The musical artist Kid Cudi, a star make-up artist and a lodge worker have been amongst those that testified Thursday to finish the second week of testimony in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal racketeering and intercourse trafficking trial.
The rapper, referred to in courtroom as Scott Mescudi, supplied essentially the most dramatic testimony of the day. He accused Combs of breaking into his residence and being concerned within the destruction of his Porsche, which was set on fireplace with a Molotov cocktail outdoors of his residence.
The prosecution used every witness to attempt to bolster the core accusations that Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura laid out on the stand final week.
Prosecutors have now referred to as 16 witnesses over two weeks. The trial is anticipated to renew on Tuesday after the Memorial Day weekend with testimony from Combs’ former director of advertising and marketing Capricorn Clark and members of the LAPD and LAFD.
Prosecutors have argued Combs and a few in his interior circle used threats, violence, medication, bribery, arson, kidnapping and lies to coerce Cassie Ventura and one other lady into taking part in intercourse events he referred to as “Freak Offs” and to guard the music mogul’s status.
The protection has acknowledged Combs was violent with romantic partners and through opening statements stated he had “a bit of a different sex life.” They additionally stated that whereas Combs is “a very flawed individual,” he has not dedicated the alleged federal crimes.
Here’s what we learned in testimony Thursday.
Kid Cudi says his home was damaged into and Porsche set on fireplace
Mescudi testified about what occurred after Combs learned about his relationship with Cassie Ventura.
As he entered courtroom for his testimony, Mescudi, who was sporting a leather-based jacket, didn’t seem to make eye contact with Combs as he walked down the middle aisle to the witness stand. Combs remained going through ahead.
Mescudi, 41, stated he met Ventura round 2008 and so they briefly dated round 2011. He testified that he believed on the time they began dating that Ventura was not romantically concerned with Combs anymore. He testified Ventura instructed him Combs had bodily assaulted her.
In December 2011, Ventura referred to as him “scared” round 6 a.m. and stated Combs had came upon she and Mescudi have been dating, he testified. Ventura was nervous that Combs would go to Mescudi’s home, in order that they went to a close-by lodge, he stated.
Ventura testified final week she was at a “Freak Off” with Combs when he came upon about her relationship with Mescudi. She stated Combs was “super angry” and lunged at her with a wine bottle opener however she managed to get out and had Mescudi decide her up.
There, they learned that Combs and an affiliate have been inside Mescudi’s home, he testified.
On the best way again to his home, Mescudi referred to as Combs. “I said, ‘M*therf**ker you in my house?’” he testified.
“I just want to talk to you,” Combs stated, based on Mescudi. “I’m over here waiting for you.”
When he arrived to the house, Combs was not there. Mescudi stated he observed his residence safety cameras had been moved, and inside the home, some items had been opened and his canine was locked within the rest room. He referred to as the police and filed a police report in regards to the break-in.
Mescudi spent the Christmas holidays with Ventura and her household in Connecticut within the following days, however the pair broke it off by New Years Eve.
Mescudi additionally stated he received a name from his canine sitter one morning in January 2012 and was instructed that his Porsche car was on fireplace. The jury reviewed photographs of the destroyed automotive.
“It looks like the top of my Porsche was cut open and that’s where the Molotov cocktail was put in,” Mescudi stated.
After the car fireplace, Mescudi arrange a gathering with Combs on the Soho House in Los Angeles.
When requested by the prosecution why he requested for the assembly, Mescudi stated, “I knew he had something to do with it.” The protection objected to the response, and the choose sustained the objection, which means the jury can not contemplate his response as proof.
When he arrived to the assembly, “Sean Combs was standing there, staring out the window with his hands behind his back, like a Marvel supervillain,” Mescudi testified. Several jurors, and plenty of courtroom spectators, laughed on the description.
When Mescudi requested about his automotive, Combs responded, “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mescudi testified.
At one level, Mescudi pulled his hand out of a handshake, and Combs requested him what was incorrect, saying he thought they have been “cool,” Mescudi stated. Mescudi stated he confirmed with Combs that “his word” was that he didn’t have something to do with the harm to his Porsche. Mescudi testified he thought Combs was mendacity.
