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The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper
The Whole Story: The Case Against Diddy. Aired 10-11p ET
Aired October 04, 2025 - 22:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "THE WHOLE STORY": I'm Anderson Cooper. Welcome to "The Whole Story".
The trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs came to a dramatic end this week after a jury acquitted him of the most serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex trafficking. And though he was convicted on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution, the verdict is considered a victory for the defense.
CNN's Laura Coates covered the trial since the beginning, and in this next hour, she is going to lay out how the case against Combs played out in court, and speaks with an alternate juror about what resonated with him during testimony. But, she begins with a look at Sean Combs' background and how he became one of hip hop's most famous and successful artists, producers, and businessmen.
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LAURA COATES, CNN HOST & CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST (voice-over): In the early 90s, hip hop was on the edge of breaking into the mainstream, and so was a 21-year-old Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs.
KIM OSORIO, HIP HOP JOURNALIST (on camera): Hip hop really came of age as a business in the 90s, and ""Puffy"" was at the forefront of that.
TODD BOYD, AUTHOR, "RAPPER'S DELUXE: HOW HIP HOP MADE THE WORLD" (on camera): From the 1990s forward, "Puff" has been one of the most visible celebrities, artists, moguls in the culture.
YORUBA RICHEN, FILMMAKER (on camera): He actually started as a dancer and then went to Howard at 18 and was promoting parties. They were legendary. He left two years later to work at Uptown.
COATES (voice-over): Uptown Records, a legendary label for R&B and hip hop.
RICHEN (on camera): He is somebody who knew what he wanted to do. He was hustling. COATES (voice-over): That term "hustler" is one Sean Combs has used to describe himself. He got it from his dad, he says, who was a drug dealer killed when he was a toddler.
SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS, HIP HOP MOGUL (voice-over): I had his hustler's mentality. His hustler's spirit. His drive. His determination. You know his swag.
RICHEN (on camera): The hustle is something that is looked up to, especially in black culture. Hustling is what we've had to do to move past the barriers. Part of his hustle was bringing this music, this hip hop music, which he loved to the mainstream.
JAYSON RODRIGUEZ, HIP HOP JOURNALIST (on camera): In 1991, he is at Uptown Records, a rising star in the A&R department, by day. At night, he is a party promoter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): We had heavy D-Party, and we want y'all to know one of the brothers that put the party together. It's my man. Daddy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): All the beautiful women out here. We came together just to have a good time.
COATES (voice-over): Two years later, the year he turned 25, Sean Combs convinced Clive Davis of Arista Records to help him create his own label, Bad Boy Records.
BOYD (on camera): And Bad Boy debuts with a huge single by an artist named Craig Mack. So, Craig Mack has this huge hit with "Flava in Ya Ear". The remix of "Flava in Ya Ear" is even bigger. And then you have the debut of Biggie Smalls, and Biggie Smalls, as a persona, as well as his album "Ready to Die", is huge.
OSORIO (on camera): Biggie is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. That's a really big notch on his belt to have introduced Biggie, "The Notorious B.I.G.", to the world. In 1994, Puff releases Biggie's first single "Juicy".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): It was all a dream. I used to read word up magazine.
OSORIO (on camera): Huge, huge record in hip hop.
COATES (voice-over): It was the first of three hit singles off of Biggie debut album.
OSORIO (on camera): "One More Chance", the remix, was even bigger than "Juicy" to me.
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OSORIO (on camera): It took over. Everybody was in that video. You had Faith, Mary J., Aaliyah.
COATES (voice-over): And then there was "Big Poppa" featuring producer Sean Combs in the video in a hot tub.
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BOYD (on camera): I mean, it was like a duo, even though B.I.G. was the rapper and Puff was a label exec, a lot of people running record labels, they're not very visible. But, Puff was as much a part of the creative process as he was the visual identification of Bad Boy Records and what was going on in hip hop at the time.
COATES (voice-over): He was a change agent in the genre back then, widening what was acceptable, like making hip hop that was less about street culture and more about the high life.
JAYSON RODRIGUEZ, HIP HOP JOURNALIST (on camera): Before you would see something, this is my block in my neighborhood where I grew up, and these are people that I know. With Bad Boy, it changed into something that was much more aspirational, much larger, and it's this idea of we're pairing a song with the lifestyle that you want to live when you hear it.
COATES (voice-over): Those videos helped shape hip hop fashion.
OSORIO (on camera): It's all about the designer brands, right, the couture, like, high fashion, like, that's what shows your audience that you're doing well, because you got on these dark, big Versace glasses.
COATES (voice-over): And Sean Combs worked to change hip hop's sound.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): Imbuing an R&B sound and chorus into like a hardcore rapper, that's like 100 percent Puff.
