“The Trial Of Sean Combs” Episode Eighteen | Mike Myers, Madonna and Suge

0:10 Get ready to dive deep into one of the most gripping legal battles of our time. I'm your host, Jim Chapman, and today we're unraveling the high stakes drama surrounding one of the music industry's most enematic figures, Sean Diddy Combs, in a case that has captivated millions. The courtroom has become a battleground for fame, fortune, in the dark secrets that lurk beneath the glittering surface of celebrity life. As the gavel comes down, we'll explore the allegations, the testimonies, and the shocking twists that could change the course of Diddy's legacy forever. Was this case merely a clash of lifestyles or something much more sinister? With each episode, I will bring you exclusive insights, analysis, and witness testimony accounts that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

1:23 So buckle up as we embark on this thrilling ride through the trial of the century, where the stakes are high, the drama is real, and the truth is anything but certain. This is the Trial of Sean Combs. Let's get started, and I want to start by saying thank you to all of our celebrity members on Patreon who subscript to this show. To people like you who make this show and this entire production possible. Also, thank you to everyone who has left us a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you were listening. If you have not left us a review, please take a second before this episode leave us a review, even if it's just one word. And with that being said, let's get on with the show.

2:29 So just a quick catch up on what occurred the last time I joined you. I reviewed that testimony of Mia from Friday, May thirtieth, and this was her second day of testimony. The prosecution had wrapped up with her and the defense started their cross examination. In some of what we heard on Friday, Mia testified that Comes physically and sexually assaulted her, humiliated her, forced her to work grueling hour during her employment as well, and on cross examination on Friday, defense attorney Brian Steele, he challenged her to explain why she still worked there from twenty nine to twenty seventeen if all these things were going on.

3:16 She was quoted as saying, in an abusive relationship, there's a cycle of violence. I was young, I was manipulated and I was eager to survive. I'm unraveling a lot of this now in therapy. Nobody was there to say these things that were happening were wrong, and there was nobody around us that ever even flinched at his behavior. Steele also suggested three times that Mia made up her sexual assault allegations against Combs, but she stood firm quote, what I said in this courtroom is true. I have not lied to anyone at all. The defense focused on positive social media posts throughout out Friday's testimony. They confronted Mia with about three dozen warm and friendly, if you will, social media posts she had made about Combs over the years following the alleged sexual assaults that she described to the jury, and still challenged mea on how she could write kind, nice things about someone who ruined her life and on the stand, Mia said social media was about showing how great your life was, even if it wasn't true, and she said promoting her life around Combs was part of the job. She went on to say he would have destroyed my reputation had I not done that. Now.

4:41 At the end of her direct testimony, Mia testified about the end of her work relationship with Combs her struggles with what she termed a severe PTSD her inability to keep a job. She testified that she tried to run away from the job multiple times, but she felt she would never be able to be hired anywhere again. And she also testified about the pressure regarding her testimony from Combe's camp, and she mentioned that two weeks after Cassie Ventura filed her lawsuit against Combs in November of twenty twenty three, she had received several messages from Combs and his security guard asking for her to call Combs, but she declined. She made excuses whatever she had to do to get out of it. She said, I just didn't want anything to do with him at all. He was the person I was traumatized by. And so today we're going to pick up where the defense picked up for this Monday, June second, and that is with more cross of Mia by the defense. Defense attorney Brian still handling this aspect as well. And he starts by going through a resume that Mia created before she started working for Diddy, and this resume said she provided quote round the clock support to Mike Myers when she was his assistant in two thousand and eight in two thousand and nine, and still pointed out that in that resume she had said

6:12 she had thick skin. He asked her about it, and she replied, I thought I did. The defense then goes through more text messages between Mia and Diddy, this time from twenty eighteen, after she no longer worked for him. Mia had texted Combes during Christmas and the New Year's holidays, and in those texts one said Merry Christmas, love you so much. She said she had just seen Combs at kim Porter's funeral, and of course kim Porter sharing three children mc Combs. She tragically died in November of twenty eighteen. A few weeks later, on January fifteenth of twenty nineteen, Mia texted Combes that she was thinking about him because she had a nightmare that she was trapped in an elevator with Arc Kelly of all people, and Combs saved her, according to that message. Then, in March of twenty nineteen, Mia texted Comb saying she was sending him all the love in the world. Defense attorney Brian Steele then asked Mia if she was still under Combe's grip at that time, since she wasn't working for him anymore, and she replied that she was still under his grip psychologically. Mia added that quote, these were based around tragic events that happened in his life, and pointed out that the text was sent within a few months of Porter's death. Mia also texted Combs in December of twenty nineteen, and she was

