NEW YORK (AP) – R&B singer Kathy testified on Tuesday against Sean “Diddy” Combs, with claims that he and the founders of Bad Boy Records orchestrated a sex trafficking operation that coerced women into drug-fueled parties termed “Freak-offs.”
Testimony from the trial kicked off on Monday. The prosecution alleged that Combs leveraged his notable position to compel women into abusive sexual situations, becoming aggressive if they resisted.
The three-time Grammy winner insists that while he may exhibit aggression, he is not involved in sex trafficking or assault, asserting that consent is always given. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty.
Kathy, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, is central to Combs’ dramatic fall from grace. She filed a lawsuit in 2023, detailing years of abuse. Last year, a video emerged showing Combs watching her at a Los Angeles hotel in 2016, which has sparked significant media attention. In it, he appears to apologize.
This footage presented to the judge depicts Combs in just a white towel, hitting, kicking, and dragging Kathy through the hotel hallway.
Israel Flores, a former hotel security guard, recounted his experience from Monday when he responded to a call about a distressed woman. He described seeing Combs with a “devil-like stare” and claimed Combs offered him cash, instructing him to stay silent.
Flores declined the money, telling Combs to return to his room instead.
A US attorney, Emily Johnson, elaborated that Combs often assaulted Kathy, threatening to sabotage her music career by leveraging videos of her engaging with other men during orchestrated encounters.
Johnson added that other women also faced exploitation and violence at Combs’ hands.
Kathy’s lawsuit was settled quickly, yet numerous other allegations remain unresolved, prompting further criminal investigations.
Combs’ lawyer, Tenny Jelagos, suggested that the jury might find his client off-putting, but emphasized that being perceived as a “jerk” does not equate to the accusations at hand.
The Associated Press typically avoids identifying sexual abuse victims unless they choose to come forward, as Kathy has done.
Combs has been in custody in Brooklyn since his arrest in September. Should he be convicted, he faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence of at least 15 years.
