The Latest: Ex-girlfriend of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs testifies in his sex trafficking trial

Combs trial expected to resume at 9 a.m. Friday

The judge and lawyers want to ensure Jane’s testimony is completed in time for her to make a trip abroad next Thursday.

The judge indicated he might also have a longer trial day on Monday and Tuesday. The longer days are necessary because prosecutors had hoped to begin questioning Jane as early as Wednesday. But she didn’t get on the stand until Thursday afternoon. Prosecutors plan to continue direct examination into Monday.

Jane’s time on the witness stand is expected to meet or exceed the four days that Casandra “Cassie” Ventura testified in the trial’s first week.

The trial begins its fifth week on Monday. Prosecutors had indicated that they were ahead of their plans to finish presenting evidence within six weeks, but the optimistic forecasts have disappeared in recent days.

Jane’s description of ‘hotel nights’ mirrors Cassie’s testimony about ‘freak-offs’

Both women said Combs often sat in the corner as he watched them having sex with the sex workers.

At times, the women said they’d try to speed things up so the encounters would be over sooner. Like Cassie, Jane said the encounters would sometimes take more than 24 hours.

Combs’ lawyers spoke to him after the judge spotted him nodding toward the jury

Jane’s testimony came after the judge said he had spotted Combs twice “nodding vigorously” toward the jury while one of his lawyers carried out an aggressive cross-examination of a prior witness. The judge said he would ban Combs from the courtroom if he continued trying to interact with jurors.

After the lunch break, his lawyers spoke to him. Combs seemed relaxed and smiled widely afterward, perhaps a reaction to the success his lawyer had experienced with her cross-examination.

Jane spoke barely above a whisper throughout her testimony

Jurors leaned forward and toward the witness as she testified, though several jurors sometimes looked toward Combs as she spoke.

Combs mostly looked straight at Jane, though it did not seem that she ever reciprocated. She seemed focused on Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey throughout her testimony.

Occasionally, Combs looked at Comey, too, before quickly returning his gaze to Jane.

‘Jane’ says Combs dissuaded her from making an OnlyFans account

Jane testified that at one point she considered creating an OnlyFans account — showing off bikini pictures and other content to paying subscribers — but Combs pooh-poohed the idea.

Jane said she was intrigued because a friend of hers had claimed to make $4 million on the site.

“Let’s just give it time,” and “let’s think about this,” Jane recalled Combs saying.

Jane said she never ended up making an account at that time. Instead, she said, Combs drew up a “love contract,” under which he’d pay her rent for a new home with a bigger yard and better amenities.

‘Jane’ treasured the alone time she got with Combs after the hotel encounters

Jane testified that she was always at the ready to see Combs, making sure she had childcare lined up and that she looked her best for him.

“I really like being beautiful for Sean and he liked me being beautiful for him,” she said.

Jane noted that it cost her a lot of money to keep up her appearance and availability. Combs pitched in at times, she said, one time sending her $20,000.

Combs was increasingly controlling as their relationship went on, Jane said. She saw her friends less and less frequently, spending most of her time with him.

‘Jane’ calls the encounters ‘hotel nights,’ not ‘freak-offs’

Before Jane was called as a witness, a prosecutor informed the judge without the jury present that Jane would only refer to her sexual encounters with other men in front of Combs as “hotel nights” rather than the “freak-offs” that Cassie had described, even though their descriptions of the events were similar, and in many ways, identical.

‘Jane’ laments that having sex with strangers took over her relationship with Combs

Jane testified that Combs took her to a Miami hotel in May 2021 and watched as she had sex with a paid sex worker, Don, whom Combs had hired.

Jane said she was exhilarated, but then regretted it because such encounters came to dominate their relationship.

Asked if she wanted to have sex with other men, Jane softly said “no… just Sean,” and explained that what she really desired was an “old-fashioned type of relationship, just me and him.”

Jane said she repeatedly told Combs she did not want to have sexual encounters with other men, but Combs kept pushing her into them. He also had control over her life in other ways, she said, including by paying the rent on her home.

‘Jane’ says Combs showered her with money and drugs early in their relationship

Combs would pay for her flights to see him in Miami for their biweekly meetups and gave her $6,000 for a moving truck, Jane said.

Asked by a prosecutor what Combs said about why he was giving her money, Jane replied: “Just because.”

He’d also give her drugs whenever they had sex, Jane said. Among the drugs they did, she said: ecstasy, MDMA, cocaine and ketamine.

Jane fondly recalled her first few months with Combs — before he involved her in “freak-offs.”