7:43 writing that she was sending love to him and his family. She testified she sent that message on Porter's birthday. Still asked her if she ever filmed Combs, to which Mia testified that Combs required her to carry a flip camera remember the time framed that we're talking about people to record him before Combe's hired full time videographers. Still then asked Mia if she had any videos of Comb's beraiding her or any of him in any of these moments of rage that she testified to and Mia replied absolutely not. Quote no, I would not have been allowed to film that I was filming whatever he wanted me to film.

8:28 Filming Combs in a moment of rage would have been a huge break of trust, loyalty, and confidentiality. Still then asked Mia if she told anyone about the abuse that she claimed she had endured from Combs while it was happening, quote, do you have anything where you wrote to a friend, a family member, police officer, anybody and said this is what is going on. I'm being assaulted, berated. Do you have anything? And Mia responded with no. The only time I reached out for help was very subtile to people in the office, but never disclosing things that other people have witnessed. No, I would never have done that. Still went on to ask me, if the text message is shown today, meaning to the jury, that day included instances where she sent him holiday greetings and said I love you, And did that demonstrate a most a loving relationship between the two And she responded, I'm sending him support and I'm sending him love. Yes. He asked her about what other people around them and privy to the relationship thought about the abuse, to which she stated, quote, nobody batted an eye when Comes misbehaved. He was still praised by everyone in his circle and in public. She added quote, I was always constantly seeking his approval. He was my authority, figure,

9:58 my only authority. The jury was then shown a video Mia made for Sean Combs on his forty fourth birthday. This was in twenty thirteen. Mia is sitting at a desk in that video, and she tells Comb she was blessed to call him a friend and thanked him for being one of the biggest inspirations in her life. Quote, I love you, Happy birthday, she said in that video, and she blew him a kiss. Still then changed the subject a little bit, and he asked Mia how Combs would have found out about private messages between her and his ex girlfriend, Cassie. Ama responded to that with quote, he has stolen my phone many times. He stole Cassie's phone many times, and he's put tracking devices on her car.

10:46 I'm really not sure what he's capable of. I was terrified. She also testified she was very close with Combe's ex girlfriend Cassie throughout her employment, but she was not allowed to tell her the truth about a lot of things. She said, quote whatever story Puff told me, I had to uphold that. One of the worst parts was being put in the middle and having cover up for Puff to cast, which he forced me to do constantly. Defense attorney Brian Steele then asked me if she ever told Ventura that she should leave Comb, and Mia responded, not in the way I wish I could have. Mia testified she never told Ventura she had to stay with Combs, but said I remember covering for him when he forced me to and feeling terrible about it. However, had I not done that, he would have taken me away from her.

11:41 Still then brought up the fact that Mia didn't mention sex assault allegations during mediation over her severance after she was released from her employment with Diddy, and she confirmed that she did not bring up those allegations. The jury then saw a message Miah had sent to Sean Combe's first birthday in twenty twenty three, fairly recently. The message included a photo of the two of them, which Mia posted for Combe's birthday in twenty fourteen, and she testified she didn't even recall sending that message. Mia then testified that the lawsuit filed by Cassie was made public twelve days after that message. Mia also testified that she did not initially tell prosecutors and federal investigators about the sex assault allegations against Diddy. When she was asked by Steele, she said that she definitely did not tell them before she had a lawyer, and Still then suggested that Mia did not tell prosecutors about these sex allegations until June of twenty twenty four, and she replied, quote again, I don't remember the dates, but I do remember the horrible conversation.

12:56 Then Defense Attorney Steele goes into the fact that she she never told people outside of Combe's circle about any of the allegations that she's making against Combs, and she testified at that point, I was never outside of his grub, adding that even when she was away from her job, she was still expected to be in constant communication. Twenty four to seven. Still asked her why she didn't tell any of her loved ones about her allegations when she saw them during that period, and she responded, it is way more complex than that. Still then asked if Combs was only violent with his former girlfriend, Cassie Ventura on rare occasions, to which Mia replied the opposite. Still also asked if Combs was generally a pleasant person to be around, and Mia said that one of his personalities was pleasant.

