The musician and actor Kid Cudi took the stand on Thursday in Sean “Diddy” Combs sex trafficking and racketeering trial to testify that the rap mogul, in a fit of rage and jealousy, broke into his home and he believed coordinated the firebombing of his high-end sports car.
The testimony in the star-studded trial could play a critical role as prosecutors attempt to build a case that Combs used violence and threats to run a criminal enterprise that he used to hurt his rivals and protect the entertainment and cultural kingdom he had built.
Kid Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, told jurors that he briefly dated star witness and Combs’ ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in 2011. The romance was called off, according to his testimony, because of Combs’ threats, but Mescudi said he suspected that Combs nevertheless coordinated the firebombing of his car to send a message to the rival musician.
“I knew Sean Combs was violent,” said Mescudi, adding that Ventura confided in him that Combs “would hit her, sometimes kick her.”
Combs’ lawyers have denied that he had any involvement in the alleged firebombing, and Mescudi testified that Combs said he was unaware of the incident when they met in 2012 to hash out their differences. Mescudi elicited a few laughs from the courtroom as he described how he met Combs in an exclusive club in Los Angeles, finding the rap mogul “staring out the window with his hands behind his back like a Marvel supervillain.”
Prosecutors have alleged that Combs committed multiple crimes, including arson, to orchestrate a sprawling criminal conspiracy. Combs has denied the charges against him and pleaded not guilty. The trial ended its third week Thursday, as the judge released the jury for an extended Memorial Day weekend break.
Kid Cudi says he believes Combs torched his car, broke into his home
Mescudi’s relationship with Ventura was brief, but it was marked by violent threats from Combs that prompted him and Ventura to stop seeing one another, according to Mescudi.
After starting a romance with the singer and model who was involved with Combs on-and-off for years, Mescudi said he received an abrupt phone call from Ventura to warn that Combs had learned they were seeing each other.
“I was confused but she asked me to pick her up. She sounded really stressed on the phone, scared, nervous. So I went to go pick her up,” Mescudi testified, saying that he soon received a call from Combs’ assistant informing him that Combs had broken into his home.
“I said, ‘M——-, you in my house?’ And he said, ‘What’s up?’ ‘Are you in my house? I just want to talk to you. I’m on my way over right now,’” he testified.
Mescudi said he quickly drove to his home but did not find Combs, though there were traces of his visit. He said the Christmas gifts he bought for his family had been opened and his dog was locked in the bathroom.
Mescudi said he and Ventura eventually broke up because “things were getting out of hand” and he felt concerned for their safety.
During her testimony last week, Ventura said that Combs threatened to hurt her and Mescudi if their relationship continued and vowed to blow up the car of the rival rapper. Mescudi testified that he suspected Combs followed through with the threat in early 2012, telling jurors that someone had cut the soft top of his Porsche open and placed a lit molotov cocktail inside. Jurors were shown the results of that episode when prosecutors entered into evidence multiple photos of the charred vehicle.
Mescudi said he met to talk with Combs about the incident a few days later at SoHo House Los Angeles. His goal was to reconcile, but Combs claimed he did not know about the firebombing.
“We stood up, shook hands and as I was shaking his hand I said ‘What are we going to do about my car?’” Mescudi said. “He looked right back at me, very cold stare, and said ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Years later, Mescudi said he ran into Combs once again at Soho House, where Combs said he wanted to “apologize for everything.”
Combs’ assistant says he quit after witnessing abuse
The trial started Thursday with a return to the witness stand of Combs’ personal assistant, George Kaplan. Testifying under an immunity deal so he cannot be prosecuted for anything he admits to, Kaplan said he left after 15 months because he could no longer continue “fixing” problems for Combs after the mogul’s repeated acts of violence.
Kaplan testified that he saw Combs become violent on three occasions, including one episode when he was summoned to Combs’ bedroom only to find Ventura crying and bruised in bed. He also recounted seeing Combs holding a whisky glass over Ventura’s head during a flight to Las Vegas and another instance in 2015 when a “very angry” Combs threw apples at another one of his girlfriends.
“I was not comfortable being aligned with the physical behavior I had seen pieces of during the course of the months,” Kaplan said, explaining his decision to leave Combs’ staff.
Because working for Combs was his first professional job, Kaplan said he didn’t feel like he could intervene, worried that he might blow what he thought could be his door into the entertainment industry.
“In my heart of hearts I knew what was happening and I felt an element of guilt that I didn’t do anything to stop it,” he told jurors.
Fourth witness says she witnesses Combs abuse Ventura
Prosecutors called makeup artist Mylah Morales to testify about a 2010 incident when Combs allegedly assaulted Ventura in their hotel suite. According to Morales, Combs stormed into the room they rented at the Beverly Hills Hotel after a night out.
“Where the f—- is she?” Combs allegedly shouted before he walked into the bedroom where Ventura was and closed the door, according to Morales’ testimony.
Morales said she heard “yelling and screaming” before Combs exited the hotel room. She said Ventura had a swollen eye, busted lip, and “knots on her head” after the incident.
According to Morales, Ventura stayed with her for a few days to recover after the incident. Morales testified that a friend who was a doctor checked on Ventura to see if she had a concussion and suggested she visit an emergency room, according to her testimony, but Ventura allegedly said it was “her wish not to go to the ER.”
On cross-examination, Combs’ lawyers highlighted that Morales did not directly witness the alleged assault because she was outside the bedroom.
The testimony from Morales marks the fourth witness to tell the jury that they saw Combs commit acts of violence towards women. Earlier witnesses Dawn Richard and Kerry Morgan alleged they witnessed Combs abuse Ventura, and Kaplan testified that he said he saw Combs be violent to Ventura and another woman.
Prosecutors move down their witness list
Federal prosecutors called two additional witnesses on Thursday afternoon, including a federal agent who conducted an analysis of electronic devices belonging to Ventura and the manager of a luxury hotel in Beverly Hills.
The general manager of the L’Ermitage Beverly Hills, Frederick Zemmour, said Combs frequently stayed at the hotel, and his guest profile noted some characteristics that other witnesses said were features of the drug-fueled sex parties called “freak offs” that Combs would host.
“Always spills candle wax on everything and uses excessive amounts of oil, place rooms out of order upon departure for deep cleaning,” Zemmour said, citing notes the hotel kept on Combs.
When Ventura testified last week, she said Combs often booked rooms at L’Ermitage Beverly Hills to host “freak offs.” She recounted one instance when Combs allegedly requested she get into a blowup pool that was filled with “lube and oil.”
“Did you want to get into a pool of baby oil?” prosecutor Emily Johnson asked.
“No, especially not in a hotel room like that. It was such a mess,” Ventura said on the stand.
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