By Lisa Richwine
(Reuters) – Here are five takeaways from Monday’s first day of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs’ New York trial where he faces federal charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. Combs, who has pleaded not guilty, could face life in prison if convicted of all five felony counts.
VIDEO OF HOTEL ATTACK SHOWN
Jurors were shown a surveillance video of Combs throwing his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, an aspiring hip-hop artist known as Cassie, to the ground in a Los Angeles hotel in 2016 and kicking her as she tried to enter an elevator.
Wearing only a towel, Combs was then seen grabbing Ventura’s belongings and dragging her into the hallway. He left her for a time before returning and throwing a vase in her direction, shattering it.
Combs apologized after the video first aired on CNN last year. Ventura is expected to testify on Tuesday.
“FREAK OFF” SEX PARTY DETAILS
In opening statements, prosecutors said Combs lured women into romantic relationships, forced them to take part in days of drug-fueled sex parties and then blackmailed them with videos he recorded.
Prosecutor Emily Johnson said witnesses would provide more details about the parties, known as “Freak Offs.”
“They will tell you about some of the most painfulexperiences of their lives. The days they spent in hotel rooms,high on drugs, dressed in costumes to perform the defendant’ssexual fantasies,” Johnson said.
DEFENSE SAYS ACCUSERS LOOKING FOR A PAYDAY
Combs defense attorney Teny Geragos told jurors the sexual encounters described by prosecutors took place among consenting adults.
“This case is about voluntary choices made by capable adults in consensual relationships,” Geragos said during her opening statement.
She also said the accusers were seeking a financial payout from Combs. He has faced at least 50 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual abuse, including one from Ventura whose lawsuit was settled for undisclosed terms.
MALE STRIPPER TELLS JURY HE SAW COMBS ATTACK VENTURA
A male stripper, Daniel Phillip, testified he had sex with Ventura for money multiple times in 2012 and 2013 while Combs watched and masturbated. He described one episode in which he said Combs threw a liquor bottle in Ventura’s direction, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her screaming into the other room.
Phillip said he heard Combs shouting and slapping Ventura and said she was distraught after he left.
“She literally jumped into my lap and she was shaking, like literally her whole entire body was shaking. She was terrified,” Phillip said.
COMBS ALL SMILES IN COURT
Combs, who has been in prison in Brooklyn since September, wore a beige sweater over a white collared shirt and khakis. He smiled at his mother, who sat in the front row of the courtroom along with six of his children, and blew them a kiss before taking his seat with his lawyers.
Combs left the courtroom for an afternoon lunch break pumping his fist and smiling at his children, one of whom flashed him a heart symbol with her hands.
Outside the courthouse, throngs of Combs supporters and curious onlookers recorded videos on their smartphones as they jockeyed with reporters for a glimpse of Combs’ family.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Howard Goller)
