The second week of Sean Combs’ criminal trial brought another celebrity witness to the stand: Kid Cudi, who testified Combs stood posed like a “Marvel supervillain” when he confronted the jealous hip-hop mogul over his car being firebombed in 2012. 

The alleged arson is central to the Southern District of New York’s racketeering charge against Combs. It also helps bolster their claim that Combs kept his longtime girlfriend, Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, trapped in a decade-long abusive relationship through fear, coercion, and physical violence.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to the five felony counts of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution charges against him. His lawyers previously claimed no evidence directly connects Combs to a Molotov cocktail winding up in Kid Cudi’s charred Porsche. 

Nearly a dozen men and women took the stand this week to testify against Combs. Many had not seen Combs in years, while a few admitted they had sent sporadic messages to the music executive in recent years. Danity Kane singer Dawn Richard returned to the witness box following a brief appearance in the first week, as well as Ventura’s mother, Regina, Ventura’s former best friend of 17 years, Kerry Morgan, and Sharay Hayes, a male exotic dancer known as “The Punisher.” 

Combs seemed to be in good spirits despite most of his family’s absence in court this week. He greeted his former personal assistant, George Kaplan, with a genuine smile. He laughed along with the court as another ex-personal assistant, David James, admitted he was “Diddy-bopping all around” Combs’ New Year’s Eve party after swiping a dose of MDMA from Combs’ drug stash. 

But Combs sat stone-faced when Kid Cudi — real name Scott Mescudi — detailed how his short-lived romance with Ventura went down in flames after he discovered that the R&B singer was dating Mescudi. 

Combs also appeared to stew in silence as a Homeland Security Investigations special agent detailed the surplus of drugs, baby oil, and firearms seized from his Miami home and when clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Dawn Hughes explained why victims remain in abusive relationships. 

Ventura isn’t the only alleged victim in the case. An ex-girlfriend identified by the pseudonym “Jane” aka Victim-2 and a former employee referred to as “Mia” — Victim-4 — are also expected to testify against Combs. But there’s a looming question mark over if another one of Combs’ ex-girlfriends, Gina, will be called to the witness stand. (According to CNN, Gina is referred to in the indictment as Victim-3 and is not expected to testify.)

Already, Gina’s name has popped up multiple times during the trial. Ventura and Morgan said Gina was a “problem” in Ventura’s relationship with Combs, and Kaplan said he once saw Combs hurl decorative apples at Gina during a prolonged fight. This week, Combs’ lead defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said Gina “is out of the case,” while the government shot back that she “is very much a part of this case.”

Here are the key moments from the trial’s second week: 

Kid Cudi Testifies 

Dressed casually in light wash jeans and a leather jacket, Kid Cudi strolled into the packed courtroom on Thursday morning. The 41-year-old appeared relaxed, seen smoking a cigarette as he pulled up to the federal courthouse in Manhattan. 

Mescudi testified he had fallen in love with Ventura before their brief fling ended when Combs discovered the relationship in December 2011. In the early morning hours, Mescudi said he received a frantic call from Ventura, who sounded “really stressed on the phone, nervous, scared” after fleeing a furious Combs. 

Later that day, Mescudi said he received another distressed phone call, this time from Capricorn Clark, Ventura’s friend and Combs’ employee, who informed Mescudi that Combs was inside his house. Mescudi said he raced back to his home, calling Combs while on the way. 

“I’m going to be very candid,” Mescudi told the courtroom. “I was like, ‘Motherfucker, are you in my house?’ And he said, ‘I just want to talk to you.’ I was like, ‘I’m on my way over right now.’ He was like, ‘I’m here.’” But Combs was nowhere to be found once Mescudi arrived. Instead, Mescudi said he found presents from Chanel ripped open and his dog enclosed in a bathroom. 

Mescudi refused to take Combs’ repeated attempts to hash things out. “I told him, specifically told him: you broke into my house. You messed with my dog,” Mescudi said. “Like, I don’t want to talk to you.” But Ventura and Mescudi’s relationship fizzled out in the immediate aftermath of the break-in. “The drama, it was just getting out of hand,” Mescudi testified. “I kind of wanted to give her some space … for my safety, for her safety…”

Still, the situation escalated on Jan. 9, 2012, when Mescudi learned a Molotov cocktail had been thrown inside his convertible Porsche, charring the inside of the luxury vehicle. Mescudi said he then decided to call Combs “because I knew he had something to do with” the car being firebombed. 

