Crime and Justice
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The sex trafficking trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs heard further testimony from Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, who took the stand on Wednesday (May 14) and unveiled some chilling details. Ventura said that Diddy became violent and threatened to harm her and her ex-boyfriend Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi after discovering the pair had entered into a relationship.
Variety reports that Ventura, now married to Alex Fine and expecting their third child, took to the stand and shared how Combs’ violent actions towards her were sparked in the midst of one of the so-called “freak-off” parties. According to Ventura, Combs went through her phone during the party in 2011 and found out she was in contact with Kid Cudi. Ventura added that while Combs gestured towards her with the sharp end of a wine opener, she was able to escape the hotel and met with Mescudi that evening.
Ventura then shared that she went to Combs’ home so they could talk about what he discovered, but said the mogul was “irate” and said that he would hurt her and Mescudi. She adds that Combs allegedly kicked her in the back, causing her to fall to the ground. She added that Combs threatened to leak freak-off footage.
As shared in her initial lawsuit that was later settled, Ventura made mention of the fight with Combs and the threats towards Mescudi, including a portion of the filing that detailed Combs’ intentions to blow up Mescudi’s vehicle, which eventually was a target of a bombing. Mescudi has since confirmed that the incident took place.
Further testimony is expected this week as the trial rolls on after starting in earnest on Monday.
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As the sex trafficking trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs continues, major media companies reporting on the matter have requested to review evidence at the center of the trial. A consortium of media brands filed the request earlier this week, which would allow viewing of the so-called “Freak-Off” footage mentioned in earlier reports.
As reported by Variety, the media companies include the Associated Press, Business Insider, Vox Media, Wall Street Journal, and more, all of which are requesting to view the footage of the parties infamously and allegedly masterminded by Sean “Diddy” Combs. During opening statements heard this week, Diddy’s ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, mentioned the freak-off parties and accused Combs of ordering her and others to perform extreme sexual acts.
During her testimony, Ventura, who took the stand while in her third trimester carrying her third child, shared with prosecutors that she had handed over visual evidence via laptops that were in her possession.
“While the News organizations appreciate that some trial exhibits in this case may be sexually explicit and sensitive for the alleged victims, the public and the press should be permitted to view and consider this evidence (which lies at the heart of the Government’s case), consistent with the first Amendment right of access to criminal trials,” read a portion of the media companies’ filing.
Variety adds in their reporting that they are not asking for physical copies of the videos, instead only wanting to view the footage to inform their reporting. Attorney Douglas H. Wigdor, who represents Ventura, has filed to deny the request, writing that the media companies “did not cite any case, and nor are we aware of any authority, granting this unprecedented request in a sex trafficking case to unseal videos depicting coercive sex acts.”
A decision on allowing the media companies to see the footage has yet to be made.
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The sex trafficking trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs is underway after opening statements were heard as the prosecution unveiled their star witness, Cassie Ventura, who took the stand. Among the harrowing details shared by Cassie Ventura, she added that her fear of Diddy’s anger is why she went along with the so-called “freak-off” parties.
We do wish to caution readers before proceeding, as some of the details within will be disturbing to some.
TMZ reports that prosecutors opened up their case on Tuesday (May 13) to discuss the allegations of sexual abuse, violence, coercion, and assault that occurred under Diddy’s watch and direction. Before Ventura took the stand, the prosecution shared that Combs forced his ex-girlfriend to have sex with male escorts, with one allegedly urinating in her mouth under Combs’ orders.
Ventura, who was accompanied by her husband Alex Fine to court, spoke about the 2016 beating at the hands of Combs, sharing that it happened shortly after a freak-off party. When asked why she participated willingly, Ventura shared that she was “confused, nervous. I wanted to make him happy.”
Prosecutors questioned if Ventura agreed to attend the initial freak-off party, and she did so without knowing it would be the start of more.
“Then there were more. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, at least not that frequently,” Ventura told the prosecutors. She added that the fear of retaliation and the threat that Diddy would release the video footage of the freak-off activities kept her from saying anything.
