Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs trial recap day 14: Former assistant says she was kidnapped, forced to take lie detector tests

The third week of testimony in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ sex trafficking trial resumed on Tuesday with emotional testimony from the rap mogul’s former private assistant, who testified in regards to the violence and threats she mentioned she witnessed on the job.

Crying at factors on the witness stand, Capricorn Clark informed jurors that she was informed she could be “thrown into the East River” if she failed a lie detector check in regards to the theft of Combs’ jewellery, that she was pressured to accompany Combs to confront rival musician Child Cudi, and the way she witnessed Combs beat his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Ventura.

The extreme testimony was sophisticated by an emotional cross-examination, as protection attorneys questioned Clark about her want to reconcile with Combs and proceed working with him.

“You need to work with him once more?” protection lawyer Marc Agnifilo pressed after exhibiting messages the place Clark sought to reconcile with Combs.

“I needed to work within the music trade,” Clark replied.

Combs faces the potential of life in jail if convicted on sex-trafficking and racketeering expenses. Prosecutors allege he used his music empire — together with his huge wealth and management over his staff — to run a felony enterprise that used violence and threats to coerce girls into intercourse after which implement their silence. The trial has already seen the onetime cultural tastemaker and music trade titan lowered to a drug-addled abuser who led a intercourse life replete with voyeurism, orgies and prostitutes.

Combs has pleaded not responsible, and his legal professionals have argued that Combs’ actions, whereas outdoors the mainstream, have been a non-public matter and never felony in nature.

“When you do not persuade him, I’ll kill all you m————-.”

Final week, rapper and actor Child Cudi — whose authorized identify is Scott Mescudi — informed jurors that he believed Combs broke into his house in a spasm of jealousy after he realized Mescudi had been courting Combs’ ex-girlfriend, Ventura.

Mescudi provided few particulars in regards to the alleged break-in, telling jurors he rushed over to his house after being tipped off by Clark. As soon as there, he testified he solely discovered traces of Combs’ alleged actions, together with discovering Christmas presents tampered with and his canine locked in his toilet.

Taking the stand on Tuesday, Clark testified about that episode, which she mentioned started within the early morning hours of Dec. 22, 2011, when a livid Combs arrived at her condo with a handgun.

“He mentioned, ‘Why did not you inform me?’ I mentioned, ‘I do not know what you are speaking about.’ He mentioned, ‘Who’s Scott?’ I mentioned, ‘I do not know Scott.’ He mentioned, ‘Child Cudi,'” Clark recalled.

When she protested, Clark testified Combs, gun allegedly in hand, informed her, “I do not give a f— what you need to do, go dress.”

Clark mentioned she was pressured to affix Combs and a bodyguard named Ruben to drive to Mescudi’s house. Whereas Combs and Ruben allegedly entered the home, Clark mentioned she referred to as Ventura to inform her in regards to the break-in, warning Mescudi that he may “get himself killed” if he tried to intervene.

Later that day, Clark testified that Combs ordered her and the bodyguard to choose up Cassie and persuade Mescudi to not inform police Combs was concerned within the break-in on the home.

“When you do not persuade him, I’ll kill all you m————-” Clark recalled Combs telling her. When she returned with Ventura, Clark mentioned Combs, standing in his gown and underwear, started kicking Ventura.

She testified that Combs kicked Ventura repeatedly, “and every kick she would crouch into increasingly more a fetal place” till she was all the best way to the road.

Requested why she didn’t intervene, Clark responded that Combs informed her, “If I bounce in, he was going to f— me up too.”

Breaking down on the witness stand, Clark informed jurors she later referred to as Ventura’s mom and urged her to report Combs to the police. “He is beating the s— out of your daughter. Please assist her. I can not name the police, however you may,” she recounted to the jury.

Ventura’s mom testified final week that after she realized about Combs’ menace to launch two intercourse tapes of her daughter, she took out a house fairness mortgage to pay Combs $20,000, which was ultimately returned to her.

Cross-examining Clark, Combs’ attorneys tried to solid doubt on the previous assistant’s recollection of the occasions and advised she accompanied Combs and Ruben willingly.

“You went since you have been afraid he was going to do one thing silly?” Agnifilo requested. “I went as a result of he informed me he did not care that I did not need to go,” Clark responded. “I didn’t need to go and it was not my selection, sir.”

“They’ll throw you within the East River.”

Clark informed jurors that working for Combs was fast-paced, intense and required loyalty. Inside her first 12 months working for Combs, she mentioned she was pressured to take a collection of lie detector exams to show she was not concerned with the disappearance of three items of high-end jewellery Combs had given her.

After she reported the jewellery lacking, Clark testified that she was locked contained in the unfinished company headquarters of Combs’ Unhealthy Boy Leisure by a bodyguard nicknamed “Uncle Paulie.” Taken to the sixth flooring of the constructing, Clark mentioned she discovered “a heavy-set gentleman who was chain-smoking cigarettes and ingesting black espresso.” She mentioned the person informed her, “I had been dropped at the constructing to take a lie detector check to determine what occurred to this jewellery.”

If she flunked the check, she testified that the person informed her, “They’ll throw you within the East River.”

“I used to be petrified,” Clark mentioned.

Clark mentioned “Uncle Paulie” took her 5 days in a row to the identical abandoned location inside 1710 Broadway in Manhattan, close to New York’s well-known Carnegie Corridor, for lie-detector exams.

“I needed to show my innocence. I did not just like the threats,” Clark testified.

When she was allowed to return to work, Clark informed the jury that Combs by no means talked about the lie detector exams or inquired the place she had been.

Throughout a cross-examination that hopscotched from time interval to time interval, Capricorn Clark testified she didn’t know the connection between Sean Combs and the massive man she remembered repeatedly administering the lie-detector check. She testified that Combs suspected her of stealing the jewellery, which had been loaned to Combs for his well-known annual July 4 white social gathering within the Hamptons.

“You do not know what relationship he has to Mr. Combs?” protection lawyer Marc Agnifilo requested. Clark responded that she didn’t know.

“I felt that I used to be considerably of a protector for Puff.”

Whereas prosecutors sought to make use of Clark’s testimony to spotlight how Combs used his wealth, energy, and staff to guide a felony enterprise, protection attorneys tried to undercut that narrative by highlighting messages that advised Clark was wanting to work for a person who held a singular place atop the worlds of music and tradition.

Clark once more broke down in tears and sobs when confronted by a number of emails she had despatched to Combs. One, in 2014, mentioned, “Hopefully you will forgive me quickly. It has been lengthy sufficient. I really feel such as you’ve forgiven everybody else however me.”

A second one, in early 2015, mentioned, “Sending you blessings and love for a brand new 12 months.”

Extra tears flowed when Agnifilo confirmed Clark an e mail she despatched to Combs on his birthday, Nov. 4, 2015. “My hope for this 12 months is that you just make good in your promise to recover from issues and truly be my pal once more.”

Protection lawyer Agnifilo saved asking why she needed to work with Combs once more.

“I needed my life again, sir,” Clark defined.

“You need to work with him once more?” Agnifilo requested.

“I needed to work within the music trade,” Clark replied.

Federal prosecutors, resuming their questioning after the cross-examination, advised Clark returned to work for Combs as a result of he stymied her makes an attempt to work elsewhere within the music trade.

“He held all the facility because it associated to me,” Clark testified by means of sobs.