Diddy trial day 1: Live updates
NEW YORK CITY - Opening statements began Monday in the sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs.
Combs has been in custody since Sept. 2024, after his Los Angeles and Miami homes were raided by law enforcement.
If convicted, Combs could face 15 years to life in prison.
Follow the latest updates below.
Caught ‘wearing only a towel'
Former LA hotel security guard Israel Florez said he noticed that the hotel’s floor display was destroyed and told Combs it’ll be charged to the room.
As he escorted Cassie and Combs to their room, he said Cassie indicated she wanted to leave and Combs told her: "You’re not going to leave."
Florez said he told Combs: "If she wants to leave, she’s going to leave."
After Cassie left, Florez said, he was getting ready to leave their room when Combs called him back. Florez said he was holding a stack of money with a $100 on top, telling him: "Don’t tell nobody." Florez said he considered it a bribe and told him: "I don’t want your money. Just go back into your room."
Diddy had a ‘scary, devilish look’
Florez testified Diddy had a "scary, devilish look" during his encounter.
Florez confirmed he took a video of the surveillance footage on his iPhone then wrote an incident report. However, he said he did not review the video before filing that report and he did not call the police.
Diddy's defense lawyer had Florez admit he chose not to include this detail in his report because it was his opinion.
Florez also did not include in the incident report that Diddy told Cassie she could not leave.
Florez also confirmed Diddy was not drunk or high during the altercation.
Cassie LA hotel assault video played in court
The jury was shown surveillance video of the rapper attacking his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, at a hotel in Century City in 2016.
The video, obtained by CNN, shows the former couple in a lobby at the upscale InterContinental Hotel in Century City, an area adjacent to Beverly Hills.
The incident was captured by multiple cameras and showed Diddy throwing his then-partner to the ground as he proceeded to kick her and drag her by her sweatshirt, all while dressed in a towel.
Diddy trial first witness called
Prosecutors called Israel Florez, a former security officer at a Los Angeles hotel, as their first witness following the conclusion of opening statements. Florez worked at the Intercontinental Hotel on March 5, 2016. Sean "Diddy" Combs and ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura got into a physical altercation at the hotel, as seen in surveillance video previously published by CNN.
Defense lawyers had unsuccessfully tried before trial to get the video banned from the trial on the grounds that a recording that aired on CNN last year was unfair because it was edited and incomplete. Prosecutors say they are not airing the recording that CNN aired. Instead, they plan to show the jury recordings taken within the hotel.
Diddy brings Bible to court
Sean "Diddy" Combs walked into court Monday holding a Bible.
The rapper sat reading the Bible while he waited for court to begin. Diddy put the book away before jury selection resumed.
A jury of 12 with six alternates was chosen and sworn in around 7 a.m. local time before the prosecution began with opening statements.
Combs' family, including his mother Janice Combs and some of his children, were seen walking into the courthouse past throngs of people lining the block.
Diddy's children have defended their father since his arrest in September.
Sex trafficking trial recap
The trial will focus on two women -- his ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and a woman who will remain anonymous. Diddy used violence to force Cassie and later Jane Doe to have sex with escorts, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson.
He introduced both women to "freak offs," in which the they were allegedly forced to take drugs and perform sex acts on escorts while the rapper watched. Diddy directed every aspect of the sexual encounters, prosecutors claimed.
Cassie reportedly tried to participate in the "freak offs" at first because she loved Diddy, but quickly changed her mind. Jane Doe had a similar experience.
According to the prosecution, Diddy used his inner circle to keep crimes out of public view to protect perception and power.
The Source: Information for this story is from FOX News and FOX 5 New York.