Don’t Tell Anyone

by

Witnesses have begun to testify in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs.

On the opening day of the federal court case against the music tycoon, who faces charges including racketeering, sex trafficking through manipulation or compulsion, and facilitating prostitution – the Los Angeles Police Department officer, Israel Florez, was grilled about his dealings with Combs and his former partner, Cassie Ventura.

In 2016, while working as a security guard at the InterContinental hotel in Los Angeles, Florez recounted being summoned to aid a woman in trouble. Upon reaching the scene, he found Ventura and Combs, whose violent behavior towards his girlfriend was captured on CCTV (Closed-Circuit Television) cameras, as demonstrated in the video presented as evidence during court proceedings, according to NBC News.

Testifying on May 12th, Florez stated that she appeared frightened. She huddled in a corner, with her hood up and concealed. Her face was obscured, as she largely stayed in the corner. On the ground lay pieces of a shattered flower vase.

As a lifestyle expert, I’d rephrase it as follows: In my testimony, I shared that Combs and I were having a heated argument, and Ventura attempted to step away to retrieve her phone. However, Combs insisted she wasn’t going anywhere, according to NBC News. Additionally, I detailed how I physically positioned myself in the doorway for a short while until Ventura exited the room.

As the security guard was about to depart, it’s claimed that Combs suggested a payment – or “bribe” in Florez’s words – using just three words.

Florez testified, saying, “As I was about to go, Combs called out to me. He had a bag filled with cash and tossed it towards me, instructing, ‘Keep this a secret.’

At a later point, Florez stated that the creator of Bad Boy Records was involved in another altercation with the hotel’s security personnel. This incident occurred when Combs tried to grab both his phone and his companion’s device. In response, the record executive allegedly pressed Combs against the wall.

In my capacity as a lifestyle expert, let me share an incident I recently encountered. Upon knocking and entering, I took hold of the device my associate was brandishing, assuming it was capturing our interaction. This was due to the belief that we were being recorded, which indeed turned out to be correct. Eventually, I returned the gadget to him.

Florez added, “We said we are not recording you and de-escalated the situation.”

At the start of today’s proceedings, Teny Geragos, representing Combs, stated that while the defense acknowledges that Combs may have acted out in instances of domestic violence previously, they will vigorously argue his innocence regarding the accusations made in the current federal case.

In court, as reported by NBC News, Geragos stated, “We won’t deny the actions he took, but we also won’t claim responsibility for those actions that he didn’t take.

For more details from Combs’ federal court case, including other witness testimony, keep reading…

On one particular instance, when Cassie Ventura didn’t immediately respond to a call from Sean “Diddy” Combs, according to Daniel Phillip, Combs became enraged. He allegedly hurled a bottle of liquor in her direction, then forcefully grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into the bedroom. Phillip recalled Ventura’s screams, and from his vantage point in another room, he claimed to hear what sounded like Combs slapping her. Phillip also remembered Combs saying, “I tell you to come here, you come here now, not later.

Phillip said he was “terrified” and did not intervene.

He also stated under oath that he caught what seemed like Combs physically abusing Cassie in another instance, at the Essex House hotel in New York. “I heard her saying ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry,’ and it sounded like someone was being struck and shoved around the room,” Philip explained. “Peeking around the corner, I saw Mr. Combs exit the hotel naked or nearly so; he might have had a towel wrapped around him.

Cassie exited the room and leaped onto Philip’s lap, as he stated in his testimony. He went on to say that she seemed to be trying to reassure him by saying “it’s alright” and “I will be fine.” However, Philip responded by telling her, “It is not alright and you need professional assistance.

“I tried to explain to her that she was in real danger if she stayed with him,” Phillip said.

In response to a question from prosecutor Maureen Comey about why he didn’t contact the police, Philip explained that he viewed Combs as someone with immense power, and that there was a possibility, even if he had reported the incident to the authorities, that his life might still have been in danger.

Daniel Philip claimed that during the stated period, he was operating a male strip show. He testified that he received “a few thousand dollars” for engaging in sexual activities with Cassie, while Combs observed from Manhattan’s Gramercy Hotel in 2012. Philip identified Combs by his voice, despite him wearing a robe, a baseball cap, and a face covering bandanna.

According to Philip’s testimony, Cassie promised to tip him later and then they had sex. He explained that they rubbed baby oil on each other for a while before the incident, and Philip claimed that Cassie observed him masturbating from a nearby corner.

Afterward, the witness continued, Cassie gave him “a couple of thousand more.”

Over the course of the following year, I found myself repeatedly reaching out to both Cassie and Diddy, experiencing similar encounters at various hotels and their New York residences. It’s troubling to admit, but Diddy videotaped Cassie and me during intimate moments on one or more occasions. In some instances, he even inserted himself into the situation, engaging in sexual activities with Cassie while I was present.

In the 2023 legal action claiming sexual assault and physical violence by her former partner, Cassie stated that Combs compelled her into having sexual encounters with male escorts.

According to Florez’s statement, Cassie appeared frightened. She huddled in the corner, with her hood up, hiding her face. The room had a broken flower vase on its floor.

