Diddy trial live: Pregnant Cassie Ventura breaks cover as she prepares to take the stand

By GERMANIA RODRIGUEZ POLEO, CHIEF U.S. REPORTER and MARJORIE HERNANDEZ and DANIEL BATES AT THE DANIEL PATRICK MOYNIHAN FEDERAL COURTHOUSE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: 08:04 EDT, 13 May 2025 | Updated: 10:42 EDT, 13 May 2025

Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura is set to testify against him in his sex-trafficking and racketeering trial in Manhattan federal court.

The disgraced music mogul, 55, is accused of leading a criminal enterprise for 20 years, using his fame and wealth to coerce and threaten women into submission.  

On Monday, the jury heard harrowing testimony from Daniel Phillip, a male escort who testified that he was paid thousands of dollars to have sex with Cassie as Diddy watched.

Phillip recalled witnessing the rapper physically abuse Cassie on multiple occasions and added that the music mogul once gave him MDMA.

His testimony came after the court heard how Combs forced women to take part in drug-fueled sex parties which went on for days while he filmed them.

Combs’ defense says he is guilty of domestic violence but not of sex-trafficking or racketeering, and that the government is targeting him for his sexual preferences. 

 

Cassie to testify any moment now

Daniel Phillip’s time on the stand has concluded.

Cassie’s testimony should begin within minutes after a 10-minute sidebar.

Judge rejects claim that Combs was treated differently because of his race

The judge presiding over the racketeering and sex trafficking trial of hip-hop mogul Sean Combs said last week there was no evidence to back up his lawyers’ claim he was treated differently because of his race.

Judge Arun Subramanian said Combs had shown no evidence of discriminatory effect or intent based on his race, when his lawyers made their arguments in Manhattan federal court in February. In a separate written opinion, the judge also refused to suppress evidence in the case.

The lawyers had written that the prosecution was unprecedented because, ‘most disturbingly, no white person has ever been the target of a remotely similar prosecution.’

Diddy’s team goes after male escort’s credibility

Defense attorney Donaldson is grilling Daniel Phillip on discrepancies between his testimony and previous statements to prosecutors.

The defense claims Phillip told prosecutors in March that the mogul did not direct his sexual encounters with Cassie, which contradicts what he said on the stand on Monday.

Phillip said on Tuesday he always felt he ‘had a bond’ with Cassie and admitted he would have liked to date her.

‘I was attracted to her and had she given me the chance to date her, I absolutely woul have,’ he said.

Diddy’s lawyers are depicting Phillip as jealous of the rapper.

Diddy’s girlfriend Dana Tran back in court for day two of his trial

Combs — who shares seven kids with four different women — disclosed that he had fathered his youngest child on December 10, 2022.

Diddy has never confirmed having a relationship with Tran, and little is known about how they met.

Diddy’s ex Sarah Chapman in court

Sarah Chapman is a close friend of Diddy who had a baby with him in 2006, while his late partner Kim Porter was pregnant with twins.

Cassie’s husband Alex Fine arrives in court ahead of her testimony

Fine and Cassie met while he was a physical trainer for Diddy.

The couple is expecting their third child together in just a few weeks.

Lawyers argue over media’s access to video evidence

Assistant US Attorney Emily Johnson argued against letting media outlets see sexually explicit videos, saying there was good legal precedent to keep such materials out of the public record.

Combs’ attorney, Marc Agnifilo, said there was no aspect of the videos that was not ‘in the nature of adult pornography.’ He said they all contained images of people who are nude having sex or about to have sex.

On behalf of news outlets, attorney Robert Balin told the judge the First Amendment is ‘at a zenith’ in this type of case and that it was important that the ‘people, though the press, be able to see justice is being done.’

He said the best evidence of whether sexual acts that were recorded were coerced — as prosecutors allege — was the videos themselves.

Male escort Daniel Phillip resumes testimony against Diddy

Diddy’s lawyers have resumed their cross-examination of Phillip, who told the jury he was paid to have sex with Cassie as Diddy watched.

