During the opening of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ federal sex trafficking trial Tuesday, prosecutors alleged that the music mogul once forced a male sex worker to urinate in the mouth of singer and former partner, Cassie Ventura.
The incident is part of a broader pattern of alleged abuse and sexual coercion that prosecutors claim Diddy Combs orchestrated over two decades. The trial, which began on May 12 in a Manhattan federal courtroom, is expected to feature graphic testimony and disturbing accounts of power abuse, manipulation, and sexual exploitation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson told the jury that Diddy Combs organised sex parties, referred to as “freak offs,” where Ventura and other women were forced to participate in degrading acts, often with male escorts, while Combs watched or recorded the encounters.
One of the key witnesses, male escort Daniel Phillip, testified that he was hired multiple times by Combs to engage in sexual acts with Ventura. On one such occasion, Phillip said Ventura, under Combs’ instruction, asked him to urinate on her during sex. Phillip said he was paid thousands of dollars for each encounter.
“She was choking and gasping after the act,” Johnson told the court, describing Ventura’s emotional and physical state after the incident. Prosecutors allege this was part of a long-running pattern of abuse meant to degrade and control her.
Phillip, visibly emotional during his testimony, said he had remained silent for years out of fear. “My thoughts were that this was someone with unlimited power. And chances are, even if I did go to the police, I might still lose my life,” he told the court.
Diddy Combs has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including racketeering, sex trafficking, and transporting individuals for prostitution.
If convicted, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and possibly life imprisonment.
