One of the alleged victims central to prosecutors’ case against music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs” took the stand Thursday under the pseudonym “Mia,” testifying Combs sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions and physically abused her while she worked as his personal assistant.
One of Combs’ alleged victims takes the stand Thursday under the pseudonym “Mia.” (Photo by John Lamparski/WireImage)
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Key Takeaways
- Mia, who worked for Combs as a personal assistant from 2009 to 2017, during which time she was good friends with his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura, testified Thursday Combs was violent with her and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions.
- Mia testified Thursday afternoon the first time Combs sexually assaulted her was at a hotel in New York during a celebration for his 40th birthday party, telling the court Combs had given her shots of vodka and kissed her as he put his hand up her dress, NBC News reported.
- Mia testified Combs sexually assaulted her multiple times at his Los Angeles home, recounting one incident in 2009 or 2010 in which Combs awoke her by lying on top of her and starting to force himself inside her, and another incident in which Combs forced her to perform oral sex in his closet.
- “He’s thrown things at me. He’s thrown me against the wall. He’s thrown me into a pool. He’s thrown an ice bucket on my head,” Mia testified, CNN reported, adding when she and Ventura would do something together without Combs’ permission, the punishments would be “unpredictable and terrifying.”
- Mia testified working for Combs was “chaotic” and “toxic” and she often worked without sleep, testifying she once worked five straight days without rest, adding she was at one point Combs’ only personal assistant, BBC reported.
- Mia said she frequently saw Combs attack Ventura and described multiple altercations, including one in which Combs threw her against a bed frame, giving her a forehead scar, which Mia said made her think: “Is he going to kill her?”
- Mia acknowledged in her testimony working for Combs could be “exciting,” citing her work on film and television projects, stating the “highs were really high and the lows really low,” NBC News reported.
Why Is Mia’s Testimony Important For Diddy’s Trial?
Mia is one of the four alleged victims central to the prosecution’s case against Combs, and she is referred to in court documents as “Victim-4” (Cassie Ventura, Combs’ ex-girlfriend and the prosecution’s star witness, is “Victim-1” in the indictment against Combs).
Prosecutors are expected to use Mia’s testimony to support the racketeering charge against Combs, supporting their allegation that he ran a “criminal enterprise” that engaged in forced labor and other crimes.
Some legal analysts have said the prosecution’s case so far has established Combs had a pattern of violence, but has been slow to sufficiently prove the racketeering charge. “I’m not seeing the development of a racketeering enterprise,” criminal defense attorney Tama Beth Kudman told NBC News this week as the third week of testimony began, stating the prosecution has not yet demonstrated “the thread that creates an enterprise with a unified purpose.”
During Mia’s ongoing testimony, trial consultant Richard Gabriel told CNN proving the racketeering charge is still the “steepest hill” for prosecutors, stating racketeering usually “involves lots and lots of incidents, lots and lots of people,” whereas the testimony so far has largely centered on “individual abuse.” Gabriel theorized the defense may portray the witness testimony thus far as “individual choice prompted by the celebrity lifestyle” instead of them “being coerced into behavior that they wouldn’t do.”
Key Background
Ventura, one of the other four victims central to the case against Combs, testified for much of the trial’s first week. In her testimony, Ventura described “freak off” sex parties as drug-fueled nightmares Combs coerced her to participate in, which she said left her feeling “disgusting” and in physical pain. She also alleged Combs raped her in 2018 and subjected her to years of physical violence during their relationship.
Rapper Kid Cudi, another high-profile witness, testified Combs broke into his house and his car exploded weeks after Combs found out he briefly dated Ventura. On the first day of the trial, prosecutor Emily Johnson previewed Mia’s testimony in her opening statement, telling the court Mia will testify about how “the defendant forced himself on her sexually,” allegedly “forcing her to perform oral sex and sneaking into her bed to penetrate her against her will,” and subjected her to forced labor.
What Is Diddy Charged With?
Combs faces five federal charges: two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering conspiracy. He pleaded not guilty to all charges and has denied all allegations made against him. Combs also faces dozens of civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and sex trafficking.