Upon arrival at the members-only club, Mescudi said he saw Combs “staring out the window with his hands behind his back like a Marvel supervillain.” The meeting ended with the two shaking hands, but Mescudi asking about his car. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Combs responded. 

The men left it at that. But Mescudi testified that he walked away thinking that Combs “was lying.” 

TMI 

During testimony from Combs’ former personal assistants and a hotel manager, a number of Combs’ strange personal habits came up — including his fondness of slathering Mott’s applesauce on cheeseburgers and allegedly popping President Barack Obama-shaped Ecstasy pills. 

David James, who worked for Combs from 2007 to 2009, said he was responsible for anticipating Combs’ needs and whims, and would stock the mogul’s hotel rooms with a variety of foods and toiletries. “He didn’t always use these items, but I was always taught to provide everything just in case he needed something,” James explained. “That way he wouldn’t need to call you later on.” 

Among the items on Combs’ preference sheet while traveling were Heinz ketchup, XXX-flavored Vitaminwater, Jello, Fiji water bottles, Ciroc vodka and Simply Lemonade. James said that Combs also kept his toiletry bag stocked with around 40 different products, including ointments and Just For Men hair and beard dye.

On Thursday, L’Ermitage Beverly Hills general manager Fredric Zemmour pulled up what he testified was a hotel profile for Combs. Records indicate that Combs frequented the luxury hotel starting in 2008, with the bookings often being made under his and Ventura’s various aliases. 

Zemmour said the hotel kept an internal log of his preferences and housekeeping notes, including a mandate that the room required a deep cleaning after Combs checked out. “Always spill candle wax on everything and uses excessive amounts of oil,” the hotel note read. “Place the room out of order upon departure for deep cleaning. Please authorize an extra $1,000 when guest stays with us to cover any room damages.” 

Another internal note read: “Please monitor outside his room. Down the hall to spray air freshener. Likes the room hot. Set thermostat to 75. Place a portable heater in the room prior to arrival.” 

Sharay Hayes, an exotic male dancer known as “The Punisher,” gave more insight into what occurred during freak-offs with Ventura and Combs. Hayes estimated that he participated in up to a dozen sexual encounters with the celebrity couple between 2012 and early 2015.

The first time Hayes said he met Combs during a freak-off, the music executive entered the room fully nude, with his face hidden. “I could not see his face,” Hayes explained. “There was, like — I don’t know it was called, it was like, what the Muslim women wear, where the face is covered completely in the veil and you can only see the eyes.”

Hayes said Combs would often give Ventura directions throughout the sexual encounter. “I don’t have a thought process to her enjoyment level,” Hayes added. “It was my understanding was we were creating a sexy scene that was enjoyable for her partner.”

Cassie’s Mom Took Out Home Equity Loan to Pay Combs $20K 

Regina Ventura took the stand on Tuesday to testify that Combs “demanded” $20,000 from her in December 2011 after the hip-hop mogul became furious that Ventura was having a secret relationship with Kid Cudi. 

Around the time of the demand, Regina said she received an alarming email from Ventura, who claimed that Combs was threatening to release sexually explicit videos of the R&B singer. “I was physically sick, Regina said. “I did not understand a lot of it,” she said. “The sex tapes threw me. I did not know the other person in it, but I knew that he was going to try to hurt my daughter.”        

Regina said that an “angry” Combs contacted her, saying he needed to “recoup money that he had spent on [Ventura].” She rushed to take out a home equity loan for $20,000. She wired the money to one of Combs’ bank accounts because, she said, “I was scared for my daughter’s safety.” Regina said that the money was eventually returned with no explanation a few days later.   

Machine Guns, Stripper Heels, and Baby Oil Seized from Miami Home 

Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Gerard Gannon testified this week that an armored vehicle was used to ram through the iron front gate at Combs’ Star Island mansion in a surprise raid last March. Dozens of officials searched the $48 million property for items that related to their sex trafficking and racketeering investigation, leaving the home with boxes of baby oil, firearms, platform exotic dancer heels, and a stash of narcotics.  