COATES (voice-over): All of this was changing the culture.
VAN LATHAN JR., CO-HOST, "HIGHER LEARNING" PODCAST (on camera): There were beautiful women everywhere. They were dressed flawlessly, the Coogi sweaters and nice jackets and hot tubs, doing the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, B.I.G. gave you the parts of his life that weren't so glamorous and the things that weren't so great. But, it was more -- it wasn't as much of a fantasy as it was a contrast.
COATES (voice-over): It was a contrast to what was going on with hip hop on the West Coast.
LATHAN JR. (on camera): They were really asking the question in hip hop is, who would you rather be? Would you rather be the guys that were living the hard lives, or would you rather be a player from Harlem that had money falling out of his pockets?
COATES (voice-over): The difference fed into the story of a feud between East and West Coast rappers, which came to a head in 1995.
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OSORIO (on camera): There has never been a room again like the 1995 Source Awards with all of that tension.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): So, Suge Knight goes up to the microphone at the Source Awards.
OSORIO (on camera): Suge Knight was the CEO of Death Row Records. When you think about the 1995 Source Awards, you think about Suge Knight getting on that stage and basically declaring in front of everyone that there was a problem between him and "Puffy".
SUGE KNIGHT, CEO, DEATH ROW RECORDS (on camera): Any artist out there who want to be an artist and want to stay a star, don't want to -- don't have to worry about the executive producer trying to be all in the video.
LATHAN JR. (on camera): Dancing all in your videos, posing.
OSORIO (on camera): Everyone knew he was talking about ""Puffy"".
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): So, "Puff" then responds to Suge.
COMBS (on camera): I'm the executive producer and a comment was made about a little bit earlier.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): He goes to, I'm all about positivity and I'm all about love.
COMBS (on camera) I make music to bring us together, not to separate us and all this east and west that need to stop.
OSORIO (on camera): He gave the best answer that I believe a publicist would want you to give.
LATHAN JR. (on camera): That was probably the poster moment of the perceived hip hop, East Coast-West Coast battle.
COATES (voice-over): By 1997, B.I.G. and "Puff", as they were known, were not acknowledging any rivalry.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): They're trying to rise beyond it. So, they go to LA to show it's all love.
BOYD (on camera): March 9, 1997, B.I.G.'s second album "Life After Death" is about to be released, and there is a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA. Of course, some months earlier, Tupac had been killed in Las Vegas after a Mike Tyson fight. As B.I.G. as attempting to leave the party, he is murdered.
OSORIO (on camera): He was gunned down in his vehicle in LA and everything changed for Bad Boy at that point.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): And this event has ramifications not only for B.I.G.'s family, Bad Boy as label, but hip hop at large.
COATES (voice-over): With Biggie gone, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs stepped into the role of Bad Boy Records' leading artist. BOYD (on camera): After B.I.G. was murdered, "Puff" began his solo career.
OSORIO (on camera): A few months later. "Puff" releases "I'll Be Missing You".
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RODRIGUEZ (on camera): And it's a tribute song to B.I.G. It's number one on the mainstream charts for three months. In 1997, there were 10 songs that went number one, four of which were attached to Bad Boy.
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That's 40 percent of mainstream records attached to Bad Boy for a hip hop label unheard of at the time. This is the moment where "Puff Daddy" really takes the reins of hip hop.
OSORIO (on camera): Around 1998, as he is sort of sitting on top of the world with his own album, he starts to launch other businesses. So, as a mogul, he was defining his business as not just music, but I'm also going to have a clothing line, and Sean John, and it's going to be elegant and kind of upscale. He got into the liquor business.
LATHAN JR. (on camera): There was CIROC vodka. There was DeLeon. There was Revolt television, which was his television network.
COATES (voice-over): And he oversaw the show "Making the Band" for MTV.
RICHEN (on camera): "Making the Band", I think, is interesting, because it was the beginning of the domination of reality TV. So, I will say, I think he had a hunch that this was sort of the next place to step into.
COATES (voice-over): It's the beginning of the 21st Century, and Sean Combs is still riding high. He'd become a father and would go on to have seven children, but his success came hand in hand with controversy, even from the start of his career as a 22-year-old promoter in 1991.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): He partners with Heavy D. They're hosting the celebrity basketball tournament at City College in New York.
OSORIO (on camera): The gym only had a capacity of 2,700. There were 5,000 people that showed up. It got too crazy, and doors were shut and people were trampled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): There is too many people. They wouldn't open the doors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on camera): Everybody can breathe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on camera): They were being squished up against the door. RODRIGUEZ (on camera): Tragically, nine people are killed at this incident. DAVID DINKINS, FORMER NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: Had there not been a
cumulative and interrelated breakdown of responsibility on the part of almost everyone involved, those nine people would not have been killed, and dozens of others would not have been injured.
