
Ventura had said she wanted to leave, which Combs denied. After she eventually left, Combs offered Florez a cash bribe to keep quiet, which Florez refused.
Florez said he told Combs, “I don’t want your money. Just go back into your room.”
Prosecutors were using Florez, the trial’s first witness, to introduce recordings of Combs beating Ventura in 2016.
Diddy’s defense had unsuccessfully tried to have the footage banned because a recording aired on CNN; however, prosecutors say they aren’t using that recording. Instead, they plan to show jurors recordings that were taken within the hotel.
With Associated Press contributions.
New courtroom sketches show Diddy during his defense lawyer's opening statements
19:09
,
Isabel Keane
New courtroom sketches showed Sean “Diddy” Combs sitting in court while his defense attorney Teny Geragos gave opening statements.
Combs was wearing a light gray or taupe colored shirt and glasses.
Trial resumes with first witness testimony
18:36
,
Ariana Baio
Following lunch, prosecutors called on their first witness, Los Angeles Police Department Officer Israel Florez.
Florez was a security guard at the InterContinental Hotel in 2016, where Combs was seen on surveillance footage assaulting Cassie Ventura in a hallway of the hotel.
Dedicated Diddy fans show up to the trial
18:32
,
Ariana Baio
Roza Leonora, a longtime fan of Combs, showed up to federal court today to show support for the music mogul as his sex trafficking trial begins.
“I felt sad, sorry for him,” Leonora, 42, told The Independent when she saw the video feed of Combs in the courtroom from one of the several overflow rooms.
Combs’s hair has gone entirely grey, and he is noticeably thinner since being arrested and jailed at Metropolitan Detention Center.
Leonora thinks the charges against Combs are unfair and were brought wrongly. She said her “heart broke” when she first saw the video of Combs beating up Cassie Ventura in 2016, but she “never” believed the story about freaks offs that prosecutors say incited the incident.
“I’m hoping he walks,” Leonora said.
Courtroom sketch artist talks to reporters outside courthouse
18:22
,
Ariana Baio
Diddy's defense claims infamous hotel attack video stemmed from 'jealousy'
17:46
,
Kelly Rissman
During opening statements, Sean “Diddy” Combs’ defense said the hotel surveillance footage obtained by CNN of the rapper beating his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura stemmed from “jealousy” over the contents on her phone.
“Jealousy was on full display,” Geragos said of the footage, noting Diddy is not on trial for domestic violence.
The defense team took accountability for the music mogul’s past with domestic violence and did not condone it, calling his prior relationships with Ventura and another witness, Jane, “toxic.”
Geragos also described the two women as “strong and capable” and pointed out that they were free to make “adult choices.”
Geragos also mentioned that the Freak Off footage was found on Cassie’s phone.
Meanwhile, the prosecution emphasized Diddy’s “power and control” over the women he dated — always more than one at a time.
Diddy sometimes called himself the “king and expected to be treated like one,” the prosecutor said.
He used his companies and reputation to “feed his every desire,” Geragoes added.
Ventura is expected to testify during the trial, potentially on Monday on Tuesday.
Court breaks for lunch
17:18
,
Ariana Baio
After delivering opening statements for about 45 minutes, the defense concluded their remarks.
The court then broke for a half-hour lunch.
Defense delivers opening statement
16:42
,
Isabel Keane, Ariana Baio
Teny Geragoes, a lawyer for Sean “Diddy” Combs began delivering the defense’s opening statement around 11:30 a.m.
“Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case,” Geragoes said. “This case is about love, jealousy, infidelity and money.”
Geragoes argued that the alleged victims loved Combs, and text messages would reflect that.
The defense admitted that while Combs had a temper and history of violence, that didn’t amount to sex trafficking, transportation for prostitution or racketeering conspiracy.
“There has been a tremendous amount of noise around this case over the past year,” Geragoes said. “it is time to cancel that noise.”
Geragoes then took aim at the prosecution’s “larger-than-life” characterization of Combs, telling jurors: “No one gave him a dime,” according to The New York Times.
She also attempted to humanize the famous rapper, telling jurors that while they may know him as “Puff Daddy,” or “P. Diddy” or “Diddy,” in the court room he will be referred to “by the same name he was born with: Sean Combs.”
Meanwhile, Combs stood with his hands clasped in front of his stomach as Geragoes introduced him to the jury.
With Associated Press contributions.