Two de-serialized semi-automatic AR-15-style rifles were found in one of the closets in Combs’ home, Gannon said. The lower part of the weapons were stored in a cardboard box, and the upper receivers were bundled up in a white towel. Gannon testified that because both guns had their serial numbers “cut out,” it made the process of identifying the weapon’s owner “a lot more difficult or impossible.”

During Combs’ bail hearings last year, Combs’ attorneys claimed the guns belonged to members of his security team. “He has nothing to do with how guns are kept in his house,”  Combs’ lead defense attorney Marc Agnifilo said. “He has a professional security company that keeps firearms in the house.” However, as prosecutors pointed out during the same hearing, “it would be “absurd” that an “armed security in a professional security company would use defaced AR-15s and store them in pieces in the defendant’s personal closet.” 

Also stashed in the home’s closets were several items that Ventura testified were routinely used in freak-offs. At least a dozen pairs of seven-inch platform heels were found in boxes and drawers; sex toys including “love cuffs,” rope, and oral sex candies; and packaged lingerie and sexy costumes were found, Gannon said. He said there were several dozen bottles of Astroglide and baby oil in a single closet. 

A black Gucci bag was found in Combs’ closet, which contained a surplus of powders and different-colored pills — including an orange triangle-shaped tablet that had a Tesla symbol on it — that later tested positive for ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, and an active ingredient that is found in Xanax. Some of the pills contained a mixture of ketamine and MDMA. Prosecutors said they also found a Lumify eye drop bottle in the pouch, and the liquid tested positive for ketamine and MDMA. 

Dawn Richard, Combs’ Employee, and Cassie’s Best Friend Witnessed Physical Abuse 

Four people this week testified they were present when Combs physically beat Ventura, all admitting they did not call law enforcement nor interfere with the rage-fueled attack because they were scared for their safety.

Ventura’s former best friend Kerry Morgan said she panicked during a Jamaica vacation in 2013 when she allegedly saw Combs drag Ventura by her hair down a long hallway before he violently pushed her to the ground, causing Ventura to knock her head on the brick pavement. Morgan said she chased after Ventura, who fled barefoot from Combs into a nearby wooded area. Together, they hid from Combs by crouching in a ditch for what “felt like hours,” Morgan said.

Kaplan, who worked as Combs’ assistant from 2013 to 2015, said once, during a private plane ride to Las Vegas in 2015, he heard the sound of glass shattering and a “tremendous commotion” coming from where Combs and Ventura were on the back of the plane. 

He turned and allegedly saw an irate Combs standing over a distressed Ventura, with Combs holding a whiskey rock glass in his hand. “Isn’t anybody seeing this?” Ventura cried out, Kaplan testified. He admitted that he looked the other way and didn’t get involved because he was worried about jeopardizing his career. “I could not believe my good fortune would be working for such an icon,” he explained. “And the last way that I thought that I would be successful in that career would be to compromise his well-being in any way.” 

Danity Kane and Diddy-Dirty Money singer Dawn Richard testified she was shocked and scared when she allegedly saw Combs pick up a skillet and attempt to strike Ventura in the head with the pan in 2009. “He was beating her up in front of us,” Richard said of why she didn’t try to stop the attack. “I was scared if I intervened or did anything, that it might get worse.”

Celebrity makeup artist Mylah Morales said although she tried to encourage Ventura to seek medical treatment after Combs allegedly left Ventura with a black eye, a busted lip, and knots on her head in 2010, she was terrified of Combs. “I feared for my life because if he could do that to her…” Morales began, before Combs’ defense team objected to her answer. When asked why she didn’t report the alleged assault to police, Morales stayed firm. “I feared for my life,” she said. 

The Week Ahead

Due to Memorial Day, the third week of the trial begins on Tuesday. Combs’ former employee Capricorn Clark is expected to testify first, followed by two law enforcement officials. 

Ventura, Morgan, and Mescudi all mentioned Clark during their testimony. On Thursday, Mescudi said Clark alerted him that Combs had broken into his Hollywood Hills home in December 2011. 

Before breaking for the long weekend, Assistant United States Attorney Maurene Comey told U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian that the government was on track for the trial to be finished before the July 4th holiday weekend. Comey said prosecutors expect to take another four weeks, with the defense needing a week to present their case.