COMBS (on camera): And I just pray for the families, and I pray for the children that lost their lives.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): Relatively speaking, for the context of what it was, he comes out pretty unscathed. There was no criminal charges, and he looks like somebody who is taking accountability and responsibility for what happened.
COATES (voice-over): There would be multiple controversies to come. Those ahead.
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COATES (voice-over): Beneath the glitz of Grammy Awards and billion dollar deals, a darker side of Sean "Diddy" Combs emerged, as his career was repeatedly interrupted by legal actions and courtroom appearances in the 1990s.
OSORIO (on camera): There were always people who spoke about this dark cloud over "Puffy", always.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you?
COATES (voice-over): Back then, Combs was nicknamed "Puffy" --
OSORIO (on camera): I don't think Puff was recognized for being someone who was violent or couldn't control his anger. That maybe was something that people on the inside knew, if they knew him, but for us in hip hop media, it wasn't something that we expected.
LATHAN JR. (on camera): Is there a violent streak in that guy? Nobody thought that.
COATES (voice-over): -- until 1996 when Combs was convicted of criminal mischief for threatening a tablet photographer with a gun. Three years later, a more brutal incident rocked the hip hop world when Combs and two of his bodyguards were accused of beating up a rival music executive --
OSORIO (on camera): For him to be so angry about the situation, to go up to someone's office and hit him over the head, like the hip hop community wasn't expecting that. So, 1999, "Puffy" records a video with NAS for the song "Hate Me Now". LATHAN JR. (on camera): There is a crucifixion scene.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): He is a God-fearing man. So, this is something we felt was like too far.
OSORIO (on camera): After "Puffy" filmed the video, I believe he had a conversation with his pastor, and he wanted to take that footage out of the video before Puff could have the footage removed. The video airs on MTV's TRL.
LATHAN JR. (on camera): Because of that, Puff became incensed and ran into the office of a record executive named Steve Stoute and had people beat the hell out of Stoute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Combs was upset that Stoute's client, NAS, included footage of him in a mock crucifixion scene in his music video.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): The lore is like empty champagne bottle in hand, and he beat Steve Stoute with his empty champagne bottle.
BOYD (on camera): Puffy's image was so luxurious, there was something ironic, perhaps, that the biggest story that came out of this confrontation was that they had beat Steve Stoute with a champagne bottle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Combs was in court Thursday morning, facing criminal charges for allegedly beating the record executive.
ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Puffy was charged with felony assault, but he pled to a lesser charge of harassment.
COATES (voice-over): -- and was sentenced to a one day anger management course.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): There is these things that are happening where people are getting hurt, really serious allegations are happening, and he is kind of just wiping it off, as we all have drama, and now it's kind of into this narrative that he is built like, well, for me, I'm a survivor. I'm a bad boy for life.
COATES (voice-over): A few months later, Combs was accused of even more brazen violence.
RODRIGUEZ (on camera): December 1999, Puff goes to Club New York.
LATHAN JR. (on camera): He goes with a rapper named Shine, and he goes with somebody else that people might have heard of, a Puerto Rican lady from New York named Jennifer Lopez, who Puff had been dating, another gigantic moment in Puff's career. At this point, Jennifer Lopez is the "it girl". She is in a relationship with Puff. They go to the club and a little bit too much hip hop for Jen. Apparently there is an altercation at the club. RODRIGUEZ (on camera): He gets into it with another party guard, a lot of like pushing and shoving, and then a gun is fired. LATHAN JR. (on camera): A couple of patrons in the club are hit.
NATANIA REUBEN, WOMAN WHO CLAIMS SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS SHOT HER DURING AN ALTERCATION AT CLUB NEWYORK IN MANHATTAN" (on camera): I was shot in my face, and I still have bullet fragments inside my head.
COATES (voice-over): Three people were injured in the club shooting. Combs and Lopez fled in the Lincoln Navigator, running 11 red lights.
OSORIO (on camera): When they were pulled over by the police, they recovered a firearm in the vehicle.
COATES (voice-over): Combs, Lopez and Shyne were all arrested.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): Sean, did you shoot anyone?
COMBS (on camera): And under no circumstances, whatsoever, that I have anything to do with a shooting. I do not own a gun, nor did I possess a gun that night.
COATES (voice-over): The driver of the car alleged that Combs wanted him to take the fall for owning the gun.