Prosecution introduces witnesses in trial
16:25
,
Isabel Keane, Ariana Baio
The prosecution began introducing some of the witnesses in the trial.
Prosecutors introduced Cassie, the musician and Combs’s ex-girlfriend, Jane, a pseudonym for a single mother who began spending time with Combs in 2020, and Mia, another pseudonym for one of Combs’s former employees.
Prosecutors said Mia would eventually testify that Combs “forced himself on her sexually,” including forcing her to perform oral sex and sneaking into her bed to “penetrate her against her will,” according to the New York Times.
In addition to hearing from victims, prosecutors told jurors they would be hearing from some of Combs’ former staff, including some who received settlements.
Among those are his chef and an employee whom Combs allegedly forced into an SUV at gunpoint.
Jurors may also hear from escorts whom Combs allegedly hired to participate in the freak offs.
Diddy trial draws in onlookers
16:15
,
Ariana Baio
The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs has drawn in spectators from far and wide.
One onlooker, a man named Steven visiting from Florida, was drawn to the courthouse Monday morning due to the spectacle of it all.
“It’s a pretty just, almost, quintessential case in that somebody in power, using their power for years and years, to cover it up. So it’s a vicious cycle,” he told The Independent outside the courthouse.
National broadcast media outlets also swarmed outside the courthouse.
A lot of individual reporters from different places – Shanghai, Australia, some Eastern European countries – who are reporting on the trial by themselves.
Many of the reporters have iPads set up on tri-pods, and are calling in information remotely.
Combs remains stoic while prosecutors describe alleged abuse
16:08
,
Isabel Keane
Combs sat stone-faced with his hands clasped on his lap as prosecutors described the alleged physical abuse and sexual coercion suffered by his longtime ex, Cassie Ventura.
"Time and again, the defendant hit Cassie in the head, threw her to the floor and dragged her by the hair…Stomped repeatedly on her face,” Courthouse News reported.
“The defendant’s control, the defendant’s violence, and the defendant’s threats - That is how the defendant ensured Cassie could not say no to him," prosecutors said.
Ventura, who is pregnant, is expected to testify at some point during the trial.
Case is 'not about a celebrity's private sexual preferences'
16:03
,
Isabel Keane
Emily Johnson, the prosecutor, said the case against Diddy was “not about a celebrity’s sexual preferences.”
Seemingly trying to get ahead of Diddy’s potential defense, Johnson began to detail the “freak offs” at the center of the government’s case.
Johnson said Combs forced women to have sex when they didn’t want to, threatened them, drugged them and used violence to coerce them into sex, according to The New York Times.
Two women, Casandra Ventura and another using the pseudonym “Jane,” were directed on what to wear and drugs to take, as well as “every step of the sexual activity.”
Johnson then began telling the story of Ventura, Combs’ ex-longtime girlfriend, who is also the star witness in the trial.
Prosecutors said Ventura agreed to participate in a freak off initially because she loved Combs but “knew it was not something she wanted to do,” Johnson said.
Johnson noted that Ventura soon learned “she had no choice but to agree” to the freak-offs, or else things would end in violence, per the Times.
The pair met in 2005 when Ventura signed to Combs’ label. She was 19 and he was 37. They dated on and off for a decade before ending things for good in 2018.
Ventura came forward about her experience of domestic abuse last year.
Surveillance footage from a 2016 incident showed Combs chasing the singer down a hotel hallway before punching and kicking her to the floor.
Opening statements begin in trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs
15:49
,
Isabel Keane
Opening statements began just before 11 a.m. in the high-profile trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Assistant US Attorney Emily Johnson began by pointing to Combs as she stood before the jury, calling him a “larger than life” public figure who had “another side to him, a side that ran a criminal enterprise.”
Johnson went on to say that Combs “didn’t do it alone.”
“He had an inner circle of bodyguards and high-ranking employees who helped him commit crimes and cover them up.”
Those crimes included kidnapping, arson, drugs, sex crimes, bribery and obstruction, Johnson said.
With Associated Press contributions.
Judge rejects claim of discriminatory jury strikes
15:40
,
The Associated Press
The judge rejected the defense’s claim that the prosecution’s strikes of potential jurors were discriminatory because seven Black individuals were struck from the jury.
The judge said Comey had given “race neutral reasons” to explain each strike and that the defense had failed to show purposeful discrimination.
Who makes up the jury?