Phillip told jurors that Combs was coy about his identity when they first met in 2012 at a Manhattan hotel.

The rap star wore a ball cap, obscured his face with a bandana and claimed to be in the importing and exporting industry, Phillip said.

The witness testified that it wasn’t until a subsequent encounter at a different hotel when Combs revealed who he was, answering the door in a suit and peacoat.

Who took the stand on Monday against Diddy?

• The trial’s first witness, Israel Florez, who was working hotel security at the time, testified about responding to a report of a woman in distress and witnessing Combs tell Cassie:, “You’re not going to leave.”
• Jurors also heard from Daniel Phillip, who said he was a professional stripper who was paid to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched and gave instructions. He testified that he once saw Combs drag her by her hair as she screamed.

DR PHIL reveals Diddy’s trial tactics: How he could walk FREE

Opening statements have just begun in the trial of Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs, yet the case against the multi-millionaire hip-hop superstar may already have been won… or lost.

For it all comes down to the jury.

From a pool of 150 potential jurors, the judge, defense team and federal prosecutors have selected 12 people (and six alternates should one of the active jurors become, for whatever reason, incapable of fulfilling their obligations).

Diddy allowed to wear his own clothes during trial

Judge Arun Subramanian has granted Combs permission to wear regular clothes in court, instead of jail garb.

He is allowed up to five button-down shirts, five pairs of pants, five sweaters, five pairs of socks and two pairs of shoes without laces.

On Monday, he sported a gray sweater and a white button-down shirt. Because hair dye isn’t allowed in jail, his normally jet black mane is now mostly gray.

Diddy ‘filmed women as he forced them into days-long drug-fueled ‘Freak Off’ sex parties

For decades, the music mogul ran a ‘criminal enterprise’ built around trafficking victims, with his ‘inner circle’ helping to cover up his offences, prosecutors told the opening of his trial in New York.

He once stamped on a girlfriend’s head, dangled one woman from a balcony and allegedly tried to set fire to another man’s car, it was claimed.

Cassie is pictured ahead of her testimony on Tuesday

The singer was pictured leaving her home on Tuesday as she is scheduled to testify against her ex and alleged abuser Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.

Diddy’s courtroom gesture to mom Janice Diddy’s girlfriend Dana Tran makes surprise appearance at court

Diddy‘s baby mama Dana Tran made a surprise appearance on the first day of his sex trafficking trial.

Tran, who has a two-year-old daughter with the disgraced rapper named Love Sean, strolled into the Southern District of New York Federal Court on Monday.

The cybersecurity director arrived in an all-black outfit of a frilly blouse, pants, high heels and sunglasses and carried a matching Chanel purse.

Sex encounters could last up to 10 hours, jury hears

Male escort Daniel Phillip said his sexual encounters with Cassie and Diddy could last anywhere from one to 10 hours.
He said after he was done having sex with Cassie, she and Diddy would head to the bedroom.
‘I would be sitting in that room for hours, just sitting there,’ Phillip said.
‘Sometimes they’d come out and say, OK you can go. Other times they’d ask me if I’m ready to go again.’

Court is in session for day two of Diddy’s trial

Diddy’s mother and children arrived to Manhattan court shortly before Judge Arun Subramanian started the prooceedings.

Full breakdown of Diddy’s relationship with Cassie Ventura

As Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs faces charges of sex-trafficking in Manhattan federal court, his relationship with the singer Cassie is at the center of the horrific allegations.

The music mogul’s staggering downfall began when Cassie, real name Cassandra Ventura, filed a bombshell lawsuit in 2023 detailing terrifying claims of sexual abuse and violence.

The lawsuit was settled for an undisclosed amount just a day after it was filed, but it was too late for Diddy’s reputation, and the rapper was then hit with dozens of lawsuits including similar claims.

Diddy’s mother arrives in court ahead of Cassie testimony

Janice Combs has entered Manhattan federal court on Tuesday as she supports her son Diddy during his sex-trafficking trial.