13:55 She added the rest of them no. Still then asked Mia if she he intended to sue Shawn Combs based on these sex allegations that she had made against him, and she replied that that was not her intention. Stele pressed further on that topic and asked me if she wanted money based on her testimony at the trial, and she responded no. Stele then said, quote, isn't it true you were let go for failing to arrive on time and for drinking, to which Mia replied, absolutely not. And I gotta just say something on that. Now we know how hard did he partied? By now right, everybody in his circle has admitted that. I don't think she would have been let go for drinking. I mean, come on.

14:46 Still then asked her about her testimony under direct examination, where Mia said she felt like she was blacklisted after she left Bad Boy Records, and he brought up the fact that after she left twenty seventeen, she went to work for Madonna and me and Dick confirmed she worked for Madonna for about eight months after leaving Diddy's company. And you know, that's a good point for the defense to bring up had he blacklisted her? How did she get a job with Madonna? Right? Defense attorney Steele then returned to the messages that Mia sent in December of twenty sixteen after she learned Revolt Films would be shutting down now. In these texts, Mia said her life was over.

15:32 Still asked Mia if she wanted to continue working for Combs and his business at that time, and she replied, quote, I wanted to continue following my dreams. I was finally making real stuff and I had separation from him. Brian Steele then revisited MEA's testimony about the time did he slammed a door on her arm several times which I told you about on the last episode. Mia said that her arm was bruised and she didn't seek any medical treatment. She said she wouldn't have been allowed anyway. Mia went on to say that she didn't scream during the incident, even though it was painful. She said, quote, I was in shock. And with that the defense was done with cross examination and the prosecution they did some follow up at this point, but it was nothing that stood out enough that I'll mention it here. At that point, the prosecution called Sylvia Oakin, who was the director of sales and marketing at the Beverly Hills Hotel, and she recalled some reservations made for Seawan Comb's under the alias Frank Black, which we've heard several people testify about Oakin said that it's common for guests in the entertainment industry to stay at the hotel under an alias. She said the hotel's guest profiles contained both the select Liberti's real names and their aliases. The jury was then shown a hotel record

17:06 that showed Cassie Ventura was listed as an accompanying guest on the reservation. She stated that she had full access to the reservation and could charge things to the room. The jury was then shown two bills for Seawan Combs hotel stays addressed to an alias associated with his guest profile. One of them, from May twenty fifteen, included a five hundred dollar charge for quote oil damage. Another bill included a three hundred dollars charge for cleaning drapes and a fee for going out to pick up five candles for Combs. At this point, the prosecution was done with their direct examination of this witness, and the defense really didn't have anything substantive to ask. This witness asked a couple of generic questions, and that witness was released, and with that so was court for Monday, June. Second. Now, I'm going to reference an article that I came across in my research for this episode. It's actually a brand new article that was put out by ABC News and they interview someone that I've brought up several times, sug Night, and I found it very interesting. So I'm going to quote that article for you now. It starts through the course of three weeks of testimony in the trial of Sean Diddy Combs, one man has loomed large, even as he

18:38 remains locked up in prison more than twenty five hundred miles away. That man is Marion sug Knight, the rap Impressiarro, who was viewed by many as Combe's chief competitor at the peak of Combe's prominence atop the hip hop world. During hours of conversation with ABC News this weekend, Knight offered his reactions to the trial that has grabbed headlines and offered an often disturbing portrait of the private life of a pop culture icon and fashioned taste maker who can end up being sentenced to serve the rest of his life in federal prison if convicted. Combs has pleaded not guilty and denied all wrongdoing. Knight's name has been mentioned in the Combs trial at least fifty times so far, with some of the references connected to the notorious Combes Night rivalry, and others simply acknowledging the Knight once led Combs fierce competitor death Row Records. Their names are synonymous with the explosion of hip hop and the bad blood between the two muggles and their record labels. Speaking for himself in a series of fun interviews, Saturday Night describe what he saw as a toxic culture of abuse in some parts of the hip hop industry that certainly did not start with Combs. Knight, who is currently serving a twenty eight year sentence for voluntary manslaughters stemming from a twenty fifteen fatal hit and run not connected to the Combs case to which he poleted no contest in twenty eighteen.