RICHEN (on camera): He spoke publicly in our series for the first time. He saw "Diddy" with a gun before going into the club. Wardell says that did he tried to bribe him $50,000 to take the rap for the gun.
COATES (voice-over): After a seven-week trial in early 2001 for illegal gun possession and witness bribery, Combs risked a 15-year prison term and possibly the collapse of his career.
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN, NEW YORK (on camera): The verdict was quite simple, acquitted, not guilty, not guilty on five counts of gun possession and bribery against Sean "Puffy" Combs.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ended up serving nine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): What about Shyne, Mr. Combs?
COMBS (on camera): I'm just grateful.
LATHAN JR. (on camera): This is another situation where there is some violence that occurs, and "Diddy" comes away completely unscathed, completely unscathed. Shyne ends up during the prison. Jennifer Lopez ends up taking a little bit of the image hit, and Puff, and who he is, doesn't seem to make a difference to anyone.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST (on camera): And our pop culture lead just in.
COATES (voice-over): In November 2023, a bombshell lawsuit delivered the most damning allegation of abuse against the hip hop star. TAPPER (on camera): Producer and musician Sean Combs, also known as
"Diddy", is facing a new federal lawsuit. His former girlfriend is alleging that he raped her and subjected her to years of physical and other kinds of abuse.
JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT(on camera): She says that she was raped in her own home when she tried to leave him, that she was often beaten, kicked, punched, stomped on.
COATES (voice-over): Cassie Ventura, an R&B singer and Combs' former girlfriend, filed a civil lawsuit alleging years of abuse, including physical assault, sexual assault, and sex trafficking.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): These charges are very serious. They are life changing for Combs, certainly in terms of reputation and his career.
KARA SCANNELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We knew she settled it the day after it was filed, a big amount of money.
COATES (voice-over): Just one week after the settlement, dozens of additional lawsuits followed by women and men accusing Combs of sexual abuse.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): There has been a domino effect of civil suits. The chips have been falling for Combs.
COATES (voice-over): Combs denied all of these allegations, stating, I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth. Four months later --
WAGMEISTER (on camera): I remember when this news broke, in Los Angeles, I saw the helicopters overhead and was wondering, what is going on?
COATES (voice-over): Combs' properties in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by federal agents.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): In March of 2024, two homes that were owned by Combs were searched by a special unit within the Department of Homeland Security that specializes in sex trafficking.
COATES (voice-over): It wasn't clear whether Combs was the target of the investigation, but new evidence was about to rock the music mogul's empire.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): I opened up the file. My jaw hit the floor. I had to do a double take. Is that Combs?
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BRIANNA KEILAR, HOST, CNN NEWS CENTRAL (on camera): Disturbing video.
It's truly disturbing when you see it. This is exclusively obtained by CNN, and it really seems to support at least some of the abuse claims against Sean "Diddy" Combs.
COATES (voice-over): May 17th, 2024, almost a year before the trial against Sean "Diddy" Combs started in a Manhattan federal courthouse --
WAGMEISTER (on camera): Sean Combs' --
COATES (voice-over): -- CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister exclusively obtained and published this hotel surveillance tape.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): The video captured on multiple cameras, shows Combs assaulting his then-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura, in a hallway at a Los Angeles hotel in March 2016. A lawsuit filed by Ventura in November last year, and settled the next day, referenced actions that seemed to match those seen in this video. There is no audio. Combs can be seen grabbing Ventura and throwing her to the ground. As Ventura lies on the ground, Combs then kicks her twice and attempts to drag her on the floor back to the hotel room. Ventura is seen picking up a hotel phone. Combs seems to walk back to the hotel room, then returns, and appears to shove her in a corner. Moments later, he can be seen throwing an object in her direction.
ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST (on camera): The video is visceral. You can see the attack unfolding.
RICHEN (on camera): It's one of the most shocking pieces of video I've ever seen.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): Remember when our team obtained that footage, it was months after Cassie Ventura had already filed her civil complaint, which Sean Combs denied. He ferociously denied it, saying that her allegations were untrue. He settled with her quickly, but he said that the settlement is no admission of wrongdoing or guilt. This tape really changed the narrative. It took away all of Sean Combs' credibility.
COMBS (on camera): My behavior on that video is inexcusable. I take full responsibility for my actions in that video.
COATES (voice-over): Two days after the release of that video in May 2024, Combs released this 72nd apology on social media. It marked the first time he publicly admitted any wrongdoing for assault.
COMBS (on camera): But, I'm committed to be a better man each and every day. I'm not asking for forgiveness. I'm truly sorry.