She said she enjoyed spending time alone with Combs and liked how their intimacy evolved as they got to know each other more.

‘Jane’ says ‘freak-offs’ were Combs' fantasy

Jane wiped away tears as a prosecutor asked her about a turning point in their relationship: May 2021, when she said Combs started having conversations with her about his sexual fantasies involving other men and role-playing.

After a loving start to their relationship, Jane said Combs started having her look up scenarios on porn sites, asking her: “Do you like what you see there?”

One night, after they’d been doing drugs and having sex at Combs’ Star Island home, Jane said that Combs asked her about involving someone else in their activities.

Jane said she acquiesced because it “seemed like he wanted that and it was turning him on.”

Within hours, she said, she was in a Miami hotel room watching Combs’ assistants setting the space up for a “freak-off.”

‘Jane’ recalls fond memories of her first date with Combs

She said their first date was a January 2021 meetup at a Miami hotel that evolved into a torrid five-day stay.

She recalled eating dinner with Combs in their hotel room, watching the sunrise with him from the balcony, and taking morning walks together on the beach.

After the trip, Jane said, she was “pretty head over heels with Sean already.”

Soon, she said, she was joining Combs on his private jet for a nine-day trip to Turks and Caicos. They later took a trip to the Bahamas. After each, Jane said, Combs gifted her $10,000.

Jane said she was dating Combs at the time of his arrest last September.

‘Jane’ says she met Combs on a 2020 trip to Miami

“Jane” said she got to know Combs while on a “girls’ trip” with a friend who was dating the hip-hop mogul at the time.

Jane testified that Combs was “really charming, really nice” and she was drawn to him quickly upon meeting him.

After hanging out at Combs’ home on ritzy Star Island near Miami, Jane said they all went on Combs’ yacht.

There, she said, she bumped into Combs near the bathroom and they decided to exchange phone numbers.

Jane told jurors she didn’t do any drugs during the yacht encounter, but during the trip saw Combs and others ingesting a pink powder.

Combs’ ex-girlfriend ‘Jane’ begins testifying

A woman testifying under the pseudonym “Jane” took the witness stand Thursday afternoon.

The judge told jurors they’ll be provided with her real name. Combs and his lawyers are also allowed to know her true identity.

Jane testified that she dated Combs from 2021 to 2024. Jane said she went by the nickname “Bert” while Combs was “Ernie.”

Prosecutors have one of their analysts testify about cellphone data

Enrique Santos, who has worked at the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan for 17 years, said he pulled data from three cellphones that were obtained from Combs’ former longtime girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie.

Judge upset by Combs’ nods toward the jury

During a lunch break after the jury left the room, Judge Arun Subramanian told lawyers that he twice saw Combs looking at the jury and “nodding vigorously” during the cross-examination of Bongolan.

The judge called it “absolutely unacceptable” and warned Combs’ lawyers that if he saw such a display in front of the jury by Combs again, it “could result in the exclusion of your client from the courtroom.” Defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said he understood, and Subramanian said: “It cannot happen again.”

The judge then added sternly: “There should be no efforts whatsoever to have an interaction with this jury.”

Court adjourns until 1:30 p.m.

The judge advised jurors that their lunch is ready.

It’s an abbreviated break because testimony began around 11 a.m., later than usual, and is expected to go until 4 p.m.

Bongolan denies the defense’s suggestion that she lied about the balcony episode

Westmoreland closed her cross-examination by again challenging Bongolan on her claims that Combs harmed her on Cassie’s balcony.

Bongolan denied the lawyer’s suggestion that she was lying and that Combs hadn’t caused her injuries. But she didn’t explicitly say, “no.”

Rather, Bongolan softly told the lawyer: “I can’t agree with you.”

Questioned again by prosecutors, Bongolan said that while she doesn’t recall the exact date, she has no doubt that the balcony episode happened.

Defense sows more doubts about Bongolan’s assault claims

Defense lawyer Nicole Westmoreland noted that Combs might not have even been in Los Angeles when Bongolan alleges he dangled her a 17th-floor balcony.

Combs was performing on tour for most of September 2016, including dates on the East Coast around the time she took pictures of her alleged injuries.

The tour stopped in Washington, Philadelphia, Boston and Newark, New Jersey, from Sept. 22-25.

On Sept. 26, the day the injury photos were taken, Combs and his then-girlfriend Cassie were in New York City attending a charity benefit, Westmoreland said.

The lawyer also showed jurors an invoice showing Combs was staying at a Manhattan hotel from Sept. 24 to Sept. 29. Combs’ tour resumed in Oakland, California, on Sept. 30.