20:11 The famed founder of death Row Records has an extensive criminal rap sheet that added time to his current sentence because it's triggered California's three strikes law. According to law enforcement, Knight has long standing ties to LA's infamous Blood's street game. On the phone, Knight said that if Combes is the only one held accountable for alleged violence and abuse inside the world of rap, it won't break the cycle. Quote if you're gonna make Puffy answer, make everyone answer, Knight said, referring to those who benefited from a system of trading sexual favors for advancement or enabled the kind of behavior which Combes is accused. Quote changed the theme of the culture of the problems in hip hop, Knight said, repeatedly, referring to Combs by his earlier streets Puff and Puffy. Quote.

21:02 I think it'd be a great thing to let Puffy tell us truth, tell the real truth, and bring everyone accountable, Knight said. Long before federal authorities charged Combs for alleged sex trafficking and racketeering in connection with a lifestyle of allegedly forcing sex sessions called freak offs, Knight claim there had long been rumors about comes sex life back to the nineteen nineties and two thousands. Knight said, everybody knew that Puffy didn't just pop into the industry and say, hey, I want to have sex with everybody. I mean, we don't have enough time to name all of the names. Comes allegedly used fear and forced to get what he wanted, and it has been a frequent theme in his criminal case.

21:46 Far beyond sexual favors, the prosecution of Combs hinges on the core accusation that Comes used coercion and forced to get what he wanted. To make that point, prosecutors presented Comeb's former assistant, Capricorn Claw, who said she returned to work for Combs after leaving his employment because Comes allegedly made it impossible for her to work elsewhere in the industry. Quote he held all the power as it related to me, Clark testified, through tears. Clark told jurors she had worked for Night before Combs, a connection that she claimed did not sit well with Combs. Quote he told me he didn't know I had anything to do with Shuge Knight, and if anything happened, he would have to kill me.

22:30 Clark testified. Under cross examination, Comes defense attorney Mark Agnefilio attempted to undermine Clark's overall portrayal of Combs and why she would want to continue working for a man who had allegedly threatened her. Quote, I wanted my life back, sir, She responded, you want to work with him again, The defense attorney said, quote, I want to work in the music industry. Clark responded, in his comments to ABC News, Night laminated how Clark had allegedly been treated quote, I feel bad for Capricorn. He described a young woman who wanted to work hard and become successful in the music industry. He went on to say she did great things for Puffy.

23:13 Anything he needed, she got it. Anything he wanted. If she didn't have it, she'd make it happen. A lot of people might say, well, Capricorn could have did anything else she wanted to do. She did. Try. If you get a job Universal and Puffy makes a phone call, you're not getting that job. If you go get a job at a counteragency or in the movie business and Puffy makes that call, your career is over night. Recall Clark telling him she had been warned by another record executive not to tell on Puffy, and that she was allegedly paid for her silence. On the witness stand, Clark recalled one meeting where she claimed she was given such a warning. Quote, it wasn't about job opportunities. They were there to tell me to leave Puff alone and that this was going to end well for me. She testified.

24:02 The outcome of that meaning was well, no job, but it was a warning. In response to that testimony, Knight said, quote, they put a woman in a situation where she didn't have no choice but to try to be cool with these people if she's going to be in the industry. Knight said Combs did not invent the hardball tactics he allegedly employed. Quote. Don't get me wrong, Combs did terrible things, but he just didn't come up with that stuff and those ideas on his own. I don't feel that they should take Puffy and lock him up and throw away the key. I think he can do so much good right now him telling the truth about the industry. When you can pick and choose who to put on the fire pit, it's not fair. Combs should tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So help him. God, that way, everybody would history wouldn't repeat itself. It's a long list of people in the industry that's on happy because of the things they were being put through, and that is the sad part about it. Knight said he sympathizes with Combe's position quote, I feel that people in Puffy's life, going on his journey growing up, they failed him.