Sec. guard described Diddy’s ‘devilish stare’ after alleged hotel attack on Cassie

The first witness called on Monday was Israel Florez. He’s now a Los Angeles Police Department officer, but in March 2016, he was working at a Los Angeles hotel as assistant director of security when he got a call that a woman was in distress on the sixth floor and encountered Combs.

Florez said he recognized Diddy immediately after getting called up to his room and only later understood it was Ventura with him.

According to Florez, Diddy was ‘on the chair slouched down and was in a blank stare’

He said: ‘As soon as I walked out…it was a devilish stare, looking at me. When I got out of the elevator I’m looking at him, he’s looking at me with no movement. He was wearing just a towel and socks.’

Florez told the court that Ventura looked ‘scared.’

He said: ‘She was in the corner. She had her hoodie on, pretty much covered up, I couldn’t see her face. She was pretty much in a corner.’

Cassie’s statement following assault video last year

Cassie addressed the chilling video in a statement, which read: ‘Thank you for all of the love and support from my family, friends, strangers and those I have yet to meet.

‘The outpouring of love has created a place for my younger self to settle and feel safe now, but this is only the beginning.

‘Domestic Violence is the issue. It broke me down to someone I never thought I would become. With a lot of hard work, I am better today, but I will always be recovering from my past.’

Days after the video was released, Diddy posted a video apologizing.

Who is on the Diddy jury?

Eight men and four women are on the final panel of 12 with a further four men and two women listed as alternates. On the main juror panel, four are white, two are Hispanic, five are black and one is Asian. Of the six alternates, four are white and two are black.

Diddy and Cassie’s lawyers arrive in court for day two of his trial

Diddy’s lead attorney, Marc Afnifilo has entered Manhattan deferal court for day two of the mogul’s trial.

Cassie Ventura’s attorney Douglas Wilder has also arrived ahead of her scheduled testimony.

LISTEN: The ‘King’ on Trial

On the latest installment of the Mail’s The Trial of Diddy podcast, reporter Germania Rodriguez described Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ muted reaction to the prosecution’s opening remarks against him, which included ‘graphic’ detail from the rapper’s former partner Cassie Ventura.

Diddy’s ex Misa Hylton seen outside court

Diddy’s former partnet Misa Hylton was seen at court today.

Hylton was Diddy’s first public relationship and the pair share 30-year-old son Justin Combs together. She also has a son and daughter with ex-husband Jojo Brim.

Who is Cassie Ventura’s husband Alex Fine?

Just a year before she was last seen with Diddy, Cassie married Alex Fine, who was originally Diddy’s personal trainer.

Cassie became pregnant soon after she started dating Fine. The couple is currently expecting their third child.

Fine was seen in court on Monday for the first day of Diddy’s trial.

Jury shown 2016 hotel assault on day one of Diddy’s trial

Combs shook his head slowly from side to side and the packed courtroom fell silent as jurors were shown the 2016 hotel security camera video for the first time.

The video didn’t have sound.

Jurors watched intently on video monitors at their seats in the jury box, but there were no discernible, visible reactions.

Jurors ended up seeing the video four times.

First prosecutors showed it all the way through. Then, they played it as the hotel’s assistant security director at the time, Israel Florez, described what was happening.

Prosecutors then played a different version of the footage that Florez recorded off a monitor with his iPhone.

Combs’ lawyer then showed it again as she sought to poke holes in Florez’s recollection of events.

Diddy’s lawyers tried to go after Phillip’s credibility

Phillip testified that he didn’t ask for money during his encounters with Cassie and sometimes he wasn’t paid, saying: ‘In my head, I was just excited I was in this world and happy to be involved with people of such notoriety.’

On cross-examination, defense attorney Xavier Donaldson tried to attack Phillip’s credibility, mocking the slogan of the male review show company Phillip worked for and its slogan that it ‘provided the ultimate ladies night experience.’

Phillip testified that when he got to the door of the New York hotel room the first time he met Cassie, she told him that his boss had told her that she had to give him $200 upon his arrival. ‘And then she handed me $4,000.’

