Diddy’s Sex Trafficking Trial Ignites with Shocking ‘Freak Offs,’ Explosive Cassie Tape, and Gut-Wrenching Testimony – Day 1 Bombshells

Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial began Monday (May 12) in a Manhattan federal courthouse, where prosecutors claimed Combs exploited his music empire for decades to “feed his every desire,” immediately showing jurors a 2016 video of him assaulting Cassie Ventura.

On the first day of a trial set to last two months, prosecutors portrayed Combs as a man who used “coercive and criminal conduct” to force at least two women into drug-fueled sex parties called “freak offs.”

“For twenty years, the defendant, with the help of his trusted inner circle, committed crime after crime,” prosecutor Emily A. Johnson said in her opening statements. “That’s what we’re here about today. That’s what this case is about.”

Combs’ defense attorney, Teny Geragos, responded by acknowledging Combs’ “toxic” relationship with Ventura, admitting it involved “domestic violence,” but insisted he was not guilty of racketeering or sex trafficking.

“Sean Combs is a complicated man, but this is not a complicated case,” Geragos told the jury. “We take full responsibility that there was domestic violence. Domestic violence is not sex trafficking.”

Following opening statements, prosecutors presented a 2016 surveillance video of Combs attacking Ventura in a Los Angeles hotel, played twice for jurors with a hotel security guard narrating the incident.

Combs was indicted in September for operating a criminal enterprise to “fulfill his sexual desires,” allegedly orchestrating “freak offs” where he and associates used drugs, violence, threats, and blackmail to coerce Ventura and others into sex with male sex workers. Charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and violating a federal prostitution statute, Combs faces a potential life sentence if convicted.

Prosecutors described how Combs allegedly used “lies, drugs, threats, and violence” to manipulate Ventura and another woman, “Jane,” into sex with male sex workers in “dark hotel rooms.” Johnson said Combs threatened to release videos of these encounters, noting, “It had the power to ruin her life.”

Geragos countered that Ventura and other alleged victims consensually participated in Combs’ “swinger lifestyle.” “That may not be what you like to do in your bedroom,” she told jurors. “She was not being trafficked.”

The defense admitted to Combs’ “indefensible” 2016 hotel assault and his “extremely jealous” nature, even referencing the stash of baby oil found in his home. “You may know of his love of baby oil,” Geragos said, prompting courtroom chuckles. “Is that a federal crime? No.”

Johnson outlined the prosecution’s case, including testimony from Ventura, Jane, and a former employee, “Mia,” alongside text messages, travel records, non-disclosure agreements, injury photos, and videos of the “freak offs” showing Combs “directing” the events.

Geragos reiterated that Ventura and others made consensual choices in their “bit of a different sex life,” emphasizing, “They were all getting something they wanted from him. They made free choices every single day for years.”

The prosecution introduced the Ventura video through Israel Flores, a former hotel security guard, who described Combs’ “devilish stare” and Ventura’s “purple eye,” alleging Combs offered a “wad” of cash as a bribe “not to tell anybody.”

Defense attorney Brian Steel challenged Flores’ testimony, highlighting inconsistencies, such as the absence of the “purple eye” in his original report. “It doesn’t,” Flores admitted.

The day concluded with testimony from Daniel Philips, a male exotic dancer paid to have sex with Ventura while Combs watched, masturbating. “He was sitting in the corner masturbating,” Philips said. He described a later incident where Combs violently attacked Ventura, leaving him “terrified” of Combs’ “unlimited power.” “It was going through my mind that if I tried to do something, I might lose my life,” he said.

The trial, expected to continue until early July, will feature further prosecution and defense witnesses.