Testimony in Combs Trial Highlights Allegations of Abuse

NEW YORK (AP) – A former personal assistant who accused Sean “Diddy” Combs of rape testified on Monday that she kept sending affectionate messages to the music mogul for years after her employment ended in 2017, claiming she felt “brainwashed.”

The woman, using the pseudonym “Mia,” countered defense attorney Brian Steele’s suggestion that her allegations were part of a “#MeToo Money Grab,” aimed at financially profiting from her claims against Combs.

Mia was on the witness stand during the final day of her third day in a federal sex trafficking and assault trial taking place in Manhattan, making this her fourth week involved in the proceedings. Combs, now 55, has pleaded not guilty, with his lawyers acknowledging his potential for violence while denying he uses his influence in the music industry for abusive purposes.

During the testimony, Steele read several text messages that Mia had sent to Combs. In one message from 2019, she spoke of a troubling dream in which she was trapped in an elevator with singer R. Kelly, who has faced sex trafficking convictions.

“And did the person you sexually assaulted come to your rescue?” Steele incredulously asked, paraphrasing to whether she really envisioned being saved by someone who had “terrified” her. The prosecutor objected, and the judge supported this objection.

The cross-examination was filled with objections and a somewhat chaotic style in contrast to the defense’s gentler approach with other witnesses. The judge interjected several times, urging Steele to simplify his questions.

In a message from August 29, 2020, Mia reminisced about joyful moments from her eight years working for Combs, such as drinking champagne at the Eiffel Tower at 4 AM and recounting an incident where he had refused to take her to Mick Jagger’s home.

Mia stated that she felt “covered in bamboo” in one of those messages, to which Steele replied by questioning why she didn’t say Combs had surrounded her with bamboo. “I was still brainwashed,” was her response.

When seeking clarification, Mia explained that being in an environment where “the highest was very high and the lowest was really low” led to confusion in trusting her instincts.

When Steele suggested supplementing her assault claims, Mia firmly stated, “I have never lied to this court, and I will not lie to this court. Everything I have said is true.”

Feeling a moral obligation to speak out, especially as others moved on with Combs, Mia alleged that he forced her to kiss him, abused her at a birthday party, and raped her in a guest room at a Los Angeles residence several months later. Last week, she described the assaults as “random, sporadic and strangely spaced out.”

Mia commented on her past struggles, stating she had continued to blame herself for the incidents. Kathy, a former long-term girlfriend of Combs, has also remained silent after suing him in November 2023 for sexual abuse allegations. That lawsuit was settled for $20 million shortly after it was filed, effectively halting Combs’ criminal investigation.

Mia is the second main witness for the prosecution, with the third, under the pseudonym “Jane,” set to testify later this week.

Mia mentioned telling R&B singer Cassandra Ventura about her victimization but noted she didn’t disclose this information to the prosecutors during their initial meeting in January 2024. “Just knowing something doesn’t mean I’m going to get out of it right away. I was still deeply embarrassed and wanted to die from this,” she testified.

Steele accused Mia of attempting to lay the groundwork for a lawsuit against Combs. However, Judge Arun Subramanian rejected Steele’s effort to probe Mia about any lawyer she may have chosen in a sexual abuse lawsuit against Donald Trump, where a significant judgment was rendered in favor of author E. Jean Carroll.

Prosecutors expressed concern that the way Mia was treated during the Combs case could discourage victims in unrelated cases from coming forward. U.S. Attorney Aide Molen Comey criticized Steele for his aggressive questioning, arguing that scrutinizing Mia’s social media posts was both excessive and irrelevant.

Comey stated, “We are beyond prejudice and harassing this witness,” addressing Judge Subramanian after the court session ended. The judge mentioned he had not perceived any shouting or sarcasm from Steele’s questions, but cautioned against excessive inquiry regarding Mia’s social media activity.