Ventura also told prosecutors that she provided evidence of the freak-off parties, sharing that she provided several laptops that allegedly contained said footage. Amid all of this, Ventura and Fine are expecting their third child.
On X, reactions to the opening statements are in, and we’ve got some listed below.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ high-profile trial will hear opening statements this week, and prosecutors have already suffered a setback. As previously reported, a key witness known as Victim-3 was expected to testify against Diddy but has yet to be found by the prosecution.
Deadline exclusively reports that the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York has been unable to locate Victim-3 after Jane Doe initially stated they would testify in court. Jane Doe was scheduled to state before the court how Combs allegedly used his power and influence to sexually exploit her.
The outlet adds in its reporting that the inability of the prosecution to locate the witness gives Combs’ team fuel to halt the progression of the case in the short term. The defense team might attempt to lay groundwork for a delay in the start of the trial or even a mistrial, although the latter seems far away from the realm of possibility.
According to unnamed sources that spoke with Deadline, it is assumed that Victim-3 has ceased all communication out of a fear for her safety. The witness’s name was shielded from public view and would remain so.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs and his defense team were granted a delay in the jury selection process on Friday (May 9), pushing it to this coming Monday. Opening statements are reported to be heard after the jury is selected, and it was also revealed that a key witness has decided they will not testify against Diddy.
The Daily Mail reports that Judge Arun Subramanian granted the defense’s request based on their feeling that jurors would get “cold feet” between Friday and Monday (May 12), which is when opening statements were originally supposed to be heard. The prosecution attempted to push back, but the judge said that if the jury is fully selected on Monday, it would ensure that the process would not need to be restarted.
Other developments in the trial involve Jane Doe, also known as Victim Number 3, who was thought to be a key witness. It appears that Victim Number 3 never worked with prosecutors, and according to a TMZ report, she did not want to testify. The outlet added in another report that Victim Number 5 might testify, and the judge ruled that they will need to reveal their identity to the court.
The defense also claimed that Diddy and his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, were both physically violent with one another. Ventura came forth with explosive claims about Combs, which led to an investigation and his eventual arrest. She is not involved with the sex trafficking trial directly, but it is said to be a character witness.
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Turkey Leg Hut, the popular Houston restaurant that attracted huge crowds and celebrity interest, is at the center of an ongoing scandal involving its former owner, Lynn Price. According to the FBI, pounds of marijuana were sold at Turkey Leg Hut and reportedly emblazoned with the company’s logo.
The Houston Chronicle reports that FBI special Agent Deborah Cline testified last week at a detention hearing for Lynn Price, 42, who owned the Turkey Leg Hut, which closed for good last year. Price was arrested last week in connection with a 2020 arson, alleging that he paid four men $1,400 to set fire to a bar situated across the street from his establishment.
One of the four men, John Lee Price, said that he helped aid a covert marijuana operation using product shipped in from California and sold in bags bearing the Turkey Leg Hut logo. Price reportedly didn’t handle the day-to-day sales himself but is framed as a ringleader of the operation.
Lynn Price nor the men accused of setting fire to Bar 5105 have been accused of anything connected to the marijuana operation. Agent Cline said over 1,000 pounds of marijuana was kept on the premises of the restaurant, which was guarded around the clock.
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The upcoming sex trafficking trial for Sean “Diddy” Combs is slated to take place next week, and the court maneuvering is in full swing. Diddy’s legal team has requested that a gag order be placed on the attorneys representing victims in the matter ahead of the trial.
In an exclusive report, the British publication Daily Mail reports that Diddy’s legal team is asking a judge to issue a gag order on the attorneys representing the mogul’s alleged victims. The publication says that the request singled out Douglas Wigdor, who is representing Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. They hope that the attorneys can’t issue statements that might damage the moves of the defense and keep the case out of the public limelight.
“Absent a Court order, we expect the publicity to not only continue, but escalate as trial commences,” a portion of the letter the team handed over to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian. “Indeed in recent weeks, lawyers for government witnesses have commented on pretrial litigation and continued to broadcast prejudicial statements.”
Combs’ team floated a claim that a video of their client physically assaulting Ventura that was shared on CNN may have been altered. The network denies performing any edits to the clips.
