Sean “Diddy” Combs‘ federal sex trafficking trial took a disturbing turn Monday when a male dancer testified that the Bad Boy Records founder paid him to have sex with singer Cassie Ventura, while Combs watched, directed, and sometimes filmed the acts.
Daniel Phillip, a former male revue manager, was the prosecution’s second witness and gave graphic, emotionally charged testimony that visibly rattled Diddy’s family in the courtroom. According to CNN, Combs’ daughters stood up and left the courtroom when Phillip described sexual encounters with Ventura that allegedly occurred with Combs watching and masturbating. The family briefly returned but exited again as the explicit nature of the testimony continued.
Phillip, who said he began engaging with Ventura around 2012, shared that the first encounter took place at New York’s Gramercy Park Hotel, where he was allegedly told he was performing for a bachelorette party. When he arrived, Cassie greeted him alone, wearing red lingerie and sunglasses, and told him her “husband” wanted to treat her to something special. Phillip said that husband, masked but later identified by voice, was Diddy.
Phillip described multiple occasions where he had sex with Ventura as Diddy watched, directed them, or filmed using a camcorder and phone. Baby oil was frequently used, per Diddy’s request, and Phillip testified that he sometimes didn’t wear a condom and even brought proof of STD testing at one point.
In one shocking account, Cassie allegedly asked Phillip to urinate on her, while Diddy masturbated in the corner. Phillip said he was paid between $700 to $6,000 per session, though sometimes he wasn’t compensated.
In addition to these encounters, Phillip testified about a violent altercation he witnessed between Diddy and Ventura at her home. He said Combs dragged her by her hair into a bedroom while berating and slapping her. “I didn’t know what to do,” Phillip said, adding that fear for his life kept him from intervening or reporting the incident.
Another chilling moment came when Phillip said Diddy photographed his driver’s license before a session, allegedly for “insurance,” which he interpreted as an intimidation tactic.
Throughout his testimony, Phillip acknowledged that despite the abuse, he continued seeing Cassie, calling it a way to check on her well-being. “It was my way of being able to know she was okay,” he said.
The prosecution also played the now widely circulated 2016 hotel surveillance video that appears to show Diddy violently assaulting Cassie, a move legal analysts believe underscores the government’s claim that Combs used “force, fraud, and coercion” to maintain control over women involved in what prosecutors call “freak offs.”
Combs is facing sex trafficking, racketeering, and prostitution-related charges stemming from a sweeping federal indictment. He has pleaded not guilty and continues to deny all allegations.
Cassie Ventura is expected to take the stand later this week.