ARTHUR AIDALA, TRIAL ATTORNEY (on camera): The release of the video was clearly a turning point in the case against him. This, like, brought it to life. This is the kind of guy "Puffy" Combs is, P. "Diddy" is, Sean Combs is, the guy we know for music, the guy we know for clothes, the guy we know for alcohol. Like, oh, this is who this guy really is? HONIG (on camera): That surveillance video ended up being the single
most important piece of evidence, both driving prosecutors to bring this case and then at the trial itself.
COATES (voice-over): Late breaking news tonight.
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Sean "Diddy" Combs has now been arrested.
TAPPER (on camera): He has been charged today with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking by force, fraud, coercion, and transportation to engage in prostitution.
DAMIAN WILLIAMS, U.S. ATTORNEY (on camera): The indictment alleges that between at least 2008 and the present, Combs abused, threatened, and coerced victims to fulfill his sexual desires, protect his reputation, and conceal his conduct.
COATES (voice-over): After his arrest in September 2024, Combs remained here in Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center until the start of his highly anticipated federal criminal trial in May 2025. During those four months in custody, dozens of additional accusers came forward and filed separate lawsuits against him.
COATES (on camera): Day one is finally here for Sean "Diddy" Combs. He is facing life in prison if convicted of all of these five felony counts.
MARC AGNIFILO, LAWYER FOR SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS (on camera): Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (in camera): Mr. Combs, do you have anything to say, anything to say on the first day of trial?
(CROSSTALK)
WAGMEISTER (on camera): Day one of this trial was absolute mayhem. It was a media circus.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on camera): Any comments about your father? Is he innocent?
SCANNELL (on camera): Sean Combs' whole family was in the courtroom, his six adult children, his mother, his sister. It was a packed scene.
COATES (on camera): The drama really got underway with the prosecution's opening statement. They mentioned alleged crimes of sex trafficking, Diddy's drug-fueled freak-offs, and his alleged abuse of women, including his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura. They tried to hammer home the most critical point of their case, their claim that "Diddy" was at the very top of a criminal enterprise.
AIDALA (on camera): The racketeering charge, known as RICO, where he is facing life in prison. JOEY JACKSON, FORMER PUBLIC PROSECUTOR (on camera): RICO was designed for mob bosses. It was a statue designed so you can get a mob boss who has a series of under bosses who are terrorizing neighborhoods.
AIDALA (on camera): The federal government has been using it for other reasons, most recently in the R. Kelly case. They're saying, well, R. Kelly's music business, even though the primary purpose had to do with music, aspects of it were also used for sex crimes. They're doing the same thing here with Sean Combs.
HONIG (on camera): Part of the prosecution's allegations with respect to the racketeering enterprise was that Sean Combs was engaged in obstruction of justice, and specifically, one of those underlying allegations is that he essentially tried to suppress this video.
COATES (on camera): The day's big witness was a former security officer at the Intercontinental Hotel. He said "Diddy" paid him $100,000 to fork over what he thought was the one and only copy of a video of Cassie's assault.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): The surveillance video was a key piece of evidence. It was so crucial to the trial that Sean Combs' defense fought tirelessly to get it ejected from evidence.
HONIG (on camera): In light of that video, the defense lawyers made an interesting, and I think wise, tactical decision, during their opening statement, the defense lawyer stood up in front of the jury and said, essentially, he is not a good guy, and you will see that he committed acts of domestic violence. However, the defense argued to the jury, you will find that he has not committed the specific federal crimes that he is charged with here.
SCANNELL (on camera): He said the prosecution had essentially overcharged the case.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): They also said in their opening statements that our client's sex life is very strange. His defense attorney, Tenny Geragos, said, what you're going to hear, you may not agree with, but that's his choice, and by the way, that was also the choice of these women.
COATES (voice-over): And the woman at the heart of this trial would take the stand for four days.
SCANNELL (on camera): When Cassie Ventura walked into the courtroom, it was silent. All eyes were on her. Sean Combs had whipped around to watch her walk down the center aisle to the witness box.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): Cassie being on the stand, eight and a half months pregnant, she quite literally could have gone into labor on the stand.
COATES (on camera): We had a front row seat, able to see every single emotion, also to see the reaction of Sean "Diddy" Combs, a man that she says violently abused her and exploited her over a period of a decade. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on camera): Do you think they're going to drill her harder today?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (on camera): That's up to them. I guess -- I think she is doing a great job.
AIDALA (on camera): Cassie was a strong witness.
HONIG (on camera): She, by all accounts, came across as credible. She told the jury, there were times when she felt overwhelmed, frightened, forced. There was times when she was physically assaulted.
JACKSON (on camera): The defense certainly attacked her in many ways, with respect to the issue, really, of coercion, and then there is the tape of the freak-off which the public did not get to see, but apparently, from description showing that she seemed to be enjoying the experience, in addition to an escort who testified that he was as surprised as anybody else to learn she was being trafficked because she seemed to enjoy their interaction.
