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On Monday, May 12, Diddy's s*x trafficking trial officially began in a Manhattan Federal court, with both sides delivering their opening statements to the jury.
Several new revelations emerged during the session, including an allegation that the rapper physically assaulted his ex, Cassie Ventura, after finding out about her alleged affair.
One standout testimony came from Daniel Phillip, a male str*pper who was allegedly hired by Diddy and claimed to have witnessed him abusing Cassie.
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In his testimony, Phillip said that his first encounter with Cassie Ventura took place in 2012 at the Gramercy Park Hotel in Manhattan, where he expected to attend a bachelorette party but found Ventura alone.
He further testified that the encounter ended in s*xual intercourse, with Combs present in the room and pleasuring himself while watching them. Phillip claimed that such s*xual activities occurred multiple times between late 2013 and early 2014, with some of the encounters allegedly recorded by the Bad Boy Records owner.
There were also mentions of physical abuse, including instances of the rapper throwing a vodka bottle at Ventura and dragging her by the hair. The details of the allegations reportedly got too graphic for Diddy's family. As reported by HotNewHipHop, at one point during the testimony, the record producer's daughters had to leave the courtroom.
The second witness to take the stand in Diddy's trial on Monday
In addition to Daniel Phillip, another witness who testified against the rapper on Monday was Israel Florez, an LA police officer who worked as a security official at the InterContinental Hotel in March 2016.
Florez claimed that he received a call reporting a woman in distress at the hotel and, upon stepping out of the elevator, spotted Combs and the woman in the lobby. He then escorted Diddy and Ventura back to their hotel room.
Florez added that the Last Night rapper approached him with a wad of cash, which he interpreted to be a bribe and declined. He also mentioned that Ventura left the hotel later that day with a purple eye. Florez filed a report on the incident but didn't call people because "there was no victim there, obviously nobody was pressing charges."
Florez also added:
"I see Ms. Cassie in the corner covering her face, bundled up. [Mr. Combs] was on the chair, slouched down, and he was at a blank stare. As soon as I walked out, the best way I can describe it is a devilish stare. He was just looking at me… looking at me with no movement."
Florez's statement appears to be in line with leaked CCTV footage shared by CNN in May of last year, which showed Combs kicking Ventura and dragging her into a hotel lobby as she tried to escape with her things. The footage was also played for the jurors in the courtroom.
Diddy, who faces charges of s*x trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in pr*stitution, could be imprisoned for life if he's convicted.