“You agree that one person can’t be in two places at the same time,” Westmoreland asked the witness.

Bongolan responded: “In like theory, yeah. It’s hard to answer that one.”

Defense questions whether Bongolan was actually terrified of Combs

During cross-examination, Bryana “Bana” Bongolan acknowledged that Combs did not squeeze her breasts so hard that they were bruised when he allegedly dangled her over a 17th-floor apartment balcony in 2016.

Bongolan said she fired the lawyer who made some erroneous claims, including about bruises to her breasts. Bongolan also acknowledged that she smoked a blunt with Combs not long after the balcony incident and later went to one of his concerts and one of his private parties.

“You weren’t too fearful enough to not go to Mr. Combs’ event, were you?” defense attorney Nicole Westmoreland asked.

“I always had a feeling inside, but yes, I went,” Bongolan said.

Bongolan has testified that the balcony encounter left her so traumatized that she had nightmares as recently as days ago and that she sometimes woke up screaming.

Media won’t be able to see evidence while ‘Jane’ testifies

Judge Arun Subramanian agreed to a prosecution request to turn off TV monitors that are normally used to display evidence to the audience in the courtroom and overflow rooms.

Prosecutors contend the exhibits contain the exhibits, including text messages and photos, contain personal identifying information about the woman, a Combs accuser testifying under the pseudonym “Jane.”

Instead, prosecutor Maurene Comey said she aims to provide redacted versions — with identifying information removed — the day after they’re shown to the jury.

News organizations had asked the judge to delay the trial or change the witness order to give prosecutors time to make redactions.

Bryana ‘Bana’ Bongolan resumes testimony

Bongolan is a graphic designer who worked with Combs’ former girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura.

On Wednesday, she testified that Combs dangled her over a 17th-floor apartment balcony for 10 to 15 minutes in Los Angeles in 2016 when he was angry with her. She says it has left her so traumatized that she still has nightmares, nine years later.

Prosecutors eager for ‘Jane’s’ testimony to begin

The Combs trial got off to a slow start on Thursday. The judge had hoped to get the jury into the courtroom by 11 a.m. Discussions with lawyers about exhibits and ground rules for upcoming testimony delayed proceedings for about 20 minutes.

Time is considered crucial by prosecutors because they say they need to complete testimony by a woman who will testify under the pseudonym “Jane” in time for her to leave the country on a trip next Thursday. She’s expected to testify sometime after noon Thursday.

Judge orders media not to describe Combs’ ex-girlfriend ‘Jane’

Anyone who watches Thursday’s testimony by the woman who will testify under the pseudonym “Jane” cannot describe or sketch her in a way that could reveal her identity, Judge Arun Subramanian said.

Before the judge entered the courtroom, Combs conversed with several of his lawyers.

News outlets want evidence to be shown to the public while ‘Jane’ is testifying

Federal prosecutors have asked the judge to prevent reporters and members of the public from viewing text messages and other evidence shown to jurors while Comb’s ex-girlfriend “Jane” is testifying.

But lawyers for a dozen news outlets, including The Associated Press, filed a letter Thursday asking Judge Arun Subramanian not to deviate from the normal practice of showing evidence on audience monitors.

Prosecutors contend the exhibits contain identifying information about the woman, a Combs accuser testifying under a pseudonym. They said they’d release redacted exhibits after Jane testifies.

Subramanian had said he was inclined to go along with the prosecution’s request.

Cassie delivers her third child after testifying for four days

One of the week’s biggest developments came outside the courtroom. Cassie, 38, delivered her third child less than two weeks after testifying for four days as the prosecution’s prize witness.

The news of her son’s birth Tuesday reached the jury the next day when Cassie’s longtime stylist, Deonte Nash, testified that he was still close to Cassie and had sent her well wishes after the birth.

Cassie, known for the platinum-selling 2006 hit single “Me & U,” married personal trainer Alex Fine in September 2019 — about a year after breaking up with Combs for good. Their first daughter, Frankie Stone Fine, was born in 2019. They welcomed a second daughter, Sunny Cinco Fine, in 2021.

The defense is expected to continue questioning Bongolan

For the first hour of testimony Thursday, a defense lawyer is expected to continue the cross-examination of Bryana “Bana” Bongolan.

Thursday’s star witness

Sometime around noon or after, prosecutors are planning to call as a witness a woman who will testify under the pseudonym “Jane.” Prosecutors say her testimony will be similar to what the jury heard during the first week of the trial from Casandra “Cassie” Ventura.