25:15 Do I think he made some mistakes. I think he repeats what he's seen. He repeats what he's learned. He went on to say, first thing I would tell Puffy is this, I'm not going through what he's going through for his freak offs. But I've been there sitting in those cells, and i know he feels that he don't have a friend in the world. Of all those ones in his glamorous orbit, none of them have been to court, none of them have been there to help. So I'm quite sure he's in a lonely place right now. Combe's family has remained by his side, some even sitting in on trial proceedings, and Knight noted that cannot be easy, especially for his kids. Quote. If there's a situation where he can do some time but not a lot of time, go knock it out. Don't keep torturing yourself. Once he gets where he is, going to a real prison, he'll be able to, you know, have a step closer to freedom.

26:11 Knight suggested that perhaps comb should plead out. Combs declined a plea deal on the eve of trial last month. Quote, I think they should work out a deal with Puff. Though Combes a Night are usually portrayed by the media and law enforcement as having been rivals, Knight said he saw it differently. He said, I wouldn't quite say we was rivals, because to say we was rivals means that we had to be really, really bad enemies. I do feel that he cared about the music industry. I think he did have love for the industry, and he did a great job with his artists, like I did with my artist. I say it all the time. Puffy is known for making hit singles like one song to Go Crazy.

26:54 I'm known for making hit albums. Puffy can take an artist to make great music with them. I can take great artists and make them a superstar. The alleged grudge between Comes to Night was a focus of early testimony in the trial. Comes former personal assistant David James said that one night in two thousand and eight, he spotted Night in his entourage eating at Mel's Diner in Hollywood, and he said Comes, upon hearing that, wanted to go confront Night in the rival group, and Night responded to that testimony this way, quote, if there's anything suggesting that I was doing anything illegal, I'm gonna say definitely not. I'm gonna put it to you like this. I'm quite sure I remember some of that. Anybody that know me from two o'clock in the morning, or three o'clock in the morning, dumbos, six o'clock in the morning. I'm always at Mail's with six or seven pretty women, enjoying myself until I finally was in a relationship with someone. I'm a real West Coast man and I have different stuff that I like to eat, but Mails was one of my places because Mel's was open twenty four hours. You know, if Comes did insist on returning to the diner to confront Night, as James testified, Knight said, perhaps it's because he's got to show power of the competition between the two record label bosses. Knight said he was told Comes would listen to death Row music. Quote. I was surprised about that, and he made a reference to the death Row rap star Tupac Shakur. He put on death Row music.

28:27 He put on Tupac and they go to the boat and the marina of the yacht whatever it was, and get the death Row music going again. Quote. I hope he wasn't jealous of me, because if he was jealous of me, that means he was liking me too much, loving me too much. Knight said, I don't put myself in his head or no one else's head, because the man is on trial, fighting for his life. And that is the end of that article. And let me say this. I've had a couple of people reach out and ask my opinion on this, and that is, should and will Seawan Combe's testify? Number One, I think he should not testify.

29:07 Almost in every case, it's a bad idea to testify on your own behalf. But there's several other things that kind of play into why I'm saying that. Number One, his defense team. Look, regardless of what he's done, he has one of the best defense teams in history. I would be shocked out of my head if they allowed him to get on the stand. Now that being said, I was shocked out of my head when Alec Murdoch testified in his trial with his defense team. And one thing I will say that typically people that do testify in their own defense it's a arrogance issue with them, and Shawn Combs would fit that bill for sure, so will he. It would still shot me out of my head if he did, but it's not completely off the table.

30:02 So we'll just have to see how this trial plays out. I think if it gets towards the very end of the trial and it looks like Combs is screwed. They won't have anything to lose and maybe he'll get on that stand, but it would shock me quickly. Crime Wire Weekly, I know I've been talking about this every episode, but in the description of this episode links to crime Wire Weekly or there if you enjoy hearing a weekly wrap up on everything going on as it relates to crime, mostly in the United States, but we usually have one or two stories from around the world on that podcast. It's myself an award winning podcaster, Kelly Jennings that hosts that show. We're not going to put it on our individual channels anymore. It'll be on its own channel and it's linked in the description. You have to go follow it completely free, but just follow it wherever you're listening so you'll be alerted when we dropped those episodes. Check out the Patreon commercial, free early releases, bonus episodes files, even quarterly gifts, Patreon dot Com, slash exposed podcast files, and until next time for exposed scandalous files of the Elite.

31:23 I'm your host, Jim Chapman. Much love,