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SCANNELL (on camera): She answered the questions, it seemed, in an authentic way, both saying that she felt threatened, but also that she loved Combs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on camera): What are you expecting today?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (on camera): Happening now, Kid Cudi is on the stand of the sex trafficking trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs.
COATES (on camera): The prosecution called rapper Kid Cudi to the stand, and he said "Diddy" was like some sort of Marvel super villain when they finally came face to face.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): Kid Cudi is an actor, and he is a rapper, and he was the celebrity witness of this trial.
SCANNELL (on camera): Rapper Kid Cudi entered the courthouse with a cigarette dangling from his lip, wearing a leather jacket.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): He dated Cassie Ventura briefly in the timeframe where she was on and off again with Sean Combs. Sean Combs was allegedly jealous that he found out that Cassie Ventura had been dating Kid Cudi. So, he told Cassie Ventura that I'm going to blow up his car, and then within the matter of days, his car was blown up in his driveway. Now, there was no proof that it was Sean Combs who blew up the car, but Kid Cudi said I believe it was him, and in fact, I think he is a liar, because when I asked him, he told me it wasn't. But then, years later, when I ran into him at some industry event, he actually apologized to me.
JACKSON (on camera): Kid Cudi was important, I think, for the government to try to establish one of these elements of racketeering. Look at this guy, meaning Sean "Diddy" Combs. He is out there firebombing cars. So, that buttress, right, the government's case with respect to whether they can prove the RICO charge. COATES (voice-over): Coming up, more jaw-dropping testimony.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): She said that the first time that she was sexually assaulted by him, it was in New York City.
COATES (voice-over): And later, I sit down with an alternate juror.
GEORGE, ALTERNATE JUROR, SEAN "DIDDY" COMBS TRIAL (on camera): I think there was always a little bit of doubt.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): -- a former "Diddy" employee who'd spent years in his inner circle.
COATES (voice-over): Day 10 of the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs brought more testimony of threats, assaults, humiliations.
SCANNELL (on camera): The prosecution called Capricorn Clark because she worked with Combs for years. She was a personal assistant and became a marketing executive.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): When she was on the stand testifying against her former boss, her former friend, she was very emotional. She was one of the most emotional witnesses in this entire trial, if not the most. She was crying. She was bawling. She was hysterical at times.
SCANNELL (on camera): She fits into the racketeering conspiracy case because she says that she was kidnapped by Combs involving rapper Kid Cudi, because she was said she was taken at gunpoint to Kid Cudi's home when Combs learned that he had a relationship with Ventura.
COATES (voice-over): On the witness stand, Clark told how it started, saying, he just said, get dressed. We're going to go kill this n****. The prosecutor asked, how did Mr. Combs respond when you said you did not want to go? Clark, he says, I don't give a f*** what you want to do. Go get dressed.
COATES (on camera): We also heard from a former stylist at Diddy's company. Now, he testified that "Diddy" threatened to leak sex tapes of her online. He said he saw "Diddy" beat his friend, Cassie.
COATES (voice-over): Prosecutor, what did Mr. Combs do after throwing you and Mia off of his back? Nash, continued to hit Cassie until her head hit the edge of the bed frame. Prosecutor, what did you see happen after Cassie his head hit the edge of the bed frame? Nash, he still continued to hit her for, you know, a short time, and when he noticed the blood, he just panicked. COATES (on camera): Good evening and welcome. I'm Laura Coates. And on
Day 12 of the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, we heard from the second woman alleging that she was sexually abused by "Diddy".
COATES (voice-over): She testified under the pseudonym Mia.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): Mia was one of the government's three alleged victims in this case, but unlike Cassie Ventura, Mia was not a former girlfriend. She was not a former romantic partner. She was a former employee. She was a longtime assistant of Sean Combs.
SCANNELL (on camera): Her demeanor was someone who was sort of shrunken in their skin. She testified with her face facing down. It seemed like she was really struggling to testify about this experience of working for Combs.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): She said that the first time that she was sexually assaulted by him, it was in New York City, and that he gave her a shot of alcohol. I believe it was maybe two shots of alcohol. And she said that suddenly she couldn't feel herself. She said that it hit her so hard she had never felt this before. The next thing that she remembered is that Sean Combs kissed her.
