Diddy’s former assistant concludes 'humiliating' cross-examination: Trial recap

A former assistant to Sean "Diddy" Combs concluded three days on the witness stand, with attorneys for the music mogul grilling her so intensely that a prosecutor asked the judge to stop the cross-examination, calling it "humiliating" and "harassing."

The witness, testifying under the pseudonym "Mia," told jurors last week that Combs tormented and sexually assaulted her during her time working as his personal assistant.

Defense attorneys tried to assail her credibility over her last two days appearing on the stand, pressing her about dozens of text messages and social media posts she authored about Combs that were playful, respectful and even adoring.

Combs' lawyers argued Mia misrepresented how Combs treated her and fabricated part of her story. Mia largely stood by her testimony, telling jurors that she was "brainwashed" by Combs and explained that she now wants to speak truthfully about the years of harassment and abuse she endured.

"It's the worst thing I ever had to talk about in my life," Mia told the jury about her reluctance to talk about how Combs sexually assaulted her.

Mia's testimony marked the beginning of the fourth week of testimony in Combs' sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial. Prosecutors charge that Combs used his wealth and influence to run a criminal enterprise that served to protect his reputation and coerce women into sex.

If convicted on all counts, the music mogul could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Combs has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers argue that, while he might have been violent towards romantic partners and abused illicit drugs, he did not commit the crimes alleged by the Department of Justice.

Continuing his cross-examination from last week, defense attorney Brian Steel returned to Mia's social media posts and text messages to challenge the woman and the version of events she shared with the jury.

"Life is f------ insane and supposedly it all happens for a reason in order to elevate us in our human experience, but it's rough," Mia wrote Combs in 2020, more than three years after she stopped working for him. "I love you with all of my heart and I'm here for you forever."

Steel also showed the jury other text messages from the 2019-2022 time frame in which Mia expressed love and admiration to Combs.

"Hey. Saw our doc on Netflix top 10. Congrats I miss you," read one text from July 2022.

Combs responded, "Love, love, love, love." Mia wrote back, "And I love, love, love you."

"Everything is positive and loving from you to Mr. Combs, would you agree with that?" Steel asked.

"Yes, of course," Mia answered. She quickly explained to the jury she was still "brainwashed" by Combs from her years working for him.

Once the lengthy and contentious cross-examination of Mia concluded, federal prosecutors tried to minimize any damage that might have been done to her credibility.

"Did you post on social media as part of your job?" prosecutor Madison Smyser asked on re-direct examination.

"Yes," Mia answered, adding that posting about Ciroc, Diddy Door, the Bad Boy reunion, and Combs himself were part of her job. She described her Instagram posts "like the highlight reel" of Combs and not meant for posts about the downside of working for him.

"Is that why you didn't post about Mr. Combs slamming Cassie's head into a bed frame?" Smyser asked. "Yes," Mia answered.

"Is that why you didn't post about Mr. Combs throwing a computer at your head?" Smyser asked. "Yes," Mia answered.

"Is that why you didn't post about Mr. Combs sexually assaulting you?" Smyser asked. "Yes," Mia answered.

Throughout his searing cross-examination, defense attorney Steel tried to poke holes in Mia's testimony by highlighting how she did not document the abuse she said she suffered from Combs, even as she documented the upside.

"Do you have any recording of Mr. Combs berating you?" asked Steel, who highlighted that part of Mia's job was to carry a small camera to document Combs' life. "No, I would not have been allowed to record that," Mia responded.

"Because it's not true, is it, Mia?" Steel accused. "Your statements that you were the victim at the hands of Mr. Combs of brutality isn't true?"

Mia fired back, testifying, "Everything I've said in this courtroom is true."

Steel also questioned Mia's account of escaping Combs with Ventura in Turks and Caicos by paddleboarding out to sea. Steel asked whether there were any text messages, emails or photographs documenting those allegations.

"Was that just made up by you?" Steel pointedly asked. "No," Mia testified.

Steel's next question -- "How is it that all these events have no photograph or text message or email from you?" -- was stopped by the judge after an objection.

At one point, prosecutors asked the judge overseeing the case to intervene, arguing the "humiliating" cross-examination borders on harassment and could deter other crime victims from coming forward in other cases.

"Eyes are on this trial. Victims in other cases are going to see how victims are treated," Comey said in a clear nod to the global headlines being created by the Combs trial. "Our concern is that if this victim is not protected from further harassment, it will deter other victims in other cases."

Judge Arun Subramanian said he heard no yelling and saw no improper treatment, but he did caution Steel about the form of his questions.

Steel suggested Mia timed her disclosure of alleged sexual assault by Combs with the filing of a civil lawsuit by the singer Cassie Ventura, Combs' former longtime girlfriend. Ventura is the prosecution's star witness, and she has alleged that Combs abused her for a decade. Her lawsuit, the starting point for the federal investigation that culminated with the current prosecution, was settled after a day for $20 million, Ventura testified. There was no admission of wrongdoing.

Steel questioned why Mia did not tell federal prosecutors about her claim that Combs sexually assaulted her until June 2024, six months after she began meeting with the authorities and seven months after Ventura's civil lawsuit. The defense emphasized to the jury that Mia met with federal prosecutors a total of 28 times.

"Do you remember the first time you ever made a claim Mr. Combs ever sexually assaulted you was on June 18, 2024?" Steel asked.

"I don't remember the dates, but I do remember that horrible conversation," Mia answered.

On redirect examination, Smyser asked Mia to clarify why she met so often with federal prosecutors. "I met with the government so much in order to understand my story and because I was so terrified and I was learning at the same time," she testified, and, using Combs' earlier street name, said she was "terrified of Puff." She said she has never been able to talk about her claim that Combs sexually assaulted her without looking down.

"It's the worst thing I ever had to talk about in my life," she explained.

Prosecutors concluded the day by calling Susan Oken, manager of the Beverly Hills Hotel, to testify about the times when Combs was a guest of her establishment.

She said Combs checked into the Beverly Hills Hotel under aliases like "Frank Black" or "Phillip Pines" and Cassie Ventura was listed under Combs' profile as a guest.

Oken testified that Combs once incurred an extra $300 charge to clean the drapes and another $500 charge to clean "oil damage." Oken said the charge reflected something "beyond the scope of what we'd normally clean." The prosecution's questioning was a callback to earlier testimony about the so-called "freak-off" orgies that Combs would allegedly host and, according to testimony, featured gallons of baby oil.

Court is set to resume on Tuesday with Eddie Garcia, an employee of the InterContinental Hotel in Century City, CA., the scene of Combs' caught-on-camera attack on Ventura that has created perhaps the most enduring images to come from the high-profile criminal trial.