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Sean "Diddy" Combs allegedly got violent with his ex-girlfriend Cassie when he didn't get his way, and complained she didn't use enough lube when she had sex with male escorts, according to witnesses.
Following opening statements on Monday, May 12, the first round of witnesses was called to testify at Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City. The first witness to take the stand was LAPD officer Israel Florez, a security guard who was on duty the day Combs was caught on camera beating Cassie at the InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles in 2016. He testified that Combs tried to bribe him with a sack of cash and attempted to take his phone.
"I started to leave and (Combs) called for me," Florez said per NBC News. "He had a sack of money and he threw it at me and said, 'Don't tell anyone.'"
"She was scared," he continued. "She was in the corner, hood on, covered up. I couldn't see her face, she was pretty much in the corner. On the floor was a destroyed flower vase."
Later, a male escort named Daniel Phillip took the stand. Phillip said he was paid several thousand dollars to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched. He said the Bad Boy Records founder would direct them before and during intercourse. He instructed them to do role-playing scenarios, what sex acts to perform and where to ejaculate. Phillip also said that Combs once complained that he and Cassie didn't use enough baby oil during their session. According to TMZ, it was the first time the Astroglide was mentioned during the trial. As some may know, Combs had over 1,000 bottles of baby oil confiscated from his home during the feds' raid on his mansions in L.A. and Miami last year.
There was a moment when Phillip said he once witnessed Combs drag Cassie by the hair into his bedroom. He recalled how Combs called for Cassie, but she didn't respond immediately because she was working on her laptop.
"I heard him yell out, 'Babe, come here,'" Phillip testified. "Combs came out of the room and I saw a liquor bottle fly past her and hit the wall. He grabbed her by her hair and dragged her by the hair into the bedroom. She was screaming and he pulled her into the bedroom. And what I heard sounded like him slapping her."
Phillip said he was too "shocked" and "terrified" to do something immediately. He chose not to get involved because there were four or five bodyguards in the room at the time. Cassie eventually returned and sat in Phillip's lap. He asked her why she still remained with Combs after he beat her. She tried to convince him that she was OK. Philip replied, "It is not OK and you need to get help." The male escort is expected to return today to continue his testimony. Cassie is also set to take the stand.
Combs is charged with five counts of sex trafficking, transportation to engage in prostitution and racketeering conspiracy. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted, he faces life in prison.