Cassie testified for four days about enduring drug-fueled sexual performances for years known as “freak-offs” to satisfy the music mogul’s sexual needs.

Jane, who is older than Cassie, was a single mother who began dating Combs in 2020, about two years after the nearly 11-year relationship between Cassie and Combs had ended.

Prosecutors say the relationship with Jane began as a romance but soon became reliant on “freak-offs” in which Jane would perform sexually with male escorts while Combs directed the action.

Defense lawyers have described Jane as Combs’ girlfriend of three years. They say he was more honest with Jane than he was with Cassie, telling her that he was dating multiple women while he was seeing her. Still, they say, Jane’s relationship with Combs was plagued by jealousy because Jane wanted a more exclusive relationship. They say the relationship became primarily sexual over time.

Ex-Combs aide says fear stopped her from calling police

Former employees of Combs’ Bad Boy Entertainment described repeatedly witnessing him beat Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, but said they didn’t report the abuse to law enforcement because they feared Combs would harm them.

Clark testified that the day she started as Combs’ personal assistant in 2004, he threatened he would kill her if her previous work for rival rappers interfered with her work for him.

Then, she testified, she watched in shock as Combs viciously assaulted Cassie, his on-again, off-again girlfriend for more than a decade, in 2011 after learning she was dating Cudi. Clark said her "heart was breaking from seeing her get hit like that," and neither she nor Combs' bodyguard intervened.

She said she called Cassie’s mother and told her: “Please help her. I can’t call the police, but you can.”

Weeks later, Clark said, she reported what happened to Cassie to the president of Bad Boy Records.

Combs’ ex-aide says she was ‘brainwashed’ when she sent loving texts years after rape

A former personal assistant who accuses Sean "Diddy" Combs of rape testified Monday that she continued sending the hip-hop mogul loving messages for years after her job ended in 2017 because she was "brainwashed."

The woman, testifying under the pseudonym “Mia,” pushed back at defense lawyer Brian Steel’s suggestions that she fabricated her claims to cash in on “the #MeToo money grab against Sean Combs.”

Steel had Mia read aloud numerous text messages she sent Combs. In one from 2019, she told Combs that he'd rescued her in a nightmare in which she was trapped in an elevator with R. Kelly, the singer who has since been convicted of sex trafficking.

It was one of many objections during a combative and often meandering cross-examination that stood in contrast to the defense’s gentler treatment of other prosecution witnesses. Several times, the judge interrupted Steel, instructing him to move along or rephrase complicated questions.

▶ Read more about Mia's testimony

Combs paid to hide Cassie beating video because he feared career ruin, witness says

Soon after viciously attacking his longtime girlfriend Cassie in a hotel hallway, Sean "Diddy" Combs sought out a security guard and predicted accurately that his iconic career would be ruined — his image as the affable, successful "Puff Daddy" destroyed — if video of the beating ever became public.

Eddy Garcia, 33, testified Thursday that the hip-hop mogul made the comment repeatedly before giving a brown paper bag stuffed with $100,000 in cash to the then-guard, in order to buy what he hoped was the only copy of surveillance footage of the March 2016 assault.

Prosecutors at Combs' sex trafficking trial in Manhattan have made the footage of Combs kicking, beating and dragging Cassie at the Intercontinental Hotel in Los Angeles a centerpiece of their federal case against him. They contend it supports the claims of three women, including Cassie, who allege the Bad Boy Records founder sexually and physically abused them over two decades.

Prosecutors say Combs' persistent efforts to hush up the episode fit into allegations he used threats and his fortune and fame to get what he wanted.

▶ Read more about Garcia's testimony

A woman testifies Combs gave her night terrors by dangling her from a balcony

A former graphic designer for Combs testified Wednesday that he dangled her from a 17th-floor balcony while screaming profanities, leaving her so traumatized she still has night terrors nearly a decade later and would wake up screaming.

Bryana 'Bana' Bongolan, 33, a friend of Combs' former girlfriend Cassie, told jurors that Combs lifted her over the railing for 10-15 seconds before pulling her back and throwing her onto patio furniture.

She said the September 2016 attack at Cassie’s Los Angeles apartment caused a bruise on her leg and pain to her back and neck. Jurors saw photos of her wearing a neck brace. Her bruise looked like it was the size of a softball.

Bongolan took the stand during the fourth week of testimony in Combs’ trial, and was a prelude to the next big prosecution witness: a woman using the pseudonym “Jane” who alleges she was abused by Combs and made to participate in drug-fueled “freak-off” sex marathons. She’s expected to testify Thursday.

▶ Read more about Bongolan's testimony

Credit: AP

Credit: AP