15:20
,
Ariana Baio
The jury is made up people in a wide variety of careers.
One works in a nursing home, another for Weill Cornell, one works for the United Nations doing operational work.
We have some from Westchester, others from the Bronx and others from Manhattan.
Their ages range between young 20s and late 60s.
There are eight men and four women. Among the alternates, two are women and four are men.
Some of the jurors said they have experience with crime or domestic abuse, either personally or from a close friend or family member.
A few also said they had seen the video of Diddy pushing Cassie, but all said they could be impartial in judging the case.
Who is on the prosecution and defense?
15:15
,
Isabel Keane
The prosecution team is made up of eight assistant US attorneys, seven of them women.
The prosecutor who will deliver an opening statement is Emily Johnson.
Maurene Ryan Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, is also on the team.
Meanwhile, the defense of seven attorneys is being led by New York lawyer Marc Agnifilo, whose wife, Karen Agnifilo is famously defending Luigi Mangione, who is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
With Associated Press contributions.
Diddy’s lawyers are accusing US of striking Black potential jurors more than any other group
14:56
,
Ariana Baio
Diddy’s lawyers have accused prosecutors of striking more Black potential jurors than any other group.
After Judge Subramanian read out the list of potential jurors, the rapper’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo noted, “The US struck 7 Black people, which amounts to a pattern.”
Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey then gave reasons to explain why prosecutors struck each prospective juror from the jury, according to the Associated Press.
Judge Arun Subramanian enters court an hour behind schedule
14:52
,
Isabel Keane
Judge Arun Subramanian entered court just before 9:40 a.m. — over an hour behind schedule as jury selection was scheduled for 8:30 a.m.
Both sides have started striking jurors from the pool.
There will eventually be 12 jurors, 6 alternates and in an unusual move, an extra three potential alternates, according to the Washington Post.
The extra jurors were likely added in case people drop out over the course of the trial, which is expected to last eight weeks.
Who is there to support Diddy?
14:31
,
Isabel Keane
Diddy’s seven children and his mother, Janice Combs, were all pictured walking into the Manhattan courthouse Monday morning.
His eldest son, Justin, led his pack of siblings into the courthouse.
Combs’ other children, Christian (King) Combs, Jessie Combs, Chance Combs, D’Lila Combs and Jessie Combs, walked in behind him holding hands.
Diddy enters the courtroom, blows kiss to family
14:19
,
Isabel Keane
Diddy entered the courtroom just before 9 a.m. and gave a warm welcome to his relatives and legal team.
The rapper could be seen embracing and shaking hands with his legal team before blowing a kiss to his relatives, the Washington Post reported.
He is wearing either a light gray or taupe-colored sweater and khaki pants.
The court already appears to be running behind schedule.
Officials wanted proceedings to begin at 8:30 a.m., but Combs only entered the courtroom just before 9 a.m.
As of 9 a.m. Judge Arun Subramanian still had not entered the courtroom, according to online reports.
What is expected to happen in court today?
14:45
,
Isabel Keane
It’s a beautiful day in downtown Manhattan, but those attending, what is expected to be the first day of the Diddy trial, will not get to see much of it.
Monday morning’s case was slated to start at 8:30 a.m. with the rest of jury selection, which was expected to last an hour or so.
However, by 9:30 a.m., no jurors had been seated.
Once jurors are selected, Judge Arun Subramanian is then going to head into opening arguments - which is what most of the long line of spectators and Diddy’s family is here for.
The prosecution is expected to bring three witnesses to the stand today, including a male escort and possibly Diddy’s ex longtime girlfriend Cassie Ventura, according to the Washington Post.
Four Diddy accusers set to testify at trial
14:00
,
Isabel Keane
Without publicly identifying the alleged victims, prosecutors said four of Diddy’s accusers will testify during the trial.
The prosecution will also be allowed to show the jury security videos of Combs beating and kicking one of his accusers, his former longtime girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, according to the Associated Press.
Diddy’s attorneys are expected to argue that with the 2016 footage, the government is demonizing sexual activity of consenting adults.
Diddy's seven children enter the courthouse holding hands
13:32
,
Ariana Baio
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ seven children all appeared to enter the courthouse Monday as opening statements are set to begin in their father’s sex trafficking trial.
Six of his children, Christian (King) Combs, Jessie Combs, Chance Combs, D’Lila Combs and Jessie Combs, held hands while entering the building while his son, Justin Combs, walked in front of the group.