COATES (voice-over): Mia also testified that whenever Combs said he wanted to have sex, she never said no. Prosecutor, why didn't you tell him no? Mia, because I couldn't tell him no -- I couldn't tell him no about a sandwich. Later, the prosecutor asked, what were you afraid would happen if you told Mr. Combs no with regard to sex? Mia, that he would fire me and ruin my future.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): When Brian Steele, one of Combs defense attorneys, was questioning her, he came in hot. He said, this is not true, Mia. Is it? You're lying. You made this up. You weren't raped by Sean Combs, and she was very defiant with him.
COATES (voice-over): Steele also attempted to use Mia's own words to undermine her, confronting her with a few dozen social media posts filled with her expressions of affection for Sean Combs, like one from 2013 where she wrote, Happy New birthday to my mentor, inspiration, brother and friend for life @iamdiddy. Love you. And more recently, this text from 2022 when she no longer worked for Combs, and wrote, and I love, love, love you.
AIDALA (on camera): As a defense attorney, you harp on that and you'd say, well, he did this to you. Why didn't you leave? Why didn't you leave? Of course, in this particular case, the prosecution called Dr. Dawn Hughes, who is an expert that explains why women don't leave abusive relationships.
COATES (voice-over): Days after Mia finished testifying, the prosecution called Jane to the stand.
SCANNELL (on camera): Jane testified also under a pseudonym, and when she walked in through the door, no one knew at the time who she was, which was a big contrast to Cassie Ventura.
[22:45:00]
Combs did. And of course, when she walked in, he turned around his chair, his eyes followed her to the witness stand. She did not make any eye contact with him.
COATES (voice-over): Jane started dating Sean Combs in 2021, and like Cassie Ventura, before her, she soon agreed to have sex with other men in front of Combs.
SCANNELL (on camera): She often broke down repeatedly, sobbing at times. Her testimony really was the struggle of someone who had only broken up with Combs when he was arrested 10 months before the trial, and had been deeply in love with him. So, she was conflicted about this. She was talking about her love and affection for him, but also talking about the horrors of having sex with these male prostitutes.
COATES (voice-over): Jane testified that she told Combs many times that she wanted to stop these encounters, but it still continued.
SCANNELL (on camera): They did play a number of voice messages where she would hear messages that Combs left for her, and also messages that she left for Combs.
VOICE MESSAGE OF COMBS (on camera): And I don't try to go back and forth with no woman. You know what I'm saying? I'm telling you, I don't have no time for no (BEEP) games, baby girl. Me and you could be mad. I can have a spat. We can have whatever. Then after that you better get on your job. That's really -- that's -- that's all it is. Because you got me on my job.
COATES (voice-over): She said she felt obligated to participate because Combs was paying her $10,000 a month rent, which he testified he was still paying even during the trial, along with her attorney's fees.
COATES (on camera): The defense in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial now getting their shot at a crucial witness. Diddy's ex-girlfriend Jane faced a full day of cross-examination after three days of gripping testimony for the prosecution. The defense read a string of loving messages that she sent to "Diddy" and asked why she, Diddy, and an escort compared themselves to NBA legends.
SCANNELL (on camera): And at times, under cross-examination, especially as she was shown back her own text messages at the time, she became kind of defensive. She sparred a little bit with Combs' lawyers. It seemed that they got under her skin, because at times they were able to show that she agreed to participate in these nights.
AIDALA (on camera): People who studied the cross-examination of Jane felt that Tenny Geragos did an excellent job, picking out all the things that she said on direct examination to the government and juxtaposing them to all the technological communications they had.
COATES (voice-over): On the verge of resting their case, one more key piece of evidence. Prosecutors had jurors watch videos of the so- called freak-off sex sessions. WAGMEISTER (on camera): The prosecution was trying to prove that this
really happened, that these women were in a hotel room, with a male escort, being directed by Sean Combs to have sex with these men, often under the influence of drugs. So, that is why the jury viewed them. But, then what was interesting is that on cross-examination, the defense actually showed them more of this footage because they were trying to show that there is nothing wrong going on here. This looks like these people are actually enjoying their night.
SCANNELL (on camera): I did see a couple of the female jurors, at different points, kind of look away or put their hands on their chest. It was really, though, unclear exactly what they were seeing.
COATES (voice-over): But, did these tapes work for the prosecution or for the defense? The witness testimony ended without Sean Combs on the stand.
Up next, how this all factored into the jury deliberations.
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KEILAR: (on camera): Right now, closing arguments are underway in the Sean "Diddy" Combs trial.
(CROSSTALK)
WAGMEISTER (on camera): The prosecutors laid out a very clear way for the jurors to reach the verdict.
HONIG (on camera): The prosecution essentially argued there were many sexual encounters involving Cassie, involving Jane. If you find that even one of them was non-consensual, you can convict Sean Combs.
