A woman known only as “Mia” is set to take the stand this week in the federal trial against Sean “Diddy” Combs in New York, making her one of the most anticipated and significant witnesses so far in the case.
Also referred to in court documents as “Victim-4,” Mia is a former staff member who has accused Combs of sexually assaulting her while she worked for him. According to government prosecutors, her testimony will offer detailed allegations of coercion, abuse, and trauma that, until recently, she said she kept buried, The Guardian reported.
“Mia will tell you how she could not talk about what happened to her until recently … how she wanted to take the secret of what the defendant did to her to her grave,” government lawyer Emily Johnson told the court earlier this month.
While Mia remains anonymous to the public, her account is expected to be the second direct accusation of sexual contact involving Combs in this trial, following the testimony of his ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura.
The indictment against Combs includes charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. He has denied all allegations.
In court, Johnson stated that Mia was once Combs’ personal assistant and described moments where the music mogul allegedly forced himself on her. Johnson told the jury Combs “put his hand up her dress, unzipped his pants and forced her to perform oral sex, and sneaking into her bed to penetrate her against her will.”
“This case is not about a celebrity’s private sexual preference,” Johnson said. “The evidence will show sexual conduct was coercive and criminal. He made women have sex when they didn’t want to.”
Mia is also expected to speak about being subjected to forced labor, including sex, under the threat of various forms of intimidation.
But Combs’ legal team has pushed back hard against her claims, questioning why Mia waited years to come forward and pointing to communications that allegedly showed continued interaction with Combs long after the incidents.
Defense attorney Teny Geragos described Combs as a “complicated man,” but defended his right to a private life. “Regret,” she told the court, “is not coercion.”
The defense has also floated the idea that financial motivations are at play, especially in light of Cassandra Ventura’s civil settlement with Combs.
On Tuesday, another former employee of Combs, Capricorn Clark, spent a full day testifying in court. She claimed Combs once kidnapped her at gunpoint, physically assaulted her, threatened her life, and then sabotaged her career.
“I was petrified,” Clark testified, alleging she was once threatened with being thrown into the East River over missing jewelry.
“Sean Combs said I would never work again – he would make me kill myself,” she claimed.
Clark also commented on Ventura, saying the singer “wasn’t very talented” and that her voice required heavy engineering in the studio.
Coincidentally, the same day Clark testified, People magazine reported that Ventura had gone into labor with her third child, just days after testifying in court. She is currently hospitalized in New York.
With Mia set to testify next, the case against Combs is only becoming more intense, with each witness bringing new details to light about the music mogul’s alleged abuse and manipulation.
You Might Also Like:
- Surprising Norovirus Symptom That May Appear in Your Legs
- Shakira and Jason Aldean’s concerts canceled unexpectedly moments ahead of show
- Death Row Records founder Suge Knight breaks silence on Bad Boy Records founder Diddy’s federal trial
- Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness Divorce After Painful Betrayal Revealed
- Boaters Stunned as Giant 20-Foot Shark Swims Right By