In 2015, Mescudi and Combs bumped into one another once more on the Soho House, and Combs apologized, he stated.
“Man, I just want to apologize for everything and all that bullsh*t,” Combs stated, based on Mescudi.
Mescudi testified he “found peace” with the state of affairs with Combs after that. “That was the last thing I was expecting to get from him,” he stated.
On cross-examination, Mescudi confirmed DNA was collected from his car however stated he didn’t hear the rest in regards to the outcomes from authorities.
No one was arrested for the break-in or the arson.
Mescudi stated he had been in touch with Ventura nearly every day for a few yr and when their relationship led to December 2011, they “just stopped talking.”
“She played you, right?” protection lawyer Brian Steel requested. “Yes,” Mescudi responded.
On re-direct examination, Mescudi stated he and Ventura broke up as a result of the drama had turn out to be an excessive amount of. He stated he was involved for his and Ventura’s security “because I knew Sean Combs was violent.” He additionally stated he thought Combs was “lying” when he stated on the Soho House that he didn’t know in regards to the automotive’s harm.
After his testimony, Mescudi thanked those that have been “checking in” on him in a video posted to his official Instagram account.
“It really means a lot to me, man. You guys are the best. I love you all,” he stated. “This is a stressful situation, I’m glad it’s behind me.”
Frederic Zemmour, the overall supervisor of the L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, testified about a number of inside notes related to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ visitor profile on the lodge.
The profile was first created below the title Sean Combs in December 2006 however went below different names, together with Jackie Star, Frank White, Frank Black and Ryan Lopez.
One inside be aware famous Combs “ALWAYS spills candle wax on everything and uses excessive amounts of oil” and instructed workers to “place the room out of order upon departure for deep cleaning.”
“Please authorize an extra $1000 when guest stays with us to cover any room damages,” one other be aware stated.
Mylah Morales, a star make-up artist, testified on Thursday a few 2010 incident between Combs and Ventura during which Combs turned violent after attending a celebration at Prince’s home.
The incident was first described by Ventura in her testimony on May 14. She testified she attended the get together at Prince’s home with out telling Combs, who later “burst in the room” at her lodge, beat her and threw baggage at her.
On the stand Thursday, Morales stated Combs got here into the lodge room the place they have been staying and requested, “Where the f**k is she.” He went right into a room with Ventura and closed the door, and shortly after Morales heard yelling and screaming, she testified.
“I was just frantic, and I didn’t know what to do,” she stated.
Later, Combs stormed out of the lodge room, and Ventura was “distraught” and injured, she stated.
“She had a swollen eye and a busted lip and knots on her head,” Morales testified.
Ex-makeup artist claims she was subsequent door when Diddy abused Cassie in alleged 2010 assault
On cross-examination, Morales confirmed that she didn’t see what occurred between Combs and Ventura contained in the lodge bed room.
George Kaplan, a former government assistant for Combs who started his testimony on Wednesday and returned to the stand on Thursday, testified that he left the job after seeing the hip-hop mogul being violent with Ventura and one other lady.
“The central reason that I left my job as Mr. Combs assistant was that I was not comfortable or aligned with the physical behavior that had been going on that I had seen pieces of over the course of a couple months,” he stated on Thursday.
He didn’t need to be a celebration to “fixing those types of things,” he stated.
Kaplan, who testified under an immunity order, stated that he labored at Combs Enterprises from 2013 till December 2015.
He stated he witnessed Combs’ violence in opposition to Ventura in late 2015 on a personal jet. In one other occasion, Combs referred to as Kaplan to the grasp rest room, and Ventura was crying on the mattress, holding her head in her fingers and had seen bruising on her face, he stated. He didn’t intervene or name the police both time, he stated.
In addition, in late 2015 he noticed Combs angrily throw apples, which he couldn’t establish as ornamental or actual, at one other girlfriend named Gina.
Despite the incidents, he stated he has saved in contact with Combs and reaches out to him on his birthday yearly. Kaplan stated the job was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” and stated he was “very grateful for the lessons” he learned from Combs.
In courtroom, Kaplan seemed over at Combs typically throughout his testimony and the 2 appeared to smile at one another. As Kaplan left the room, he nodded in Combs course, and Combs nodded again.