Topline
One of the alleged victims central to prosecutors’ case against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs” took the stand Thursday under the pseudonym “Mia,” testifying Combs sexually assaulted her and that the rap mogul could be “unpredictable and terrifying” while she worked as his personal assistant.
One of Combs' alleged victims takes the stand Thursday under the pseudonym "Mia." (Photo by John ... More
Mia, who worked for Combs as a personal assistant from 2009 to 2017, during which time she was good friends with his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, testified Thursday Combs was violent with her and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.
“He’s thrown things at me. He’s thrown me against the wall. He’s thrown me into a pool. He’s thrown an ice bucket on my head,” Mia testified, CNN reported, adding when she and Ventura would do something together without Combs’ permission, the punishments would be “unpredictable and terrifying.”
Mia testified working for Combs was “chaotic” and “toxic” and she often worked without sleep, testifying she once worked five straight days without rest, adding she was at one point Combs’ only personal assistant, BBC reported.
Mia said she frequently saw Combs attack Ventura and described multiple altercations, including one in which Combs threw her against a bed frame, giving her a forehead scar, which Mia said made her think: “Is he going to kill her?”
Mia acknowledged in her testimony working for Combs could be “exciting,” citing her work on film and television projects, stating the “highs were really high and the lows really low,” NBC News reported.
Mia is one of the four alleged victims central to the prosecution’s case against Combs, and she is referred to in court documents as “Victim-4” (Cassie Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend and the prosecution’s star witness, is “Victim-1” in the indictment against Combs). Prosecutors are expected to use Mia’s testimony to support the racketeering charge against Combs, supporting their allegation that he ran a “criminal enterprise” that engaged in forced labor and other crimes. Some legal analysts have said the prosecution’s case so far has established Combs had a pattern of violence, but has been slow to sufficiently prove the racketeering charge. “I’m not seeing the development of a racketeering enterprise,” criminal defense attorney Tama Beth Kudman told NBC News this week as the third week of testimony began, stating the prosecution has not yet demonstrated “the thread that creates an enterprise with a unified purpose.” Prosecutor Emily Johnson previewed Mia’s testimony in her opening statement at the beginning of Combs’ trial, stating Mia will testify about how “the defendant forced himself on her sexually,” allegedly “forcing her to perform oral sex and sneaking into her bed to penetrate her against her will,” and subjected her to forced labor.
Ventura, one of the other four victims central to the case against Combs, testified for much of the trial’s first week. In her testimony, Ventura described “freak off” sex parties as drug-fueled nightmares Combs coerced her to participate in, which she said left her feeling “disgusting” and in physical pain. She also alleged Combs raped her in 2018 and subjected her to years of physical violence during their relationship. Rapper Kid Cudi, another high-profile witness, testified Combs broke into his house and his car exploded weeks after Combs found out he briefly dated Ventura.
Combs faces five federal charges: two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering conspiracy. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all allegations made against him. Combs also faces dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and sex trafficking.
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Trial: Cassie Testifies About Alleged 2018 Rape As Cross-Examination Wraps Up (Forbes)
Diddy Trial: Kid Cudi Testifies Sean Combs Broke Into His House Before His Car Was Firebombed (Forbes)