After Cassie departed from the hotel, Florez mentioned that she had a swollen eye. Later on, when Cassie was absent, Florez and the desk manager went upstairs to discuss the hotel’s rules with Combs. According to Florez, Combs believed the manager was filming him on his phone and attempted to take it. When Combs reached for Florez’s phone, Florez stated that he restrained Combs against a wall. “We assured him we weren’t recording him,” Florez testified, “and diffused the situation.

In court, the prosecution played back the slowed-down version of the security footage originally broadcast by CNN in May 2024, which depicted Combs appearing to strike, kick, and pull Cassie during the altercation. The defense had earlier claimed that the footage was sped up, making the incident seem more violent than it actually was. Additionally, the jury watched a video that Florez captured on his phone when he responded to an emergency call for a distressed woman on the sixth floor.

Florez stated that he chose not to contact the police immediately, as Cassie refused to discuss the incident and expressed her desire to depart.

The LAPD officer, named Israel Florez, functioned as a security guard at the InterContinental Hotel during the time when Diddy (Sean Combs) allegedly assaulted Cassie on March 5, 2016. In her initial statement, Geragos referred to the surveillance footage of the attack, initially released by CNN in May 2024, as “compelling evidence of domestic violence,” but it was not related to sex trafficking; rather, it stemmed from infidelity discovered on a cell phone.

On May 12th, Florez stated under oath that he observed signs of a dispute on the day in question, and subsequently, Combs provided him with a bag of cash as an incentive to ignore the incident.

During questioning, Florez asserted that he was absolutely certain he understood Combs’ action as an attempt to offer a bribe.

As a steadfast supporter, I found myself reflecting on the opening remarks by Teny Geragos, the defense attorney. In her statement, she articulated that the prosecution was attempting to reframe consensual acts as instances of sex trafficking, yet she expressed firm conviction, stating, “This strategy won’t succeed.

“Sean Combs is a complicated man,” she said, “but this is not a complicated case.”

Geragos stated that the matter at hand pertains to Sean Combs’ private, intimate sexual activities. However, these matters are unrelated to his legitimate business dealings.”

or

“In essence, Geragos clarified that the case is concerning Sean Combs’ personal sexual life, which holds no bearing on his legal entrepreneurial ventures.

She informed the court that her client exhibited aggressive behavior, used illicit substances, and had anger problems. During the course of this trial, it’s possible that you might find him unpleasant or rude. However, it’s important to note that he is not standing trial for being unkind or impolite; he is being tried for other charges.

Geragos stated, “The evidence will portray an imperfect person, yet it won’t depict them as a criminal mastermind involved in racketeering, human trafficking, or facilitating prostitution.

Courtroom reporter from NBC News stated that Prosecutor Emily Johnson alleged that Combs employed a vast system of associates to perform unlawful activities, including extended “freak offs,” as outlined in the federal indictment.

She informed the court that “At times, he referred to himself as a king and demanded special treatment to fulfill all his whims. His businesses were allegedly utilized for manipulating women, compelling them to engage in sexual activities with male escorts in his presence. He, along with his close associates, ensured that all his desires were met.

Johnson commenced her speech to the jury by painting Combs as an extraordinary individual, heading up a criminal organization.

In an effort to prove his accusations against Diddy (Combs), Johnson described an instance of suspected misconduct, stating that Diddy was “pursuing” ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura aggressively one evening following the news of her new romance. According to Johnson, Diddy assaulted her brutally, delivering blows to her back and tossing her around recklessly, like a discarded doll.

He warned her, saying that if she disobeys him once more, he would expose videos of her engaging in intimate acts with male escorts, effectively unveiling some of her most embarrassing moments.

The prosecutor alleged that Combs’ inner circle covered up “crime after crime.”

The presiding judge, Arun Subramanian, expressed his expectation to the jurors that the ongoing trial might end as early as July 4th. He added that he hopes for a swift conclusion, acknowledging that it could extend beyond this date, but he doesn’t anticipate an excessive prolongation of the trial.

On the opening day of his sex trafficking trial on May 12, his mother Janice Combs and six of his oldest children were in attendance as rap mogul arrived.

Quincy Brown, Christian “King” Combs, Jessie Combs, D’Lila Combs (Kim Porter’s kids), Justin Combs (Misa Hylton’s son), and Chance Combs (Sarah Chapman’s daughter) – all of whom are his children – had the opportunity to embrace their father before he sat down with his lawyers.

In their agreement, the prosecution and Drew Brees’ legal team decided on an initial jury consisting of six men and three women, with three men and one woman as alternate jurors for the upcoming trial.

Marc Agnifilo, representing Combs, contended that the prosecution seemed to be deliberately excluding potential Black jurors. He stated this could lead to a recognizable pattern and requested a justification for these dismissals from the judge.

In response to the allegations, Prosecutor Maurene Ryan Comey stated, “We’ve acted without any prejudice. Our jury is a mix of various ethnicities.

This group of 12 jurors, residing in New York City or Westchester, is composed of diverse professionals. They include an elderly male actor and masseur, a 31-year-old male investment analyst, a 51-year-old male scientist, a 30-year-old female deli clerk, a 42-year-old female nursing home aid, a 41-year-old male communications clerk at a correctional facility, a retired 68-year-old male banker, another retired 68-year-old from the telecommunications sector, a 43-year-old female physician assistant, a 39-year-old male social worker, a 67-year-old male logistics analyst, and a 74-year-old female treatment coordinator.

Read More

2025-05-13 03:47