SCANNELL (on camera): Combs' lawyer was less structured. Marc Agnifilo, his lead attorney, just said to the jury that this was a ridiculous case, that the women had agreed to participate in these acts, and just now after the fact, regretted it.
COATES (voice-over): I sat down with an alternate juror who said the defense made a strong case for reasonable doubt.
COATES (on camera): Her text messages, did that make you feel that it was consensual?
GROEGE (on camera): It did seem like it, yeah. Everything seemed very consensual.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (voice-over): Cassie texted, quote, "I'm always ready to freak-off."
HONIG (on camera): The prosecution's entire case never really overcame the existence of those text messages.
COATES (voice-over): The jury deliberated for roughly 12 hours over three days. On Wednesday, July 2nd, the jury came back with its verdict in hand.
SCANNELL (on camera): Sean Combs walked into the courtroom with his family sitting there before him, six adult children, his mother, his sister, all there. He turned to them and he gives them this sign of be strong.
HONIG (on camera): I saw it coming. I said what it would be, but still I can't say I wasn't shocked.
COATES (on camera): This is monumental. He has been found not guilty of racketeering conspiracy, RICO, not guilty of sex trafficking.
TAPPER (voice-over): The jury convicted him of two of the lesser charges against him.
COATES (on camera): Would you have acquitted him on RICO?
GEORGE (on camera): I probably would have, and the judge had instructed us that we have to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and I think there was always a little bit of doubt.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): This verdict was the best possible outcome for the defense, of course, apart from a complete acquittal. Among all the five charges, he was only convicted on two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution, which are really the lowest hanging fruit. Sean Combs was facing either life in prison or he was facing decades in prison.
HONIG (on camera): So, Combs is going to do much better in terms of his sentence than he would have had he been convicted on the major crimes here.
SCANNELL (on camera): Inside the courtroom, they were excited. His lawyers were hugging each other, hugging family members. One of his attorney, Tenny Geragos, has tears running down her cheeks, and when the judge was off the bench, Combs dropped to his knees, put his hands on his chair, and bowed his head, as though he was thanking everyone for what had happened.
COATES (voice-over): Outside, Combs' family appeared visibly relieved.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): There were people who were outside the courthouse wearing shirts that said Freako, not RICO. There were people really shouting obscenities.
COATES (on camera): I kid you not. People are pouring baby oil on one another outside this courthouse. You've got applause coming, elated cheers.
COATES (voice-over): Now, the prosecution is left asking, what went wrong.
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HONIG (on camera): It's a black eye for the Southern District of New York, any way you look at this. I think ultimately the biggest problems that prosecutors encountered is the overcharging of this case, specifically the racketeering.
AIDALA (on camera): The RICO charges that were brought against Mr. Combs were just too serious. It's like someone stealing a candy bar and shoplifting and you charging them with robbery with a gun. I was surprised about the sex trafficking charge. There was evidence of sex trafficking.
JACKSON (on camera): I think if the jury felt that Cassie Ventura or Jane was coerced or compelled, they would have convicted him of trafficking. Rapes should be punished and prosecuted, but there are civil suits for that.
KEILAR (on camera): A not guilty verdict certainly doesn't mean that Cassie Ventura or Jane are not victims.
COATES (on camera): You believed her.
GEORGE (on camera): she wouldn't have done all this just to come up there and lie about everything.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): For many survivors of sexual assault, this verdict was devastating. They say that this is why victims don't come forward, because you can be like Cassie Ventura, where you get on the stand for four days and you talk about these horrific things, and then the jury acquits Sean Combs. Will he serve a lot of jail time? Probably not.
AIDALA (on camera): You get 10 years on Cassie. You get 10 years on Jane and the judge can run them consecutively. I don't think that's going to happen.
WAGMEISTER (on camera): It's probably more likely he'll get closer to two years than 20 years.
COATES (voice-over): But, Combs' legal problems aren't over. Since Cassie filed her lawsuit in 2023, roughly 70 civil suits have been filed against Combs, all stemming from accusations he has denied.
OSORIO (on camera): If not for Cassie, it is very possible that no one would have come forward against Sean Combs.
HONIG (on camera): Juries and verdicts are inherently unpredictable, but there is an additional layer of unpredictability when you have a famous person like Sean Combs.
OSORIO (on camera): It remains to be seen what happens in the court of public opinion.
RICHEN (on camera): I think that this will always be part of his legacy, and folks will determine what that means for them, for lovers of hip hop, but especially for the black community, it is very painful.
LATHAN JR. (on camera): I'm saying if we'd have prioritized different things, other than the parties, other than the money, other than the excess, other than the smile, other than the vodka, if we'd have looked a little bit harder, we might have not been so shocked.
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