Wigdor has responded to the legal maneuver and provided a statement for the Daily Mail.
“We will vigorously oppose the motion seeking an extraordinary sweeping gag order as it is an obvious attempt at controlling and silencing victims and their counsel in contravention of well-established legal and ethical precedent,” Wigdor said. “Given this, it should come as no surprise that Combs fails to cite even one case to support his request.”
Diddy’s trial is set to take place on May 5.
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Sean “Diddy” Combs can claim a slight legal victory ahead of his explosive trial set to take place next week after a judge ruled that a forced labor claim wouldn’t be entered as evidence. Diddy’s legal team initially requested that some evidence be put aside, but it appears that the sex trafficking evidence will be entered.
TMZ reports that Diddy’s legal team’s request to have certain portions of evidence exempt from the upcoming trial was denied in part, with the judge in the hearing stating that prosecutors would not be able to argue over the forced labor claim.
The defense added in their request that prosecutors turned over their evidence too late, thus not giving the defense enough time to devise a countering strategy. However, prosecutors fired back and said that Diddy’s side had ample time and is attempting to hold up the trial.
Court documents reveal that prosecutors said that the request was “a transparent attempt to narrow the scope of the proof against him at trial by any means necessary, and to yet again make a last-ditch effort to secure an adjournment of trial.”
Diddy’s trial is set to begin on May 5.
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Eugene “Big U” Henley Jr., a notable music executive with ties to the late Nipsey Hussle, is in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors for his alleged role as a gang leader. According to prosecutors, Big U is seeking the assistance of President Donald Trump, whom he reportedly referred to as the “Orange Man.”
The Los Angeles Times reports that Big U, 58, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge A. Joel Richlin in Los Angeles in a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday (April 22) where it was ruled that the alleged Rollin 60s Crips leader will remain behind bars as he awaits trial. Richlin read off the list of charges Henley faces and considered him a flight risk and a danger to the community, thus why he will remain jailed.
Henley currently faces a 43-count indictment with charges ranging from violating RICO laws, embezzlement of charity donations, tax evasion, and the alleged murder of a rapper that was under his tutelage.
“Even in his short time in custody, he is up to his old tricks, once again trying to use some of those same celebrities for his personal gain,” the government stated in a briefing ahead of the Tuesday hearing. “He has even suggested that he can manipulate the President of the United States into intervening in the case and dropping the charges, even as he simultaneously derisively refers to the President as ‘the orange man’ while in custody. This Court should not be fooled by the good deeds defendant promises to accomplish if only he could close the detention doors behind him.”
A pretrial conference is scheduled for May 9. Big U has pleaded not guilty.
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Eugene “Big U” Henley Jr. has pleaded not guilty to a flurry of charges he’s facing in connection with racketeering, gang violence, and murder. The mother of one of Big U’s alleged murder victims, Rayshawn Williams, believes that the music executive and assumed gang boss committed the crime.
TMZ Hip Hop spoke with the mother and sister of Rayshawn Williams outside of a Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles location in California. Shadonna Brown took questions from the outlet’s reporter regarding Big U’s ongoing case, and she didn’t mince words about her assessment of Henley and his alleged involvement in the death of her son.
Court documents highlight that Henley carried out a hit against Williams, who was a rapper signed to Henley’s Uneek Music label, after a dispute in Las Vegas went awry. FBI agent Andrew Roosa said that Williams was flown to Las Vegas in January 2021 by Henley and was slated to record music, but didn’t show up to the sessions. This appeared to anger Henley, who flew to Las Vegas to oversee the sessions. After that, what occurred remains a mystery.
Brown says her “mother’s intuition” is what led her to believe Big U was responsible for her son’s murder. Even further, it appeared that Williams recorded a song dissing his label boss, even down to how he would pass away. Williams was found shot several times in a Nevada landfill, and some suggest that the hit was carried out due to the diss track.
Williams and Henley’s son played football together in high school, highlighting the depth of the bond they seemed to share. Brown has since launched a GoFundMe to relocate for what she says are safety reasons. She also added that Henley never contacted her after the death of her son.
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