Phillip set to retake the stand when court resumes Tuesday

A male escort who began his testimony on Monday is set to retake the stand when court reconvenes on Tuesday.

Phillip told jurors that Combs was coy about his identity when they first met in 2012 at a Manhattan hotel.

The rap star wore a ball cap, obscured his face with a bandana and claimed to be in the importing and exporting industry, Phillip said.

The witness testified that it wasn’t until a subsequent encounter at a different hotel when Combs revealed who he was, answering the door in a suit and peacoat.

Diddy’s lawyer’s astonishing request of eight-and-a-half-months-pregnant Cassie

Lawyers for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs requested if the rap mogul’s ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura could be readily seated when she testifies against her ex in court, instead of walking to the stand in front of the jury.

Marc Agnifilo, one of Combs’ attorneys, made a request of District Court Judge Arun Subramanian to stop her from walking to the stand in front of potential jurors, hoping to avoid emotionally swaying from those deciding his fate.

Diddy’s children and mother supporting him during trial

Diddy’s mother Janice Combs and six of his seven children arrived in court for opening statements Monday.

They were escorted past a crowd of media and would-be trial watchers and brought straight into the building.

They sat together during witness testimony, with the rapper’s sons looking uncomfortable as sordid details were shared on the stand.

Diddy tried to obstruct justice from jail, prosecutors argued

In November, prosecutors claimed that the rapper had tried to reach out to prospective witnesses and influence public opinion from jail in a bid to affect potential jurors ahead of the trial.

Prosecutors wrote that a review of recorded jail calls made by Combs showed he asked family members to reach out to potential victims and witnesses and urged them to create ‘narratives’ to influence the jury pool. They said he also encouraged marketing strategies to sway public opinion.

An attorney for Combs, Anthony Ricco, said in court that the prosecution’s portrayal of Combs as ‘a lawless person who doesn’t follow instructions’ or ‘an out-of-control individual who has to be detained’ was inaccurate.

Judge Arun Subramanian denied the bail application, saying evidence showed Combs to be a ‘serious risk of witness tampering.’

What Diddy’s overheard courtroom whispers to heavily pregnant TV reporter reveal

If any other man had asked how she was feeling, pregnant Fox5 reporter Michelle Ross wouldn’t have batted an eyelid.

But coming from the lips of the most famous showbiz villain in the world, the simple ‘how are you?’ carried what could be perceived as a seedy undertone.

Ross, who is seven months pregnant, isn’t the only expectant mother on the rapper’s mind.

Next week, Cassie Ventura, who is also heavily pregnant, is expected to take the stand in Diddy’s blockbuster sex trafficking trial.

The rapper’s ex-girlfriend and victim of the notoriously violent smackdown video that was the catalyst for his arrest, she now holds the key to the most hotly anticipated celebrity trial in recent memory.

Read the full list of charges against Diddy

Sean ‘Diddy‘ Combs faces a slew of charges related to his alleged sexual and physical abuse of women.

He was charged with three crimes – racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution.

Heavily-pregnant Cassie seen days before she takes the stand against Diddy

The singer, who is expecting her third child with husband Alex Fine, was spotted in New York this week as jury selection in her ex partner’s case dragged on.

She announced her pregnancy in February this year, and is understood to be in her third trimester.

Will Diddy’s trial be televised?

Unlike other high-profile cases, the rapper’s trial will not be televised as it is in federal court.

Electronic media, including cameras, are banned in the Manhattan court room.

A sketch artist’s work will be the only visuals coming out of the courtroom.

Full testimony of male escort who claims he was paid by Diddy to sleep with Cassie

Daniel Phillip, 41, took to the stand for an hour yesterday afternoon to allege how Combs paid him up to $6,000 each time to take part in orchestrated sexual relations with R&B singer Casandra ‘Cassie’ Ventura.

Diddy would often direct their encounters, forcing them to engage in awkward ‘role play’ before giving Mr Phillip specific instructions on when and where to orgasm, the male escort alleged.

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Diddy trial live: Pregnant Cassie Ventura breaks cover as she prepares to take the stand